She came west hoping for a new beginning. He came to Sawyerville expecting to die.

Eulalie Allen knows what it is to have a reputation destroyed through no fault of her own. After fleeing the textile mills of New Hampshire and making the long journey west with other prospective brides, she has resigned herself to the possibility that no man in Sawyerville will ever choose a plain, round woman like her.

Then a logging accident brings Bert Walters into her care.

At fifty-five, gruff, stubborn Bert is one of the oldest men in the logging camp?and he has no intention of becoming dependent on anyone. But Eulalie's patience, good cooking, and quiet kindness slowly break through the walls he has built around himself.

Then Bert confesses the truth that chills her heart.

He came to Sawyerville because he believed he was worth more to his family dead than alive.

As Bert heals, something unexpected begins growing between them. But when an innocent night spent caring for him threatens Eulalie's reputation all over again, Bert offers the only solution he can think of: marriage.

Eulalie refuses to become any man's obligation.

If Bert truly wants her, he must choose her for the right reason. She gives him until spring to decide.

Through the long Oregon winter, two lonely people must discover whether gratitude can become love?and whether hearts that have nearly given up can find a reason to begin again.

A tender, clean historical Western romance about second chances, quiet courage, and the spring that comes after the hardest winter.