In an effort to escape the pain of her past， Emma Jones answered an advertisement to become a mail order bride。 When she became Adam’s wife， she never imagined that she would be widowed just a few months later。 Alone and with a homestead to care for， she receives an offer from a neighboring cattle rancher that she finds hard to refuse。 But her late husband’s best friend is determined not to let her give up that easily。

Clay Andrews wants nothing more from life than to run his family’s horse ranch。 But duty binds him to watch over his friend’s widow， whether she likes it or not。 And he’s not about to let her run away when things start to get tough。

Emma’s independent spirit and her fear of the secrets of her past being discovered make it hard for her to accept help。 Clay’s sense of responsibility and guilt make it hard for him to leave her alone。 Will either of them be able to lay aside their stubbornness long enough to find some common ground—and maybe even a fresh start and a chance at love？