Twice forced to marry a stranger.

Deborah Asberry's father picked her first husband. Now she's widowed, and her father is forcing her to marry again—this time to a widower with two small children who lives in southwest Missouri far from her St. Louis home. If only she could love and know the love of a gentle man, but she's never disobeyed her father.

Dane Stark's wife died in childbirth two months before. He needs help with his children, but he will never place another woman in that same danger. By marrying a stranger, he believes he can keep his distance. Then he meets Deborah, and he soon longs for a normal marriage with her.

But Deborah harbors a secret that could tear apart the fragile thread that holds Dane's heart to hers. When another woman interferes, Deborah doesn't know what to believe.

Only true love can overcome the odds Dane and Deborah face.