Schoolteacher Hallie Wolcott and her no-nonsense friend Pearl Parsons know there's got to be a better place to live than the roughneck town of Whiskey Bend, Colorado. When their friend Mary is assaulted by her brutal stepbrother, it's the last straw. Hallie and Pearl pull up stakes, rescue Mary, and put as many miles of Colorado wilderness behind them as they can. But a violent storm soon sends their journey careening in a different direction.

Enter Eli Morgan, a quiet rancher deep in family troubles-and pursued by unseen, ruthless enemies. Now with Mary's vengeful stepbrother closing in on them all, Hallie must learn strength, perseverance, and courage . . . if she is to claim the life and love that can be hers.