Jim Morgan left his gunslinging days behind him to be lawman in a small town on the edge of West. He just wants peace, and to be left alone with the desires he's pushed down for most of his life. For the most part, he is content, but he is never so aware of his loneliness as when a certain professional gambler strolls into town.

Matt Dixon is a charming city boy who has no apparent concern for the danger he often finds himself in—and then talks himself out of. He might be all flashy suits and lavender-water, or he might be more than he seems on the surface: patient, dangerous, and sharp enough to know exactly what Morgan really wants from him. He might even want it, too.

Jim isn't going to risk everything on a careless gambler. But it's been a long game between them, and when Matt catches him at a weak moment, he starts to suspect Matt isn't bluffing—and wonders what Matt would do if he called.