Carlene Havel

Terminally-ill Jim Delaney offers the Circle T Ranch as the incentive for marrying his spinster sister. Widower Myles Donovan agrees. Myles needs a wife to help raise his daughter and to further his political aspirations. Who would be more perfect to fulfil both roles than a prim and proper schoolteacher from an old, established family?Hot-tempered Isabel Delaney turns out to be much more than Myles bargained for.
She has a mind of her own, and she's fed up with the men in her life telling her what to do. Inspired by a head full of progressive ideas, she plans to pursue her dream-whether Myles likes it or not. Amid the political turmoil of early 1900's Texas, secrets from Myles' past force Isabel to choose whether to risk the loss of her inheritance or stand by the husband she is not convinced she can trust.
Can these two strong-willed people resolve their differences, or will their shaky marriage collapse under the pressure of family rivalry, betrayal, and public scandal?