Hunted by a powerful man who wants her dead, Tess Sinclair flees her Texas home in search of anonymity, safety, and a new life. While a flat tire and stormy weather slow her escape, they prove the least of her worries. Just hours after her getaway, a hired gunman tracks her down. Grabbed in a parking lot, Tess is certain she'll be killed . . . until a handsome hitchhiker intervenes. But can she trust the blue-eyed cowboy who appoints himself her guardian?Nothing can stop Justin Boyd from his pursuit of a music career in Nashville - except a woman in peril. Haunted by his sister's murder, Justin can't walk away from Tess until he knows she's safe. Justin puts his dreams of the music spotlight on hold until he can make amends for mistakes from his past. Yet the stakes in this game of vengeance are higher than he ever imagined, and the price for freeing Tess might be his own life.Golden Heart Award-winning author Beth Cornelison and her family live in Louisiana.