By 1845, Don Alejandro de la Torre y Stuart, Baron of Paladín, a self-confessed scoundrel and reputed despoiler of ladies, has accomplished what he set out to achieve when first coming to Tejas in 1835-validate the land grant bequeathed to his family by His Spanish Majesty in 1763. That land grant has become legally Paladin's both through his participation in the Texas Revolution and by his marriage to the Irish termagant Fiona Flanagan. Their wedding unites her stormy nature with his equally tempestuous passion. Lord Paladín-Alex, as he prefers to be known once a Texican-and Fiona might disagree over the rearing of their three children, on political issues, or even on the very existence of God Almighty, but they both agree on their love for each other and for the land they had both risked their lives to acquire. However, his intent to expand the Barony Ranch property into a virtual empire is proving difficult to accomplish, even for a man of his resourceful qualities, as Alex's grown stepson, the covetous and formidable Liam, has other plans.