At twenty-eight, Laurel Campbell has accepted her fate as the spinster of Hawthorn. She long ago gave up her dreams of love and a happy life, leaving her broken and inadequate-at least in her own mind.

The state of Arkansas is seven years younger than Laurel and a thriving destination for pioneers and homesteaders. State law forbids women from owning property-a fact Laurel's dying father understands all too well. To protect his daughter, Mark Campbell arranges a marriage of convenience to Patrick "Mac" MacLayne.

The situation doesn't sit well with Laurel, who's no man's...