A fiercely independent mountain girl, January Jones had no false illusions about men — not after escaping her abusive father, who was planning to sell her into a loathsome marriage. Alone on the trail west to join the Oklahoma Land Run, January ran across handsome gambler Case Latimer— a man she would have loved to hate. Running from a shotgun wedding, Case had no use for beautiful women, especially the marrying kind. Traveling with a little spitfire like January was the last thing he wanted, but survival in the wilderness depended on sticking together. Yet nothing could keep the sparks from flying, creating the sweetest torture either had ever known. And their unlikely bond became the biggest gamble of all.