He didn't need a wife... until he met her. With nothing left for her at home, Hazel Hart takes a chance on becoming a mail-order bride to a rancher in the Colorado Territory. But her dreams of love and family are dashed when she meets her stoic, work-driven husband-to-be. Wade Pierce has neither the time nor the inclination for romance. Love made a shell of a man out of his father, and so Wade's only reason for sending for a wife is to have someone to cook and keep up with the house. But instead of getting the woman he imagined, he finds himself wedded to Hazel—who seems bent on making him into a real husband. Just as Wade finds himself softening toward Hazel, the small incidents that have been plaguing his ranch for months escalate into something much more dangerous. While Hazel is determined to discover who is behind the growing acts of sabotage, Wade fears his business will collapse before they can put a stop to it. If they don't meet the end of their lives first.