Rancher Neall Gardiner is wealthy, educated, and has everything he could possibly want except one thing – a wife and children of his own. While there are plenty of unmarried women in Sapphire Springs, Texas, he can't be sure any of them want him for himself and not for the security and wealth he can offer. Keeping some of the details of his life a secret, he sends for a mail-order bride.

With no way to support herself and her infant son, Audra Holt will soon be homeless. Her best friend convinces her to answer an ad for a mail-order bride. Since Audra doesn't know how to read, she has no way of knowing that her friend didn't mention the baby in the letter she sent to the Texas rancher.

How will Neall react when Audra arrives in Sapphire Springs? And when her illiteracy comes to light, how will Audra fit into Neall's life? Can she be the wife he wants, or was their marriage a mistake?