Single father Duel McClain has more than enough on his plate when woman-on-the-run Jessie Foltry stumbles into his life…and into his heart.

Duel McClain has lost everything he''s ever loved: his wife, his son, his sense of self. But when a strange twist of fate—and a poker game he''ll never forget—leaves an innocent little girl in his care, Duel vows to defend his new family to his very last breath. If only he knew a single thing about taking care of babies…

Just as Duel swears his life can''t get any more complicated, a beautiful woman stumbles into the light of his campfire, desperate for help. Jessie Foltry is hungry, tired, and running for her life. She agrees to help care for the rancher''s baby in exchange for this Texas hero''s protection, even as she fights to guard her broken heart. But Duel will do whatever it takes to make Jessie see that the Texas plains have more than one kind of knight, and perhaps the end of loneliness is closer than either of them could have dreamed…

"Linda Broday''s heroes step right out of her books and into your heart."—JODI THOMAS, New York Times bestselling author