Without another word, he vanished back into the rain, and she stood there, shaking violently, wondering if he felt the drops at all or was instead made from them. A vision formed of mist and soil and sky.

-----

After long correspondence, Ona Privett accepts the marriage proposal of a man she's never met, swept away by the beautiful words he's written of their promising future. But when she arrives, far south at the edge of the Florida wilderness, she discovers the man she intended to marry died within weeks of their last communication.

His son, John Cole, knows nothing about their letters, any pending marriage, or why such a beautiful girl is so determined to stay. Nor does he want the responsibility of a wife, though that was his father's wish. He likes his freedom, spending his days fending for himself, relying only on his horse and the inborne skill of his mother's Native American ancestry.

Yet that ancestry mixes with his father's Caucasian blood to form powerful prejudices in the townspeople. Poisonous bigotry that, despite their growing passion, continues to fuel his doubts. Perhaps, the irresponsible youth he's been isn't strong enough to protect her. And maybe the hatred of those around them will ultimately destroy them both.

A mail-order bride story from best-selling author, SUZANNE D. WILLIAMS.