This powerful two book story was combined to allow the reader to enjoy the full strength of this epic adventure. Amidst the Civil War, Taylor Jackson Is left for dead on a war torn countryside. Knocked unconscious from cannon fire he later rises to find his young brother among those lost in battle. Devastated, he swears never to fight again and walks away to begin a new life. On his journey west he meets Kathryn Dillon. An unexpected fire and he guides her to safety, but not before they fall in love. Eighteen years later, he returns and finds they have a son, Jason. A misunderstanding between him and Kathryn forces Taylor to leave and he soon became involved in a poker game. Out of cash, his opponent wagered a Thoroughbred mare in foal to a champion sire. Taylor wins the animal and so began the Jackson Empire. He builds Crystal Falls Stables, near Lexington, Kentucky, and it becomes the finest in the state. Life is good until Taylor has an unexpected encounter with a mother bear. She takes away his legs and his desire to live. Jason sets aside his dream of becoming a lawyer and takes over the family business. Only a few months later he and his wife-to-be Debbie Bedford, were on their way home when they are attacked by bandits and she is taken hostage. From that moment on her will to survive and his desperate search to find her consumes their lives. From the lush pastureland of Kentucky to the dark and dangerous waters of the New Orleans bayou the two vibrant loves fight to be reunited. Will they be forever lost in a world of heartache and desperation or will they reunite and return to their beautiful homeland at Crystal Falls?