Ruby Red Blake, a rough-cut jewel raised in South Texas, is an anomaly compared to other Texas females in the year of 1888. She rides hard, shoots fast and works like a man alongside the cowboys. She is a rancher with a powerful stallion named Big River, but her woman is held prisoner by fear formed when she witnessed evil at its worst. Her guardian John Blake has done all in his power to secure her future to no avail. However, he sees a chance of marrying her off to Marcus Dobbs, the wrangler Ruby saves from being ensnared by Judge Roy Bean at the Golden Lily Saloon, who holds the key to lock the pieces of Ruby's heart back together.

Marcus Dobbs feels he's betraying Ruby after she helped him escape Bean, but he has no choice. John Blake blackmails him into courting Ruby by threatening to send him back into the throws of the Judge. However, the cowboy tells the strong willed blonde about Blake's plot and the two secretly form an alliance to fake a courtship which will lead nowhere but to satisfy her uncle's demands. It seems like a foolproof plan but wrangling horses together every day and staging believable interactions in the evenings spark growing curiosities and tensions between the two. Stakes of the ruse are notched higher when Ruby's life is threatened by outside forces. Struggles and villains must be dealt with quickly and decisively.

Veracity, horses, guns and outlaws generate conflicts on the Rio Grande. Will Ruby and Marcus be able to overcome the obstacles they face and be able to save life, but mostly love?