A marriage of convenience. A family in danger. A love forged in fire.

Clarissa Hart knows that safety is an illusion. After losing her husband to illness, she packs her herbal remedies and her young son and heads west to marry a stranger. Her destination: The Cole Ranch in the rugged Bitterroot Valley.

Jebediah Cole is a man haunted by the past. Raising his nephew alone, he views his new bride as a practical necessity, nothing more. He offers a roof over her head, but his heart remains a fortress.

But even the strongest fortress can be breached.

From the moment Clarissa steps off the stagecoach, the chemistry between them is undeniable-and terrifying. As Clarissa uses her skills to heal Jebediah's injured stallion and win over his nephew, the walls between them begin to crumble. But when a corrupt neighbor unleashes a wave of violence to seize their land, the fragile bond of their new family is tested.

With their home under siege and their lives on the line, Clarissa and Jebediah must decide: is their marriage just a contract, or is it a promise worth dying for?