An outlaw with a price on his head and a rancher's daughter find danger and desire in Lisa Higdon's unforgettable novel set on the untamed Texas frontier.

Caitlin McDonnell is the only child of Duncan McDonnell, a self-made Texas rancher, who is protective and cautious with both his daughter and his younger brother, Cameron. One evening, Caitlin meets young Cole Thornton, a drifter working at a neighboring ranch. Despite the threatening aspect of Cole's father, Caitlin senses a sweetness about Cole. She also longs for a taste of the unknown. Knowing her father will prevent any contact with the young ranchhand, Caitlin agrees to meet Cole secretly, hoping to experience more than the brief kiss he shares with her that first evening.

Ultimately, these secret meetings do lead her to experiences beyond her wildest dreams – life on the run with a young man desperately trying to escape the cycle of crime of his father and uncle. Since his mother's death, Cole Thornton has been hardened by life with his father's outlaw gang, but he has a nascent goodness bubbling beneath the surface. Cole's dreams involve escaping the infamy of being a Thornton, gaining the freedom to have a ranch of his own and provide a decent life for Caitlin.