James McDonald left his home in Raleigh, North Carolina to see some of the untamed west. Life had been difficult after the Civil War and he couldn't seem to find contentment. That is until he met the spirited, beautiful Cora Aldean. He had never met a more intriguing woman. Problem was she was engaged to another man. Cora Aldean had her life planned. She would marry her childhood sweetheart, Dan Hawkins. Together they would start a ranch near Austin, Texas and live happily ever after; until James McDonald arrived in Austin for a business deal with her father. Wide-shouldered and extremely handsome, her heart pounded every time she was in his presence. The attraction she felt for James could ruin everything she held dear. A secret threatens Cora's chance at happiness with either man. A secret so savage it could destroy her life.