In 1868 Gainesville, Texas, Ashley Vale, 22, welcomes home Nick Calhoun, the man she loves and who has been missing for six years after marching off to war. But events involving an escape from a Union prison have left Nick a wanted man, and he has come home only to say good-bye again. Believing Ashley deserves a better life than he can give her, Nick heads to Outlaw Country without her. Her heart shattered, Ashley leaves Gainesville to start a new...