Marcus

When it's time to pay the piper… Marcus Stone has spent years paying debts that were never entirely his to owe. His sense of honor survived prison camps, hard labor, and betrayal—but it's left him carrying burdens no one man should bear. When a mysterious woman arrives with a conditional pardon and an impossible mission, Marcus must decide whether duty is measured by the promises he keeps—or the people he's willing to sacrifice to keep them. …and the devil demands his due… Faith Mills is no stranger to secrets. Raised under the iron rule of Daniel Judge, she's spent her life hiding the scars he left behind—both visible and buried. Tasked with bringing one man to Judge's ranch, Faith expects another lesson in obedience. Instead, she finds herself questioning every cruel truth she's ever been taught. For the first time in her life, Faith has something worth defying the man who forged her through pain and fear. …the ashes of betrayal give rise to a promise. As a howling blizzard traps them inside a besieged fort and Judge's fanatical army closes in, Marcus and Faith must decide whether the promises they've lived by are worth more than the future they've begun to build. Because some vows are meant to be broken...and others are worth paying any price to keep. (80,000-word historical romance)