Book excerpt: A thief by trade, Desiree of Canterbury can squirm out of any tight spot with a wink and a smile...until she meets her match in Nicholas Grimshaw, the most feared lawman in the shire. After Nicholas is forced to execute her guardian, he is honor-bound to care for Desiree. But Desiree may be the death of him yet, disrupting his orderly life until he doesn’t know whether to kiss her or kill her. Just when she decides to let him make an honest woman of her, a ruthless enemy rears its ugly head, and Desiree and Nicholas must use all their wiles to escape danger, cheat death, and save their newfound love.