Detective Brody Farmer has just had the case of his life fall into his lap. The suspect he was scheduled to deliver to prison was murdered the night before the transfer, and now it's his job to track down a killer and put an end to one family's long history of crime. Before Brody can blink, however, he's assigned to protect the man's widow, and soon both of them are dodging bullets as they work to expose a tangle of murder, racketeering, illegal drugs, and possible police corruption. Newly widowed Liz Pierce should be in mourning. Her marriage may not have been ideal, but its sudden end has sent her reeling. She doesn't want to acknowledge her attraction to Brody, but at first sight she is drawn to him. Their initial meeting doesn't go as planned, but their first kiss sends her head spinning. Still, she can't get close to him-she has a life and career to get back to, neither of which allows her to settle into a small-town life and domestic bliss. She has to rethink her plans, however, when Brody becomes her protector, her hero, and the love of her life. Will either of them survive the fallout of their actions, or will a gunman's bullet and fate conspire to separate them-for good?