From New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller comes the tale of a woman who braved the heights of a passion beyond reason. Lauralee Parker knew too well what drink could do to a man. Her own husband had died at the door of a town saloon. With hymns and hatchets, Lauralee and the women of Halpern's Ferry closed down all the taverns--all but the one Jay McCallum was determined to save. After his brother, a saloonkeeper, was found brutally slain, Jay had come to town ready to accuse Lauralee--only to be captivated by her winsome beauty. The proud, powerful man melted Lauralee's defiant heart with the aching hunger of his love--and with the sweet, urgent ecstasy they shared. But even as she surrendered to her rich and wild desire, Lauralee's joy was shadowed by the haunting mystery of Jay's brother's death...a mystery whose shocking outcome could forever destroy her future's radiant promise.