Modern-thinking reporter Victoria Garrison, the youngest of rancher Jacob Garrison's girls, doesn't find much in turn-of-the-century Wyoming. She soon has more mystery than she can handle when a stranger called Laramie rides onto her father's property. Why is he interested in local ranchers and a long-ago lynching? And why does she find him so compelling? 

Jacob Garrison was a respected rancher who could deal with stampedes, blizzards, and even range wars. But how was he supposed to handle his little girls falling in love?There were so many things that a girl shouldn't do, and for a teacher, there were even more. Miss Garrison was learning them all by doing them. No sooner had the hapless beauty escaped scandal in her Wyoming home by taking a Texas teaching job than she'd met up with "Handy" Jack Harwood -- a handsome gambler who would surely do her reputation no good. She knew she could get on track, if only she could ignore the unladylike excitement he stirred in her. She'd gamble one last time -- on the goodness of Jack's rakish soul and that they were meant to be together. After that, she'd start ...A serious schoolmistress risks her heart and a handsome gambler learns a few lessons in passion when they fall in love.

Jacob Garrison was a respected rancher who could deal with stampedes, blizzards, and even range wars. But how was he supposed to handle his little girls falling in love? --MARIAH-- Cattle and sheep don't mix--everyone in Wyoming knows that! So Mariah Garrison, the eldest daughter of the territory's most-respected cattle rancher should know better than to fall in love with Stuart MacCallum, a local sheep farmer. Before, Mariah always followed the rules. But after one unforgettable kiss, she forgets everything except her rugged sheep man, and he does the same. It's hard to enjoy a proper courtship when her pesky papa wants to kill her beau. But in Stuart's strong arms, Mariah can't help thinking that the best thing she's ever done is forgetting herself.**