Russ McKenzie knows they are so wrong for each other the first time he runs afoul of Rachel Byers and stares down the barrel of her gun. But when the town's new doctor needs a temporary fiancée to gain custody of the daughter he's kept secret for the past five years, he's sure the shapely policewoman's chutzpah will compensate for what she lacks in feminine wiles.

As they become enmeshed in the dicey charade, however, he starts to fall for Rachel and her refreshingly frank ways. Pretty soon he's wishing he had his own set of handcuffs, to guarantee that she stays where she belongs—with his little girl, and of course with him!