Ella Carson was delicate, enchantingly lovely, and as furious as any woman could be. If she had a gun, she would shoot Harrigan Mahoney dead. He was the man her greedy relatives had hired to drag her from her aunt's Wyoming home and take her back —- kicking and screaming —- to Philadelphia. If he succeeded, Ella knew she'd be buried within the year, killed by the cold-blooded uncle who wanted her inheritance. But how was Ella going to convince this big, handsome stranger that she wasn't a spoiled rich girl, but a woman in real peril? She had already tried every trick she could think of to break free ... and nothing had worked. Seducing him could be the answer ... until Ella discovered that that plan was as dangerous as the villains closing in on her. For passion was a two-edged sword ... powerful enough to send a strong man to his knees ... irresistible enough to reveal a woman's vulnerability ... and endearing enough to turn a man and a woman's heart toward love ...