The granddaughter of a countess agrees to marry the illegitimate half brother of the man who jilted her in order to protect
her inheritance and her infant nieces.
Taylor Stapleton fell in love with a man who did not exist. She realized her mistake before she married the swine, but still she was embarrassed that she could ever have been naive enough to believe William Merrit’s lies. He wasn’t at all like the mountain men of courage and honor that she read about. After William eloped with her cousin, Taylor decided that men like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett only existed in tall tales or day dreams. She agreed to be sensible and marry a man her grandmother selected.
Lucas Michael Ross would do anything to
protect his younger brothers, even marry a woman he had just met. Lady Esther Stapleton, countess of Havensmound, agreed to pay him whatever he wanted as long as he
promised to protect her granddaughter Taylor. Mostly, Lady Taylor needed to get married so that her greedy uncle Malcolm couldn’t plunder her inheritance. Lucas reluctantly agreed and promised to take Taylor to America. She looked extremely fragile. A lady so delicate couldn’t possible survive in the wild land that Lucas loved. Taylor told him she had relatives waiting for her in Boston. Lucas wouldn’t have to worry about her after they got to the city. He could leave her some place civilised and safe while he returned to the mountains to be with his brothers.Taylor didn’t tell Lucas that her relatives in Boston were her sister’s twin baby girls. Taylor's sister and her husband had died of cholera. Long ago, Taylor had promised that if anything happened, she would look after her nieces. Lucas had told her that he didn’t like cities, he didn’t want to be married and he certainly didn’t want any children. She told him that she would respect his independence. As soon as she found the children, she would give him an annulment. That was the plan. Then Lady Esther died and left everything to the twins with Taylor as their guardian. Then Malcolm hired gunslingers to kidnap his grandnieces and kill anyone who tried to stop them. Taylor and the babies were family. Lucas believed in looking out for family.