Ophelia Kendrake had barely finished conning the coat off
a cardsharp's back before she and her adopted sister
stumbled into Dead End, Wyoming, and recived a welcome fit
for a queen. Mistaken for the Countess of Bridgewater,
Ophelia saw no reason to reveal herself until she had
stripped the hamlet of its fortunes and escaped into the
sunset. Raised from grifter to gentlewoman, the fiery-
haired actress couldn't help but chuckle at teaching a
lesson to a town so sold on appeareances. But the free-
spirited beauty almost swallowed her script when she met
Tyler, the town's virile mayor. When Tyler Matthews
returned from an Ivy League college and his years abroad,
he simply wanted to settle down and enjoy the simplicity
of ranching. But his aunt and uncle were set on making a
silk purse out of Dead End, and Tyler was going to be the
new mayor. It was a job he took with little relish--until
he caught a glimpse of the village's newest visitor. And
as Tye got to know the "Countess" Ophelia, he grew to love
her. But trusting her was a different matter, and Tye
swore that before he was through, he'd uncover the deepest
secrets--and teach her that it's what's underneath that
counts in matteres of the heart.