by Amelia Smarts
Rancher Adam Harrington has long yearned to marry a diligent, virginal bride with a sweet disposition. When he reads a young woman's unusual advertisement requesting a mail-order cowboy as her groom, he thinks they might be a good match. He writes the woman a letter saying just that, and she pens a favorable response, accepting him as her future husband. Adam packs up his belongings and heads west to a bright new future.
When Susannah Smith's father bequeathed his ranch to her, it was under one condition: She must be married. For Virginia City's fallen woman, finding a man to marry is no easy feat. The men in town who seek to court the hot-tempered, unwed mother are sluggards and drunks, not the kind of men capable of running a ranch. Desperate to find a suitable husband or else lose everything, she expands her search by listing an ad in the paper.
When the two meet, Adam's commanding presence makes a startling but good impression on Susannah. The attraction between them is undeniable, but that is soon followed by wariness. Susannah had planned to marry a man who would do her bidding, not take over everything. It's her ranch, after all! Equally befuddled, Adam thought he'd be marrying a woman who knows her place, not a temperamental brat who could benefit from some time over his knee.
Susannah feels outraged by Adam's authoritative ways, but his dominant handling in the bedroom leaves her trembling with desire. Will she learn to accept his firm leadership and expectations? And will Adam grow to love the woman who differs so drastically from the kind of wife he thought he wanted?
