From the time he was 11, Cooper Sullivan looked forward to summers at his grandparent's ranch in South Dakota for one reason: Lil Chance. With each annual visit their friendship deepened from innocent games to stolen kisses. And neither has forgotten the other during the 12 years since they last walked hand in hand...the terrifying day they discovered a hiker's body. Between then and now, Coop became a cop while Lil opened a wildlife refuge. But with Coop's recent return, he and Lil rediscover their love--and that long-ago murder. For with the slaughter of animals in Lil's refuge it's clear a killer with unnatural instincts is closing in on his real prey.