Sherriff Maddox McCullen cradled Rose Worthington, every protective fiber of his being firing as she shuddered against him. She told him how she had been brutally attacked and had killed the man—her fiancÔe!—in self defense. But when Maddox investigates the crime scene, he finds nothing. No bullet casing, no blood, no body. The deeper Maddox probes, the more questions arise, revealing a mysterious past that shatters all Rose has ever known. Caught in the crosshairs of escalating danger—and his powerful desire for Rose—Maddox vows to protect her. He'll risk his life to find a desperate enemy who will stop at nothing to keep the past buried.