In rough-and-tumble Arizona Territory, the desert sun burned hotter than Pinkerton agent Gabriel Winter's need to bring an elusive stagecoach robber to justice. There, he quickly encountered a formidable obstacle—Megan Kearney, the suspect's daughter. He wondered how such a rare beauty had avoided marriage in a town crawling with bachelors...Until he discovered she was holding out for true love. On top of that, the spitfire spinster hotly defended her father's innocence. For some reason, Gabriel wanted to believe not just her naïve claims about her father, but her outlandish romantic notions as well. Still, no outlaw had ever slipped through his fingers, and he wasn't about to risk that hard-earned reputation for the pleasures promised in Megan's fiery gaze.

Megan had to find her father before Gabriel did—which meant monitoring his every move. Accompanying him amid the saloons and brothels crowding Tucson's dusty streets, Megan intended to clear her father's name—even if it meant using her feminine wiles to charm the city slicker detective. She would prove that the maddeningly self-assured Gabriel had underestimated her resolve. But Megan soon discovered that she had underestimated the powerful feelings one man could arouse in a heart that ached for passion...and everlasting love.