Nick Red Shield prefers horses to people. He needs no company on the long drive taking a horse trailer from the Midwest to his home in South Dakota. Especially knowing that near the end of his journey, he'll pick up a prize colt that will earn him big money as a stud. Suddenly something darts in front of him and Nick swerves to avoid it, running off the road. When he gets out to inspect the damage to his truck, he is shocked to discover a frightened, badly injured woman in the bushes nearby. Relieved that he didn't cause her injuries, nevertheless Nick offers to take her to the hospital or to somewhere she can get help, but she refuses. She will only say that she wants to hitch a ride for awhile and that her name is Joey. Despite his misgivings, Nick can't turn his back on someone in need.

Lauren Davis grew up around horses and became a well-known jockey for awhile. She drifted into a relationship with businessman Raymond Vargas, realizing too late that she was more of a possession than a partner and that Vargas's charm was only on the surface. After having a baby, Lauren was determined to leave Vargas, fearing for her son Joey's safety, as well as her own. Vargas had found out and sent Lauren away with his assistant, Jack, who was supposed to kill her, but for some reason let her live, tossing her out of the car when she begged to go back for her son. As her gratitude to Nick becomes something deeper, Lauren knows she can't start a new life until she gets Joey back. But she can't let Nick risk his future to save her from her past.

This story brings together a hero and heroine readers will immediately root for. Despite Lauren's small stature, she has a core of steel that makes her a survivor. And despite Nick's tough exterior, he is a man who cares deeply about the few people who can get past the walls he has built. As they bond over the special colt, True Colors, their relationship grows from rescuer/victim into a tentative friendship and then into a love that neither ever expected to experience.

Book Summary

On a dark, lonely stretch of Midwest interstate, Nick Red Shield swerves his pickup and empty horse trailer to avoid a pair of eyes. They belong to a woman--battered, bruised and barely conscious--in desperate need of a lift.

Lauren Davis grew up in the high-stakes world of horse racing, a world that took her to fame as a jockey and into a relationship with a dangerous high roller. Life with Raymond Vargas has turned deadly, forcing her on the run, but she can't abandon her son, and now she'll do anything to get him back safe.

While Nick's instincts as a loner kick into high gear, Lauren's vulnerability tugs at him in ways he'd shut down long ago. A man more comfortable with horses than people, unable to make peace with a past that's left him scarred, Nick's not sure about secretive Lauren. But he can't just leave her. And he really doesn't want her to go.

In the safe haven of his South Dakota ranch, among the magnificent painted horses of Western legend, a bond of trust, truth and passion becomes a lifeline for them both. But soon the danger that shadows Lauren's life and her desperate attempt to save her son will force Nick to confront his own demons. Only then can he fight to save Lauren from hers.