Cull Fitzgerald has been commissioned by his employers to build a trade post in the Missouri Territory. He'd planned on a long-promised bed to help him run it while he traveled the prairie, but the deal falls through. Now Cull has to find someone trustworthy and strong enough to be a partner in his work. A sturdy type of wife would suffice in a pinch. Sarah Curry is newly widowed, but she has no. time to dwell on it. With the Curry West saloon to run, her niece to watch, and money to make, she has traded an empty bed for hard work. There's no need for romance, and certainly no interest in a second chance at love. Cull finds Sarah to be a harder woman to woo than he expects, but he's used to the challenge. When Sarah's niece disappears and mysterious attacks on the Curry West continue, Sarah realizes she may have to give in to Cull's flirtations and marry him regardless of her reservations. But marriage doesn't always fix everything.