The Dakota Territory, 1862
Rancher’s daughter Bess McClaine loves her family ranch more than anything. She is content to work the land alongside her widowed father and determined not to think about what will happen when her younger brother Zeke is old enough to leave home.
On the day her horse throws her, Bess is stranded out on the prairie with a broken ankle and a bad storm brewing fast. It’s then an out-of-work ranch hand crosses her path. Daniel Whitefeather is strong, silent, and an Indian. He treats her ankle, takes her home, and signs on to work the family place until spring.
In time, their irresistible spark burns into a passionate romance, but life is rarely simple and never easy under the Dakota skies. Few are happy to see a white woman courting an Indian while the Sioux wars rage, and Daniel harbors a secret. Can love endure, when it’s a word that’s never been spoken between them?