The mail-order contract brought Eliza to the frontier station where Gwendolyn stood waiting, a tall figure with clipped commands ready on her tongue. Eliza's voluptuous form and the scar above her brow carried a defiant energy that masked her deep fear of abandonment, yet the rancher's lean strength offered a shield she craved and would not admit to wanting.

Their signatures sealed the marriage that protected the land while concealing the pull between them. In the hayloft where they hid the strongbox, Gwendolyn gave the orders. Eliza stopped pretending she wanted to argue. Obedience there could expose the whole arrangement and cost them the land. The next order put Eliza's hands above her head.