She lost her home. He lost himself. Can they find a new life together?

Mary Anna Donlen had it all. Make that with the emphasis on had. The War Between the States made her destitute. Her fiancé was dead, and with no hope, she signed up to be a proxy bride to some man in Kansas. She sat in the stagecoach, looking out the window. Long gone was her lush green Mississippi. She'd traded it for the dusty town of Abilene, Kansas. Mariana sighed. How had she gone from a life of it-doesn't-get-better-than-this to one of you've-got-to-be-kidding?

Christopher Starke was a man with a future. He worked in the banking world and had offers from several financiers.That is, until he was drafted to fight in the War. He had no reason to fight. Didn't care at all. What's more, he wasn't a fighter. He'd rather make a deal. But he'd waited too long, and they dragged him away, slapped a rifle in his hands, and put him on the front lines. To his surprise, he was a crack shot. But after four years of blood and killing, the man he'd been in New York City no longer existed. So, he drifted with the wind and found himself in Abilene, Kansas, contemplating robbing a bank. A friend had him stand up and marry by proxy, hoping it would save Starke's life.

What's a man supposed to do when he can't get past the dog house?

Millie Burnett was happy with her life. She helped her father train hunting dogs. She was a natural, but her father was pushing her to get married. She was twenty-two and not engaged or with any prospects. So far, the men she'd met weren't as reliable as her dog, Champion Bob's Treasure. Until she found a man she liked, she'd stick to the dogs.

Preston Chadwick had one woman in mind. Millie Burnett. But so far, he didn't rate above her dog. He'd tried to get her to look at him, but she wasn't interested. What was wrong with her? Or him?