Judge Madelyn Cooper never shows signs of weakness, but when a killer threatens her daughter's life, Maddie does what any mother would do. Run to the place where her daughter will be safe. And that place is Greendale, Texas. Maddie left Greendale fourteen years earlier, pregnant, broke, and without saying a word to Rand McCade. What could she say after her father killed his parents? Rand McCade is determined to keep Greendale safe. As Sheriff, he promised there would be no repeats of the horrible day when his parents were murdered. Now Maddie is back, bringing trouble with her once again. And this time, she has a daughter. His daughter. As a psychopath sets his sights on Maddie, Rand and Maddie must figure out who is after her, and why, before someone else ends up dead.

Deputy Cody Wills likes his job with the Greendale County Sheriff's Department, even though things are getting more dangerous in the small, East Texas county. But when Sheriff Rand McCade hires a few new deputies and changes some of the rules in response to the increasing crime rate, Cody finds himself saddled with a partner. And not just any partner—a female, straight out of the academy. If he has to have a partner, he'd at least like one who can watch his back. Charlie Booker is excited about her new career in law enforcement. She's recently returned from several tours of duty in Iraq, and still suffers from nightmares. But she's an expert sniper, and she can watch Cody's back just fine, thank you very much. And she doesn't mind a bit. He has a very nice backside to watch. As they work together to fight crime and investigate a threat to the local high school, they figure out they have to learn to trust each other. Before they know it, their relationship heats up as quickly as a Texas summer day.