For ten years, Della Ward has struggled with guilt over the tone of the last letter she sent to her husband, Clarence, before he was killed during the Civil War. Now she is forced to resolve her feelings when gun-slinging lawman James Cameron, who was with her husband when he died, brings her Clarence's last letter and with it an account of his final minutes. But Cameron's calm, cool exterior is deceptive, hiding a guilty secret that he knows he must eventually share, even though it could destroy them both. Set against the stark background of post-Civil War Texas, this well-developed, character-driven Western romance clearly depicts the realities of the times and beautifully describes the developing relationship between Della and James and their reluctance to embrace it. With her classic flair and with great sensitivity, Osborne has penned an intense story of two emotionally fragile people who find healing and hope in their love for each other. Readers will be waiting. Winner of both a RITA Award and the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award, Osborne (The Bride of Willow Creek) lives in Colorado. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.