An outlaw with a price on his head has no business getting involved with a woman...especially the one he has been paid to betray.
Kansas, 1870 - On a quest to deliver justice for the only family he has left, Buck O'Connor risks his life to return to Kansas to help a kinsman save his land from a greedy railroad promoter. But after Buck saves a stranded young woman from an overturned carriage, he is shocked to discover she is the wealthy villain he has been hired to sabotage.
Amy Langford is determined to finish the construction of a new railroad and fulfill her father's philanthropic legacy. Her endeavor isn't going so well. The railroad board questions her competence because she's a woman. Land speculators have stirred up a settlers' revolt. On top of that, someone is trying to kill her. Following the latest mishap, she hires a bodyguard. She doesn't know much about the towering stranger who rescues her, but she trusts her instincts.
Unwilling to harm her, Buck decides he can sway Amy toward making peace with the settlers while he protects her. But after the unknown assailant strikes again, he begins to question whether the real villains are the men instigating the revolt, including his cousin. Did his quest for justice render him blind?
Vandalism, greed and corruption follow a railroad construction race that has turned deadly. Amy's bodyguard is the only man she can rely on. But when Buck's wretched past is exposed, his betrayal breaks her heart, and worse, destroys her trust in his protection when their enemy strikes again.
E.E. Burke blends historical events with pulse-pounding suspense and fiery romance in a story about an outlaw's redemption.
"Her portrayal of strong, realistic, well-defined characters and meticulous research transports readers back to the American West." New York Times bestselling authorJill Marie Landis
"Gripping, realistic western writing at its best! E. E. Burke is an exceptional storyteller!" USA TODAY bestselling author Rosanne Bittner
