There was one thing in life Hawk Sheridan wanted, and that was to be a doctor. A few months short of his goal, he found himself in the baggage car of a train. He was kicked out of medical school and sent home packing-another dream up in smoke.

Life had been one obstacle after another. Each time, he picked himself up and with God's help began again. He just didn't think he could do it anymore. His troubles were never about who he was, but of what he was. Lakota blood ran through his veins, and it was evident in his appearance. He could only get so far before someone made it an issue.

Avery Stockton's life was one of deception. The only living witness to her family's murder, she lived in fear under a false identity. The killers vowed they would find her, and after seventeen years, they were getting close. Secluded in a Baltimore hospital as a nurse, Avery was under the watchful eye of her uncle Dr. Victor Stockton. When it became necessary to move Avery, there was no better place than the Dakota Territory. Hawk Sheridan had the means and the know-how to hide her in obscurity. Would Hawk be willing to help Avery when she suddenly showed up on his doorstep? Is Hawk ready for the climb of his life? Will the care of Avery stand in the way of fulfilling his dreams or destroy them?