Hired gun, Raz Colt, believes money is the only thing that keeps a man warm at night.  When he hears a $10,000 reward is being offered to return kidnapped Arden O’Hara to her father, Colt jumps at the chance.  The only stipulation is that she is brought home with her virtue intact.  Rescuing the incredibly lovely Arden from her first set of captors proves no problem for Colt, but dealing with her hot temper, spoiled nature and propensity for cussing is another matter.  Colt discovers traveling with Arden is dangerous to his health.  Not only are the pair chased, shot at and waylaid by a host of desperadoes who are after Arden, but she does her best to injure Colt herself.

Raised by a wealthy, doting father who overcompensated for the loss of her mother with material things, Arden’s temperament alienated most people.  When a new neighbor proposed to her, her suspicions became aroused.  In retrospect, she realizes that faking the kidnapping to test her betrothed’s love may have been imprudent, especially when a host of people now seem to be gunning for her for real.  Coming to her rescue is a handsome gunslinger, who puts up with none of her tantrums and relishes telling her exactly what he thinks of her.  Colt delights in reminding Arden that if it were not for the reward money, he would have left her to her own means long ago.  

Weaving in and out of towns, trying to find the identity of who is so intent on killing Arden, the couple learns to rely and trust each other.  Arden, although still fiery and courageous, has softened, and Raz finds himself caring for someone for the first time in his life.  The journey they make back to Arden’s home is fraught with danger, and while they manage to fight off their attackers, they cannot fight their growing attraction to one another.  Despite her tough façade, Arden is a virgin, and Raz is a half-breed gunslinger who knows he has nothing to offer her other than safe passage home.  He teaches her the physical aspect of love and finds her a willing student.  When they finally make love, it is with such intensity that both know in their hearts things will never be the same. 

The identity of the would-be killer is revealed and Arden is safe at last.  Raz cannot take the reward money, as he did not hold up his end of the bargain – Arden did not return home with her virtue intact.  He leaves, believing it is the honorable thing to do, and since Arden does not follow him, he assumes she agrees they have no future together.  Everyone, including the reader, holds their collective breath to see if ill-placed pride will keep the pair apart or if unforeseen circumstances will bring them together.

This was a fun, quick read, with lots of sharp dialogue and interesting secondary characters.  At first, Colt and Arden seem shallow and sometimes unlikable, but as the story progresses, they evolve into sympathetic individuals you want to root for.  There is plenty of action and it gives a realistic depiction of the violence of that era (some of the descriptions are not for the faint of heart) along with well written, if explicit, intimate scenes.