The career research physician Ensley Markus has worked toward all her life has come to an abrupt end. JPL Corporation shredded her ground-breaking project, fired her and her team and blacklisted her. And then Ensley discovers the man who asked her to marry him is not only behind her being banished, but he’s sleeping with her supervisor. The devastation appears complete until Ensley receives a call from Sheriff Jack Trace of Spirit Springs, Idaho. Her father is missing. Ensley shoves everything else aside and leaves her high-powered life in the nation’s capital for the high desert of Idaho. The day she arrives in Spirit Springs, her father is shot, and dies in her arms. Determination consumes her as she focuses on finding her dad’s murderer. Ensley is continually hampered by Jack, the town’s great-looking sheriff who’s intent on keeping her safe, whether she wants him to or not. “Staggs’ characters are skillfully intertwined with the mystery. A must read. Bring on the next book in the series.” Jan Hambright, Romantic Suspense Author Five Star “This book was a very easy read. I couldn't put it down. I definitely would recommend giving this new author a try.” “This book kept me on my toes with each chapter, I look forward to the next ones in this series. The writing is smart, and it will keep you interested until the end.” “This is a fast-paced book with mystery, suspense and a sassy heroine you're going to love. Ensley Markus is off to the first of many adventures! Enjoy!” “Fun to read, always looked forward to getting back to it.”

For Ensley Markus, the joy of Christmas is dulled by the memory of her father’s death. She holds tight to the bright spot in her new life, her developing relationship with Jack Trace, the Sheriff of Spirit Springs. The promise of the season vanishes when Don March arrives. He’s Ensley’s former fiancé and a high-ranking CIA operative. He brings with him deceit, deception, and a secret mission for Jack. Their white Christmas turns into a hundred-year blizzard isolating the town. When Jack is kidnapped. Ensley is forced to ask the man from her past, to help her find the man she hopes will be her future. Don tells Ensley about one of Jack’s missions gone terribly wrong. One where Jack is not only a thief but a murderer. Struggling to sift through the lies, Ensley races against time to outsmart the kidnappers and save Jack. She knows it’s up to her to discover the truth and keeping them both alive. Her world falls apart when Jack tells her Don’s story is true.

The people of Spirit Springs are excited. The ski resort is on track to open and the town will be prosperous again. Jack and Ensley are invited to a party for perspective resort investors. At the gathering a jealous woman put out a contract on Ensley. As Ensley and Jack search for the hitman, they discover the man isn’t a random killer-for-hire. He is the brother of Jack’s best friend. The one Jack had to order into a situation that ended his life. Now his younger brother is out to make Jack suffer the way he has, by killing the person Jack loves the most. Ensley. To complicate matters, there’s a shadowy third party in the mix. Ensley is thrust into a world of super-secret missions and Jack’s past. One which involves Jack’s team and a former Mossad agent. A domain filled with more terror and intrigue than she thought possible. Ensley is faced with surviving the man intent on killing her and the mercenaries holding her captive. With hope slipping away, Ensley and the wife of one of Jack’s team members have to find a way to escape. Then all they need to do is survive the vast desert of southwest Idaho.

Life has been quiet until Jack Trace’s estranged mother shows up. She’s been a blank spot in Jack and Ensley’s talks. The reason, she’s been in prison for nearly thirty years for her part in a double murder. She doesn’t show up alone, she brings with her the man who beat Jack as a child. Life goes very wrong very fast as fake photos, planted e-mails, and misleading notes show up. The lives around Ensley are torn apart. Ensley is left devastated, but in the end, she sets things right with Jack, and together they untangle the web of thieves and murders who have descended on Spirit Springs.

Life has decided to be kind to Ensley and Jack. Their relationship is going great. And as a bonus, no one has tried to kill either one of them in almost six weeks. That is until Don March, Ensley's former fiancé shows up at Jacks front door. He's there to deliver new information and to try to get Ensley back. Don isn't the only one to come to town. The Sullivan brothers enter the mix. Jerry blames Jack for his brother Dave's death. He is set on killing Ensley to make Jack suffer the way he has. Dave Sullivan, the man everyone thought was killed on a mission in Africa four years ago has come to even a score with Jack.