Melissa Miller is tired of being alone. Angry, bitter and jaded, she is fully aware that her marriage prospects are horribly slim after the war. With the threat of outlaws raiding towns nearby, her very safety, as well as her mother’s, is at risk. She cannot afford to have her chance at happiness whisked away. But just when she thought she couldn’t take much more and had lost her faith, he walked into her world. Gideon is full of laughter, an inner light and a buoyant personality that she craves… but he is harboring a secret. Gideon Ashton waltzed into the small north Texas town on a wing and a prayer. A request for help to protect the citizens had been passed to him and it felt like divine guidance when he met Melissa. He happened upon the lonely young woman one afternoon, causing a flutter in his stomach and a rush of feelings that had been locked away. She’s everything that he felt was missing in his life and more, causing a fierce yearning for a future he’d never considered before. Melissa had clutched at the bitterness, solitude and anger inside of her for so long. Hope, love and the possibility of living happily ever after one day is suddenly squashed when she realizes that Gideon’s past and the dangers of life in the saddle could take him from her at any moment. Can they find love, a renewed faith, and acceptance in each other when the need arises?