Hoping to escape the shame of her street urchin's life in Boston, Anna Reardon plotted a desperate scheme - to become Karl Lindstrom's mail-order bride in the beautiful, dangerous frontier of Minnesota. A kind and gentle man, Karl forgave Anna for her deceptions. But there was still one burning secret she had to hide from him, knowing its revelation would destroy the love they had come to cherish.

Lee Walker knows it won't be easy to start a new life in a new city. But she is on a mission: to prove to everyone, and to herself, that she can make it here, working in the masculine world of the construction industry. When contracting rival Sam Brown offers her a job, Lee is stunned and a little wary. Sam's motives seem honorable enough, even if he doesn't see her in a strictly professional light. In fact, Sam sees her as the woman she's always hoped to be—smart, capable, warm, funny, and sexy. Before she knows it, Lee is falling head over heels for her boss.

Allison Scott has her mind on her career. As an up-and-coming photographer, she has neither the time nor the inclination for an affair—especially since her last attempt at love with a handsome model shattered her dreams of rising to the top with a partner by her side. Now, Allison is determined to stay detached from the beautiful men she must photograph every day. But Rick Lang, who only models to pay the bills, can see through Allison's aloofness to the aching heart beneath.

Agatha was the picture of primness and propriety, but her green eyes could blaze with anger - or sparkle with humor. Scott was the picture of lazy charm and happy indifference to what others thought was right and wrong. They were enemies, then friends. Then the sweet innocence of a child opened their eyes and their hearts - and they were reborn in each other's arms by the soft, wondrous gift of love.

Lee Reston has a fulfilling life imbued with the love of her three wonderful children. Then a shattering event - the loss of her oldest son, Greg - tears her world apart. In her anguish, she turns to police officer Christopher Lallek, Greg's best friend. Their shared mourning develops into friendship, and then something deeper. But life is never simple. The family that was once the core of her existence becomes a mixed blessing, as Lee explores where family ties end - and her needs as a woman begin.