Aubrey Carter was on her way to San Francisco when her stage broke an axle and stranded her in the small town of Martindale, California. Grateful for the town’s immediate kindness, she decided to stay rather than continue her journey farther south. Now, three years later, she’s become a fixture in the town, especially among the young women who have come and gone through Miss Sadie’s Cottages for Young Women. Cal Thompson is a new arrival in Martindale. Hired by the railroad to survey an alternate route for a second spur line, his intention is to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a series of mishaps in the railway camps causes him to wonder if it’s his plotted route, or subterfuge, that’s to blame for the rash of accidents. When Cal first sees Aubrey across the room at the church social, he’s immediately struck by two things. First of all, her beauty. Secondly, she seems determined to ignore him when he calls out her name. When he finds out why, will it make any difference in their possible friendship?