A death bed confession made in a Yankee cell sends Nathan Stadler on a quest for gold and places him smack-dab in the center of Maggie Kent’s life. She’s the daughter of the dead prisoner, a man who claimed to have robbed a cache of gold and stashed it on his land. Afraid too many will threaten his daughter and try to find the bounty, George Kent has trusted in the integrity of his cell mate for the last few years, mainly because Nathan was wrongly accused of the crime and his release is imminent. By revealing his secret, the old man hopes that Nathan will help Maggie find the treasure. When Nathan meets Maggie however, he’s not sure which he wants more, the gold or the girl. Until he decides he’ll keep his own counsel.

Maggie is grateful for the drifter signing on to help her with a cattle drive now that the last of her men have fallen into trouble, trouble that seems to be dogging her steps lately. She’s not sure if he’s a prairie owl (bandit) or just a man at loose ends, a well outfitted man, at that. But she’s got to trust someone with getting her cattle to market given the amount of money she owes. Money that she could pay back if she would use the stolen gold she found—but her conscience says she can’t. Until she decides just what to do with it and how to return it, she’s got to not only guard the gold but her cattle interest as well.

For a naturally skeptical Maggie, trusting Nathan Stadler with her cattle isn’t easy and is complicated by her growing attraction to the handsome cowboy and his ability to practically seduce her with no more than a look. She dare not trust him with the secret about the gold, but each day it seems he is closer to finding it out, asking her too many probing questions. When real outlaws come looking for the treasure however, the stakes ratchet up to pure survival.  Trusting Nathan with her secrets may be easier than trusting him with her heart.

Well-drawn characters, realistic dialog, and plenty of action help draw the reader into this novel which explores where to draw the line between right and wrong. Though a familiar tale, this story is filled with what readers enjoy in a western romance—adventure, sensuality and good overcoming evil for that happily ever after.