The phone call was a lark – a spontaneous whim. But when Lily Brownfield called about the ad in the Oklahoma newspaper and was told that the job was hers, the crazy idea became a reality. The owner of the Longren Ranch needed a cook for a cattle roundup. And Lily needed to leave Los Angeles behind – along with the heartbreak of the fiance and the job she'd lost when her face was scarred in a car accident.

From her first glimpse of Case Longren, a giant of a man in a black Stetson standing tall beneath the hot prairie sun, Lily realized there would be no hiding from his penetrating blue eyes. With his handsome face and teasing smile, Case was a man to be avoided at all costs.

At first, Case didn't understand why a pretty blonde with sweet red lips would want to cook for two dozen dusty ranch hands. Then he noticed how Lily, like a skittish colt, shied away from people. This lady had come to his ranch to hide. And though he longed to keep her by his side, Case vowed to help her find the courage to face the world once again.