A Yankee and an outlaw have become unlikely partners in a tough Texas town. Sam Heller and Johnny Cross face a stampede of danger--ignited by one pretty little woman... When a lovely lady steps off a dusty stagecoach in Hangtree, the hardest heart skips a beat--and Sam Heller falls hard for her. What Hangtree doesn't know, however, is that Julia Pepperday isn't who she pretends to be. She is the daughter of the late Black Ear Skinner, a notorious outlaw who wanted his only child to have all the advantages in life and sent her back east. Black Ear Skinner's apple hasn't fallen far from the tree, though. Julia has turned her back on the fancy boarding school and set her sights on Hangtree, because that's where Sam Heller has built a hard-earned fortune. Backed by her late father's gang, Julia is out to separate Sam from his money and destroy Hangtree in the process. But while Sam and Hangtree have lost their heads, Johnny Cross has kept his--and he's getting ready for war...