The only remaining woman in Carver's Hollow, Maggie Rose has cared for a ragtag of old men for years, bartering for a living and making soaps, lotions, and perfumes from a special rose recipe passed down for generations. She hasn't wanted to marry...at least that's what she thought. But when a strapping young man arrives on Maggie's doorstep, searching for a doctor for his ailing mother, life suddenly changes for the dark-haired beauty.

Todd Valmer is in a desperate situation. His mother needs a caretaker, and he's barely hanging on to his Texas farm. Maggie seems to be the obvious solution. She can cook, care for Ma, tend his house while he works the fields...and she's comely, as well.

But instant attraction does not a marriage make. As a clash of cultures and a battle of wills ensues, is there any hope that true love will blossom between a free-spirited woman and her uncompromising husband?



Cathy Marie Hake is the author of over twenty-five novels, though past endeavors have included making Bible covers and cutting out convertible car tops! She is also a registered nurse. Cathy and her husband live in Anaheim, California.