In this entrancing conclusion to her Orphan Train trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller bewitches with a sensual tale of the oldest Chalmers sister, who dares to risk everything in pursuit of a dream… Caroline Chalmers may seem like a staid schoolmistress, but when her promised husband is arrested for a crime that he says he didn’t commit, she walks boldly into a Wyoming frontier saloon and asks former Confederate raider Guthrie Hayes to help her plot a jailbreak. Caroline believes she wants married life with a respectable man—and the disreputable, wildly handsome Guthrie certainly doesn’t fit the bill. But when he kisses her, she is flooded with a shameless passion that leaves her shaken to the core…and longing for more. Guthrie’s hard-won hopes for his future don’t involve helping a naive girl on a foolhardy mission. There’s something about the lovely Caroline’s sensual response to his caresses, however, that makes him forget his sensible plans in an overwhelming yearning to teach this lovely wildcat the true meaning of desire. The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than one hundred historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West. Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane. Published since 1983, Linda was awarded the prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 by the Romance Writers of America. She was recently inducted into the Wild West Heritage Foundation's Walk of Fame for her dedication to preserving the heritage of the Wild West. When not writing, Linda loves to focus her creativity on a wide variety of art projects. Visit her online at LindaLaelMiller.com and Facebook.com/OfficialLindaLaelMiller. Chapter One Bolton, Wyoming Territory April 15, 1878 He was the most disreputable-looking man Caroline had ever seen, and everything depended upon him. Squinting, she took a neatly pressed handkerchief from the pocket of her coat and wiped away some of the grime from the saloon window to take a closer look. If anything, Mr. Guthrie Hayes seemed even less appealing after that effort. He certainly didn't look like the war hero her student had told her about with such excitement. A muscular man, probably only a few inches taller than Caroline herself, he sat at a corner table, engrossed in a game of cards. A mangy yellow dog lay at his side on the sawdust floor, its muzzle resting on its paws. Mr. Hayes wore rough-spun trousers, a plain shirt of undyed cotton, suspenders, and a leather hat that looked as if it had been chewed up and spit out by a large, irritable animal. His face was beard-stubbled, and he sported a rakish black patch over one eye. Caroline couldn't see his hair, because of the hat, but she figured it was probably too long. She sighed, dampened a clean corner of the hanky with her tongue, and cleared a bigger area on the glass. Just then one of the men at Mr. Hayes's table must have pointed Caroline out, for he raised his head and looked her directly in the eyes. An unaccountable shock jolted her system; she sensed something hidden deep in this man's mind and spirit, something beautiful and deadly. He had the audacity to smile around the stub of a thin cigar clamped between his strong white teeth. As far as Caroline was willing to admit, those teeth were his only redeeming feature. Mr. Hayes spoke cordially to the other men, threw in his cards, and pushed back his chair. The dog got up to follow him as he came toward the swinging doors. Caroline stepped back, alarm and excitement colliding inside her and driving out her breath. Her fingers trembled a little as she stuffed the soiled hanky into her handbag. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, even though she was patently terrified. Mr. Hayes approached her idly, the cigar stub still caught between his teeth. In the bright sunshine of an April afternoon, Caroline saw that his one visible eye was green, and she just assumed the other was, too -- provided there was another one, of course. There was a quirky slant to his mouth, and his beard, like what she could see of his hair, was light brown. His very presence had an impact, despite his appearance. "Ma'am," he said, touching the brim of his seedy hat, and Caroline heard just the whisper of a southern drawl in the way he uttered the word. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. Lord knew, she wanted nothing to do with the likes of Guthrie Hayes, but he might well be Seaton's only chance. She was prepared to do almost anything to help the man she hoped to marry. She put out a hand. "My name is Miss Caroline Chalmers," she said. An impudent green eye moved over her slender figure slowly then came back to her face. The amusement Caroline saw in it