DeAnn Smallwood Libri

Meghan O'Reiley is the most mysterious and sought-after citizen in Pig Eye Gulch. Yet no one befriends or even fully trusts the beautiful young woman. They seek her out in times of trouble--to heal their sick children or soothe their own ailments--but she is otherwise regarded with superstition and unease. Since her grandmother died, Meghan has carried on, finding solace and peace in the cultivation of the wild herbs she uses to create her healing medicines. When Conner Hendrickson needs help for his sweet baby daughter Bonnie, Meghan's formerly solitary life is suddenly full of spark and zest. She's wary of getting too close as she knows that a life with Conner cannot be hers. He comes from a life of privilege, having grown up in London's high society. Conner is the owner of the Sapphire Yogo mine and employs most of the citizens of Pig Eye Gulch, and Meghan knows that his aspirations will take him far beyond her rough-hewn Montana mining town. But try as she might, Meghan's love for both Conner and Bonnie deepens each day as she nears the precipice of losing them both.

WANTED: WIFE, WOMAN TO WORK BESIDE ME ON RANCH IN MONTANA. Aries read the ad Ben McCabe had placed in the paper and prayed the position hadn't been filled. She knew nothing about cooking, ranching, or being a wife for that matter. Aries had been trained by one of Philadelphia's best physicians, her father. Trained, but not board certified; trained but not allowed to practice. She longed to be a practicing physician, but no one wanted a woman doctor. Her father's death, which left her with nothing but gambling debts and a young brother to provide and care for, forced her to put aside her love of medicine. Answering this ad was the only way Aries could think of to provide for herself and her brother. She felt badly about deceiving Ben, but what she didn't know was that Ben had deceived her from the moment she'd read the ad and been sent the money to travel to Montana. There was no turning back. Aries knew that as she heard the clickety-clack of the train taking her closer to a man she knew nothing about and who wanted no part of a woman in his life--and certainly not a wife.

» Ehefrau, willens mit mir auf meiner Ranch in Montana zu arbeiten.« Aries weiß zwar nichts übers Kochen, das Leben auf einer Farm und eigentlich auch nichts darüber, eine Ehefrau zu sein. Aber sie weiß sofort, dass diese Anzeige des Ranchers Ben McCabe ihr einziger Ausweg ist, um für sich und den kleinen Bruder zu sorgen. Aries war von ihrem Vater, einem der besten Ärzte Philadelphias, zur Ärztin ausgebildet worden, aber für eine Frau als Arzt ist die Zeit noch nicht reif. Der Tod des Vaters und seine hinterlassenen Spielschulden zwingen sie, sich und ihre Fähigkeiten in ihrem Bewerbungsbrief ein wenig anders darzustellen – und sie hat Erfolg. Mit klopfendem Herzen, weil sie Ben getäuscht hat, sitzt sie im Zug nach Montana, hinter sich Philadelphia und ihr ganzes bisheriges Leben. Doch auch Bens Anzeige hat anderes versprochen, als Aries bei ihrer Ankunft erwartet. Arbeit gibt es genug, und auch einen Mann. Doch der will ganz sicher keine Ehefrau …