Miranda Lowe knows she isn’t the kind of woman men want to marry, but when she loses her family, her home and her job on the same day, she sees no other choice but to offer herself as a mail-order bride to a widower in Sapphire Springs, Texas. John Weaver needs a mother for his five-year-old twin daughters. He has no intention of falling in love again, and as long as the woman who agrees to marry him understands that, they can have a good life together. So why is John suddenly thinking about changing the rules? And why is Miranda willing to do whatever it takes to become the kind of woman John could love? Can John and Miranda find a way to come together and build a real family?

Rancher Neall Gardiner is wealthy, educated, and has everything he could possibly want except one thing – a wife and children of his own. While there are plenty of unmarried women in Sapphire Springs, Texas, he can’t be sure any of them want him for himself and not for the security and wealth he can offer. Keeping some of the details of his life a secret, he sends for a mail-order bride. With no way to support herself and her infant son, Audra Holt will soon be homeless. Her best friend convinces her to answer an ad for a mail-order bride. Since Audra doesn’t know how to read, she has no way of knowing that her friend didn’t mention the baby in the letter she sent to the Texas rancher. How will Neall react when Audra arrives in Sapphire Springs? And when her illiteracy comes to light, how will Audra fit into Neall’s life? Can she be the wife he wants, or was their marriage a mistake?

When Kathryn Higgins learns that her actions may be harming her father’s health, she knows she needs to leave not just his house, but that she has to go far enough away that he can’t persuade her to come home. Although she comes from a wealthy family, she has no money of her own and no way to support herself. Her only option is to become a mail-order bride. Pete Fallon has always been happily unmarried—until now. All his friends are married and constantly point out that one day, he’s going to be old and alone. He has thought about that lately, and he wouldn’t mind marrying and having a family of his own. But he won’t marry because he won’t allow himself to love a woman who’ll use that love against him. When his friend suggests he get a mail-order bride, he realizes this might be the solution to his problems, as long as his bride understands he will never love her. Kathryn’s arrival in Sapphire Springs, Texas brings problems of its own. She expects a carpenter and businessman, not a man who has no ambition, is content to spend his days fishing, in his garden or with his friends. Pete, on the other hand, had no idea he’d sent for a woman who grew up in luxury and who has never worked a day in her life. However, as they get to know each other, feelings grow and Pete starts to think that perhaps he was wrong about Kathryn, that maybe she is a woman he could love. Then tragedy strikes, forcing Pete and Kathryn to face their pasts, but the lessons they must learn could destroy the life they’ve built with each other forever.

Betrayed and widowed, rancher Jason Porter needs a woman. Not for himself, because he'll never be able to love and trust a woman again, but for his infant daughter. It's impossible to take care of a baby and run his ranch, and he's not interested in marrying any of the women in Sapphire Springs. Elise Dupont expected a much different life than she found when her parents brought her to America. Instead of wide-open spaces, clear skies and freedom to build her own life, she found air filled with factory smoke, a rundown tenement and bare survival. When Elise accepts Jason's offer of a marriage of convenience, she believes her dreams are finally coming true. As their friendship deepens, Elise finds herself wishing for a real marriage, but how can she live with a man who doesn't trust her? And how can Jason put aside his suspicions and let himself fall in love again?

Laura Shelton’s father has issued an ultimatum—find herself a husband before the end of the year or he’ll find one for her. She knows every single man in their small town in Michigan, and the thought of being tied to any one of them for the rest of her life fills her with dread. But what else can she do? Widower George Cowan is struggling to run his ranch and raise his six-year-old daughter, Betsy, alone. When her teacher points out that she acts more like a boy than a girl and suggests he marry again, he finally admits to himself that Betsy needs a mother. Even though he has no interest in loving another woman, he goes to Miranda Weaver to ask for her help in finding him a bride. When Laura learns of a friend planning to become a mail-order bride, she decides to do the same. After all, marrying a stranger can’t be any worse than marrying any of the men she knows now. Laura is happy with her new life with George, and finds herself falling in love with him. As time goes by, she begins to suspect he feels the same way about her, but when near-tragedy strikes, she discovers her new life isn’t as perfect as she thought. Can she live the rest of her life without love, or should she give up her dream of a husband who loves her and walk away?