Doc spent the night in the livery with a strange woman. Not the best rumor to start the morning’s gossip.
All Lydia Walcott wanted was a warm shelter after a cold escape from an impending arranged marriage, a broken arm and a wounded spirit. When she curled up in an empty livery stall, she dreamed of seeking a new life with a job, a place to live, friends, and a future. She thought she was alone.
Loved and respected, Dr. Sterling Graham braved the ice covered roads to help the people of Cottonwood. His return trip left him exhausted and he barely got his horse settled before he curled up in the next stall. He thought he was alone.
The unwelcome solution to the unfortunate predicament of waking up together was for Lydia and Sterling to get married. His reputation and career, as well as her hope for a new life, are otherwise put in jeopardy.
Can they learn to trust each other enough to mesh their lives into a successful marriage which honors God? Or will pride, epidemic, and injury make coping seem impossible? Through the dangerous Iowa winter, their reputations are the least of their worries.