Rock Bannon has a heart as big as the Rocky Mountains that surround his quiet home, but he's always known that romance wasn't in the cards for him. Instead, the big man does his best to see that others around him are happy and safe. A man riding for the brand doesn't have time for silly things like love. Mary Ellen Bigsby is off on an adventure to the home of her favorite writer. She knows it is a frivolous journey, but she wants this one trip before she's too old to travel. Having given her youth to the classroom, she's ready for a change but unprepared for what she finds at the end of the trail. Francis has been accepted by the people of Biders Clump, but the father of the girl he loves is set against him. The young Indian brave will do anything to win the hand of Matrice and start a happy home of their own but can't seem to overcome her father's resistance. When Matrice suggests running away together, Francis has to make the hardest decision of his life. Will true love win the day or will two young people be pulled apart by one man's stubbornness? What revelations await the quiet cowboy when a tiny teacher arrives in Biders Clump?