Cal Riker is a man with a reputation for being a ruthless killer.  His name is known throughout the west as one of the best gunslingers around, and with this reputation, men from all over want to prove that they are better than he. Cal doesn’t stay in one place too long because he knows that there is another hotheaded cowboy, nosy sheriff, or murderous outlaw looking to put him in his grave. When the gang he's been hanging out with for a while brings to camp a female captive they kidnapped, Cal knows enough is enough. Using his portion of the money, Cal trades his take on the woman, and is lucky enough the gang members agree to let him have her. Now all Cal has to do is convince the woman to go along with his plan for escape.

Lauren Daniels life was worth almost next to nothing when she was tied up and kidnapped away from the train in which she was traveling. When the outlaws arrived at their camp, Lauren knew their plans for her and vowed to fight them with every ounce of strength she possessed. When the handsome and enigmatic outlaw named Cal pays his share of the train’s bounty to the other members of the gang, Lauren is not thrilled to have been sold like cattle. But with the arrival of night and hastily whispered words in her ear, she goes out on a limb and trusts the man with whom she is sharing a bedroll. 

Lawless by Emma Wildes is a story of exaggerated reputations and longings of normalcy. Cal Riker was an outlaw; he had killed a man. Were the stories being told about him true? Some of them. I loved finding out that the shameless and murderous outlaw was actually a man yearning for home and hearth and striving to do the right thing. He didn’t count on being in love and that just made his life a bit more exciting.