Aster Tilter's time is running out. Vern, her drunken and abusive stepfather, is going to ruin her. She'll be shamed and humiliated if that happens. Her only hope is to get as far away from Vern as possible. To start a new life with a stranger, Aster answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride. She must travel all the way to Texas from Virginia. She can only hope that she is chosen soon or all is lost. Though Aster does not expect love, she must hope and pray the man she marries is kind in an unkind world. Hank Caldwell runs a horse ranch. His four-year-old son, Jeremiah, needs a mother. Betty, the love of his life has been gone for over a year. His son needs a mother, but Hank doesn't want a wife. There are no other choices and he chooses a stranger. He hopes that his solemn and quiet son will thrive. Hank neither expects nor wishes for love. He's already loved once, and it nearly destroyed him. This story is a clean historical western romance. There is no cheating and a happily ever after. These women must be brave and resourceful in a world filled with violent and vile men. Is there Love out there in the wild west? Can love heal a broken heart?