She refuses to lose another husband to violence.
He's not sure he can protect those he loves.
After Lucy Townsend lost her beloved husband in the war, she and her children moved to Ainsley where she now owns a cluster house and rents out apartments to war widows and their children. For over a year, Lucy has been friends with Kerr MacPherson. Even though she has deepening feelings for him, she refuses to let it go any farther since he is the sheriff, and that can be a dangerous job. But then a letter comes that threatens her whole world.
When he learned his father was dying, Kerr MacPherson came home to Kansas from Colorado. Being the oldest of the children, he always felt responsible for protecting those around him, so he became the sheriff. Although Kerr plans to homestead in Colorado one day soon, the outlaws who are attacking the MacPhersons and his mother's disappearance keep him from leaving. As for Lucy, well, he's not sure he can protect her any more than he could the two he left buried in Colorado.
As the heart forgets the pain and loss of yesterday, can it make room for the love of today?