Colleen Pringle has been falsely accused, cast out of her wagon train, and left alone on the prairie with only her young daughter, Sheela.
She is determined to reach California, start her own business, and finally build a life where she can depend on no one but herself. More than anything, she needs to keep the secret that could destroy her chance at freedom.
Then Eli Oatman finds her.
Eli agrees to help Colleen and Sheela reach California, but the arrangement comes with one clear understanding: once they arrive, they will go their separate ways. That suits Eli just fine. After losing his home and the woman he believed loved him, he has no intention of risking his heart again.
Keeping his distance from Colleen should be simple.
Except it is not.
Again and again, the challenges of the journey force Colleen to rely on Eli despite her fierce determination to remain independent. And little Sheela quickly grows attached to the man traveling beside them, stealing Eli's heart before he realizes just how deeply he has come to care for them both.
But the past is not finished with Colleen.
When the accusations that drove her from the wagon train follow her west, Colleen's dream of freedom is threatened once again. To protect the future she has fought so hard to build, she must face the truth she has tried to leave behind.
Can Colleen finally escape the shadow of her past and claim the independent life she longs for? And can Eli set aside his fear of being hurt again long enough to risk everything for the woman and child who have become impossible not to love?
