Fighting to keep the remnant of her family alive, Mara Peterson eschews the company of most of her neighbors in the small logging town of Widow's Ridge. Instead, she prefers the safety and security of the trading post her grandfather established long before the big woods of Wisconsin were felled.

But when she is pressed to marry for the sake of the Whistler family legacy, Mara accepts an unconventional solution to the problem – and finds herself knee-deep in enemy territory trying to avoid bounty hunters and government agents.

Riverboat Captain, Zebedee Knudsen, has no idea that the woman recommended to him by his uncle would bring such hope and heartache to his life. Will the protection of his name be enough to thwart the fearmongers, or will he have to give up the woman he never knew he needed?