Trace Ord's horse Diablo was being taken right under his nose. His reputation as a renegade rider not withstanding would be cut to ribbons but nobody was getting away with his horse. So he aimed and shot the rustler. But you couldn't begin to understand his dismay when he realized he had shot a woman. Trace was on his way to the Lazy C ranch hoping to get hired on but his real purpose was to get proof that the owner was rustling horses. His clients, owners of two ranches, were depending on him to get the evidence and hopefully to return their horses. But now he had to take care of this female horse thief, Mae Ahern, who was determined to hide her true identity. The only thing he could figure was she was pretty desperate to be out in the wilderness without a horse or weapon. Sure she was still mending from her gunshot he might have underestimated her resolve when to his chagrin he wakes up to find Mae and his horse missing. Searching for Mae & Diablo on foot convinces him that she was seriously trying to disappear but foot and hoof prints showed signs of a struggle and her being taken obviously against her will. Another surprising development was meeting up with a lone traveler who he called the Preacher. Agreeing to let the Preacher tag along turned out to be auspicious when his only entre on the Lazy C was with Preacher signing on as a cook. But what Trace and Preacher were learning about life on the ranch and its owner, Jared Comstock, was worse than they could have imagined. Jared was a vicious man who unsparingly whipped horses but was obsessively protective of his wife Mae. So why was Mae intent on running away? What did she fear so greatly that she would willingly put herself in harms way? There was evil on the Lazy C and Trace needed to get to the bottom of it before he could even begin to investigate the possibility of horse rustling. He never thought about settling down or loving anyone but his concern for Mae was reminding him of a heart he long ago thought lost. Earning her trust would probably be the most difficult challenge he has ever faced. Tough men and women survive but even the toughest have hearts that can be easily broken or manipulated. MacTavish does a great job giving her characters depth. She has you guessing to the bitter end over the mystery that surrounds this ranch and its people. The ending is a true surprise especially since the reader feel they have a handle on all the primary characters. Enjoy.