When Sheriff Holden of Potluck gets busted up at Madame Fanny's bordello, Thorn is assigned by the governor to be the temporary sheriff until Holden gets back on his feet. But what seemed a simple assignment soon puts Thorn and Boxcar in the middle of a race with a cold-blooded killer to find a cursed blood ruby that disappeared years earlier.
Things really heat up when Clary Worthington, Thorn's ladylove, finds a mysterious redheaded young girl hiding in her dress shop. And of course, that puts Clary right where Thorn never wanted her to be—smack dab in the middle of one of his cases and under the eye of the killer.
While Boxcar is trying to keep his mind on the case, the troubles between him and Tilly are festering to the point that he is about ready to take Thorn's advice and spank some sense into the woman he's falling in love with. Is she deliberately trying to make him jealous with another man or have her feelings changed?
Mayhem and spankings abound as the growly Thorn and the charming Boxcar do their best to solve another case, protect their stubborn women, and return the Heart of Mary to its rightful owner.
Publisher's Disclaimer: This story contains adult spankings.
