Desperate to better her situation, Aundy Thorsen agrees to leave behind her life in Chicago to fulfill a farmer's request for a mail-order bride in Pendleton, Oregon. When a tragic accident leaves her a widow soon after becoming a wife, Aundy takes on the challenge of learning how to manage a farm, even if it means her stubborn determination to succeed upsets a few of the neighbors. Born and raised on the family ranch, Garrett Nash loves life in the bustling community of Pendleton in 1899. When his neighbor passes away and leaves behind a plucky widow, Garrett takes on the role of her protector and guardian. His admiration for her tenacious spirit soon turns to something more. He just needs to convince the strong-willed Aundy to give love another try.

A girl with darkness in her past. A man who can heal her wounds. A dark night. A shortcut through the park. A nineteen-year-old girl is violently mugged. Four years later... Ness lives in London with her flatmate Jules—single, carefree but shadowed by the darkness of the violence that has created a distrust of strangers and the inability to have a sexual relationship with a man who is not first a friend. Then she meets Jason... Their attraction is powerful, their sex incredible and they are compatible in other ways, too, but Ness' insecurities come to the fore. She doesn't have the life experience to determine whether Jason feels the same—and the antics of her co-workers aren't helping. Jason—who has mysterious ties to his business and the artworld—must recognize that his attractiveness to other females is an issue before the sudden threat he encounters puts them both in danger of not being together at all or suffering a deadly fate. Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of anal sex and light BDSM and bondage. There are flashbacks of a mugging, violence and an attempted assault.