Melissa Hartford, burdened by guilt over her domineering father's death, meets Lawton Kane in a wild west re-enactment. She must become independent, and fears Lawton's strength will curtail this, yet her heart recognizes him as her savior. Haunted by ghosts from a brutal past, Lawton dares not let Melissa close lest enemies target him through her. When one closes in, they must combine forces for safety though enforced intimacy creates its own hazards.