Emmaline Conway knew only one way to deal with problems and life in general and that was to rush at them head-on. Dancing around a problem didn’t solve anything—it only made your feet hurt. And she’d had enough hurt to last a lifetime. Sheriff J.C. Duvall hadn’t just been bitten by love once, he’d been chewed up and spit out. Now the by-the-book lawman wanted only to raise his daughter and live a quiet, peaceful life in the little town of Utopia County, Wyoming. But Emmaline’s constant shenanigans threaten his peaceful existence. Even if they can find a way to put their pasts behind them, can the solitary lawman and the fiery lawyer overcome their differences and build a future together? EXCERPT: “Emmaline, why don’t you just run along and –” “Be a good little female.” The words pelleted J.C.’s senses like shards of ice against his skin. For such a fiery little thing, she sure could be cool. Dealing with Emmaline was like holding a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse, you had to time the throw just right. He rubbed a weary hand over his day old stubble, forcing himself to maintain a calm he was far from feeling. “I was going to say and we’ll forget this little incident ever happened.” “How noble of you.” Double shit. How could one tiny little woman make a man feel so inadequate with just a few words? Must be the lawyer in her. That reminder J.C. of Emmaline’s one weakness. Everyone knew she was forever losing track of time. “Aren’t you needed at your office on some case or another?” She pulled back the sleeve of her pink blouse and glanced at her watch. “Holy wa-ter. I’m going to be late for court.” She took off at a dead run, her long blonde curls fly-ing behind her. “That girl is going to drive this town bonkers if she continues to carry on the way she has for the last few months.” Clive shook his white head. “She certainly is, umm, unique.” J.C. watched until Emmaline rounded the corner then turned back to Clive. “She’s crazy as a lunatic,” Clive muttered. “Running around all over town putting her nose into things that don’t concern her.” “Now Clive, I wouldn’t exactly say that Utopia County’s top attorney is ready for the loony bin.” J.C. glanced toward the patrol car. He guessed the girls were getting pret-ty impatient now that the jig was up. “Hmmph.” Clive waved a dismissive hand. “What that girl needs is a husband to rein her in.” He gave J.C. a measuring look. “Don’t look at me.” J.C. turned toward the car. He wouldn’t let himself examine too closely the rush he felt at the thought of being the man to try and control Emmaline Conway. He might as well stick his heart in a meat grinder. Been there. Done that. Never again.

If asked, Connor Duvall would say he was sure of only one thing—he never wanted the heartbreak of loving and losing again. But he hadn’t anticipated the way his fellow deputy would be able to sneak past his walls and get to his lonely heart. When an old threat resurfaced, it evoked his every masculine instinct—to protect, defend…and possess. Even though Deputy Leigh Ann Hardin is hiding from a painful past, she had created a nice life in Utopia, Wyoming. Still, she found herself wanting more—and her fellow deputy, Connor Duvall, was it. Unfortunately, Connor was still mourning a devastating loss. When her past finally caught up with her, she was surprised to find him ready and willing to protect her. Could he learn to love her too? Read J.C.'s and Emmaline's story in The Lady and the Law