Chapter 1

Sarah Winchester carried the weight of the Texas sun and a past that never quite left her.

Years back, a bullet meant for her son, David, had found her instead.

She' d thrown herself in front of him, a shield against a rival' s hate.

The doctors saved her life, but the leg never healed right.

Now, a custom silver-tipped cane was her constant companion, a reminder of that day.

It tapped a steady rhythm on the polished floors of the Winchester empire, an empire built on ranching and oil, vast and powerful.

David was the current head of that empire.

He worshipped his mother.

His devotion was fierce, almost a religion.

He had seized control of the family business after his father' s disgrace.

David himself had orchestrated that downfall.

His father had been cruel to Sarah, and David never forgave, never forgot.

That ruthlessness served him well in business, but his mother saw the fire in him, the same fire that had nearly consumed them all.

Sarah preferred quiet now.

The sprawling Winchester ranch offered a secluded guesthouse, elegant but understated, away from the main house' s constant hum.

It was her sanctuary.

But David insisted she attend the annual Winchester Charity Ball.

It was the biggest society event of the year in Texas.

More than that, David planned to announce his engagement.

To a woman named Brittany.

Sarah had met her only briefly. She seemed young, very sure of herself.

Sarah sighed, the tap-tap-tapping of her cane a soft counterpoint to the chirping crickets outside her window.

She would go, for David. She always did, for David.