Cadence Hurley was no stranger to pain. After losing all the family she knew, suffering an injury that left her with a limp, and having to resort to living on the streets of Baltimore, she knew her life could only get better. A chance to go West, courtesy of a mail-order bride agency, seemed like the answer to all of Cadence’s prayers.

But not all was as expected in Shallow Springs, Wyoming. With the marriage Cadence counted on falling through, and with no prospects back east, life seemed to have hit her with a dead-end once again.

To survive, Cadence once more needed to make her own way. Procuring a job as a schoolteacher, she threw herself head-first into a new life. But there was just one problem. The dark-haired, surly cowboy named Beau Johnson.

Beau couldn’t take his eyes off Cadence, no matter how much he knew he should have. After his whole life came crashing down six years before, Beau had accepted that everything he touched turned to dust.

So why couldn’t he do the right thing and stay away from fierce-eyed, strong-willed Cadence Hurley? Was it the light in her drawing them together? Or was it the pain that they shared?

One thing is for sure. You can run as fast as you wish, but if the past isn’t done with you yet, it will always find you… sooner or later.