A daughter of southern gentility and a gifted painter, Catherine Edilean Harcourt has no lack of suitors at home Virginia, waiting to fulfill her dream of family and marriage. But Cay's adventurous spirit, fostered by growing up with her three brothers, is piqued while visiting her godfather in South Carolina. Bedridden with a broken leg he asks cay to fill in for him on an important task: on her way to the fancy dress ball she must deliver a packed horse to an old friends son - who also happens to be an escaped convict who murdered his wife. Cay agrees to the plan which doesn't go exactly as planned....whereupon she finds herself fleeing Alexander Mcdowell's captors, riding blind into the night with the fugitive Scotsman. Though she should fear him, she finds herself overwhelmingly attracted to Alex and drawn into his tale of misguided justice and his innocence as they seek refuge in steamy florida everglades. Will trusting him be the worst mistake of her life? or falling in love be the salvation both of them have been looking for???