Only You by Elizabeth Lowell

Challenge: Read a book that's been on the TBR for awhile.
Rating: 4.5

Saloon card dealer Eve Johnson has nothing left to bet but herself, so in order to get a stolen treasure map back, she will wager her virtue. Unable to give the winning hand to herself, she gives it to unsuspecting stranger, sharpshooter Matt "Reno" Moran. But when the other players don't take well to Reno winning, Eve steals the map in the confusion and runs off with Reno's winnings -- including her virtue. Reno tracks Eve down and grudgingly agrees to team up to find the missing gold mine in the Colorado mountains. As they follow the map and dodge the killers on their tail, they discover that love is more important than gold.

It's true that Lowell tends to follow a formula in her Only series, but it's a formula that works. I really enjoyed this story in classic western form. This is easily the best western series I have read. Lowell's stories are always interesting, always emotional, and always satisfying in the end. I look forward to the next in the series!