"Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible"--T.p. verso.

"The only remaining woman in Carver's Hollow, Maggie Rose has cared for a ragtag of old men for years, bartering for a living and making soaps, lotions, and perfumes from a special rose recipe passed down for generations. She hasn't wanted to marry--at least that's what she thought. But when a strapping young man arrives on Maggie's doorstep, searching for a doctor for his ailing mother, life suddenly changes for the dark-haired beauty. Todd Valmer is in a desperate situation. His mother needs a caretaker, and he's barely hanging on to his Texas farm. Maggie seems to be the obvious solution. She can cook, care for Ma, tend his house while he works the fields--and she's comely, as well. But instant attraction does not a marriage make. As a clash of cultures and a battle of wills ensues, is there any hope that true love will blossom between a free-spirited woman and her uncompromising husband?"--From publisher description.