Tess Grady doesn't do playboy cowboys, and as far as she's concerned, that's exactly what Gage McBride is. Tess wants steady, stable, and secure in a man, and Gage seems to be the farthest thing from that. When women come up to a man in a bar and slap him, that's got to be a good sign that he's not the one for her or a suitable male role model for her young daughter. After losing her husband in a car accident, Tess isn't even sure she can love again.
Gage has been waiting for the right woman, and he's sure Tess is the one. The problem is that she believes the reputation he has somehow earned after being betrayed by the one woman he ever loved. He's not the "cowboy with a woman in every town" that Tess believes he is, and he intends to prove it to her.
Tess starts to fall for the sexy cowboy when things start to go desperately wrong. Harvey Norton, a man from Gage's past, is seeking revenge. Not only did Gage help to put Harvey behind bars for embezzling, but Tess, the woman Harvey is attracted to, seems to be falling for Gage.
Gage's life is in danger, and soon, Tess' is, too. Gage must save Tess while at the same time trying to stay alive.