In the year 1888, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the Ward brothers have carved out a good life for themselves at Sweetbrier Farm. Joshua, the second eldest, decides that the eldest brother, Luke, should marry. He is simply not getting any younger, and Sweetbrier needs children. Joshua posts a letter to the San Francisco Matrimonial News, signs his brother's name unbeknownst to him, and asks if there is a woman who wants to marry him.Elizabeth, a young and naïve Irish lass, answers the letter. But before she can make arrangements to travel, she attracts unwanted attention and, as fate would have it, becomes a victim of violence at the hands of two rowdy cowboys.Elizabeth is desperate to leave and grabs at the chance to follow her dream of making a fresh start and begin a family of her own.She arrives to find that all was a lie and Luke has no intention of marrying her. They offer her a job as a cook and maid, and she accepts because she knows she can't go back. She is also surprised and intrigued by the way her body responds to Joshua, but she must keep her secret, or all will be lost.Joshua is stunned by her beauty and feels a growing hunger for her that burns to be satiated. He plans to flirt with her by stealing kisses and playing fast and loose, but soon it's clear—she's not that kind of woman. He pushes her away and desperately defends his yielding heart, because to succumb and really love her terrifies him so much that he knows he can't survive it.Despite deception and tragedy, can these two love-starved souls find the passion they crave?