Tess Kinley wants to leave her society life behind to go live out west, and if it means running away from an arranged marriage and imposing herself on the unsuspecting Calloways, then that’s what she’ll do.
Experience has taught Gabe Calloway that city girls have no business living out west, and he has no intention of letting this one get too comfortable on his ranch. If he has any say in the matter, he’ll see her on the next stage out of town.
Luckily for Tess, that gives her some time to prove her worth to Gabe, in more ways than one. Despite her willingness to dive in and do any task he sets before her, he isn’t convinced she should stay, but as time goes by, Tess begins to get under his skin, something he must fight with every breath. When his heart softens, an encounter with a rattle snake reminds him once again why city girls don’t belong on his ranch.
He orders her off his land, but Tess is determined to see her plan through and simply finds alternate arrangements. Gabe is more confused than ever, torn between shutting Tess out of his heart and life forever or letting himself love her, knowing at some point she’ll either succumb to the hardships as his mother did, or she’ll realize she belongs back in the city, as Catarina did.
By the time Gabe realizes how much he loves Tess, it might be too late, but he’s hell-bent to make her his wife no matter what. Once the bullets start flying, the final decision is out of his hands and he can only hope Tess survives.