Gabrielle Thompson defied her father and ran off to Colorado to marry Frank Campbell. That was over five years ago. Now she had a son, Franks' gold mine had failed and in his inability to cope he had beat Gabrielle and nearly starved both his wife and son. When Jason Wyler wrote Gabby that he had a solution, Gabby knew it might be her last chance at survival and keeping her son away from her husband's folks. She was to marry Ben Wyler.

Ben Wyler couldn't believe his father had promised marriage to a woman that he didn't even know. Sure, he'd taken to the bottle because his mother and sister had died so suddenly. Sure, he hadn't been much of a ranch hand, but did he have to arrange a marriage for his son because of it?

When Ben refused to marry Gabby, Jason Wyler stepped up and offered her marriage. But Gabby was tired o men arranging her life. If the younger Wyler didn't want her, then she'd leave. She had no idea where she'd go, or what she'd do, but she was going to keep her son, no matter what!