Raven McCord used her charm and her gambling skills to escape the poverty of post-Civil War Texas. Left penniless by her father's excesses, Raven made her way to the top of the demi monde as queen of an elegant gambling casino. Though still obsessed by the memory of Mark Bennett, her first, lost love, Raven was drawn to two powerful but very different men -- Carl Randall, rising cattle baron, devoted and determined; and Devery Scott, wealthy author; aloof but magnetic. When Mark returned, she was forced to gamble all on a choice that would determine her happiness -- and the future of her daughter Rebel, as lovely and headstrong as Raven herself.