One man longed for renewal; the other... reparation. Both would stop at nothing to capture the guarded treasure of her heart.

MAGGIE MCRAE was hell bent on keeping her heart to herself and living a solitary life. After all, she could stand on her own; fight her own fight. But after her mother's tragic death, keeping the children together became her primary objective. So, she made good on her promise and moved them away from their home to live in the Dakotas with their estranged father. Never once did Maggie imagine the long journey would end with her sibling's care landing solely on her shoulders. She never intended to change her life plans and stay on the homestead. But the unexpected opportunity to live out her dream was finally within reach.

That is... until they told her she was too young. To keep the ranch, there was only one viable solution; get married.

QUINN KELLY loved once, then suddenly lost it all. So, he locked down his heart and left the broken memories of his Texas home behind. He wandered for two years before landing his feet in the little town of Meadowlark Valley. There, he found a new home and the salvation of his soul. But even God's forgiveness couldn't help him escape the condemnation of his own heart. So, he buried his nightmares inside the comfort of a whiskey bottle.

That is... until a wildcat with fiery hair turned his world upside down, giving him reason to live his life with reaffirmed purpose.

HOWARD HUESELBERG ached with desperation, knowing the girl possessed the one and only redeeming key. But once again, her ruby heart eluded his grasp. So, taking on the persona of a ranch hand, he hid in plain sight and waited for an opportune moment. This time, nothing would keep him from recovering what was rightfully his... he was sure of it.

That is... until the clock ticked down dangerously close to zero. Enforcing his fallback plan was risky, but what else could he do? Drastic times called for drastic measures.