Raped at 14, Galen Stewart awakens from a state of shock to find her foster father’s blood on her hands. Determined to stay two steps ahead of the man’s politician brother who’d rather see her dead than reveal his darkest secret, she’s forced to use the only gift Fate has seen fit to bestow upon her. Hiding beneath an array of identities, Galen accepts a station at whatever town saloon she may happen upon and works the oldest profession in the book. The mere thought of the carnal act launches horrid memories and leads her to concoct a laudanum-laced tonic that sends her ‘Johns’ into a slumberous stupor while she plunders their pockets. It seems like the perfect plan…until two of her patrons die of overdoses. To make matters worse, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to frame her for murders she didn’t commit, but who?

Six years later and still no leads, sheriff turned bounty-hunter Joshua Hassett takes matters into his own hands. Besides the fact that he's been hired by the farmer’s ambitious brother, Joshua has his own reasons for wanting to find the elusive waif. When a surprising clue sends him on the hunt for a raven-haired harlot, Joshua’s world is turned upside down by an auburn-haired angel working one of the saloons. When she’s accused of murder, he sets out to prove her innocence and soon finds himself entangled in her web of lies. Once Joshua discovers the truth, will he be able to choose between his heart and his oath to uphold the law?