Proud and courageous, cast adrift by the War Between the States, Shannon Conner has carved out a life for herself in the mountains. But now that she's become a target of the vile, predatory Culpepper brothers, she must turn to a stranger for help -Rafael "Whip" Moran, an enigmatic wanderer tied to no place or promise. Intrigued by this intoxicating "widow" with a walk like honey and a tight grip on her shotgun, Whip is resolved to defend Shannon's honor and her life. But no peril in this high, lonely place is greater than the intense passion the lady inspires within him, for it threatens to cost Whip the freedom that is as much a part of him as his soul.