Governor Thomas Worthington of Ohio declared a day of Thanksgiving on December 10, 1818, but Faith Taylor did not feel thankful. She recently lost her husband of two years when a tree fell on him. The Magistrate and Town Council decided that she must wed another, because she couldn’t possibly run a farm that size by herself.

Ethan Barringer’s wife died in childbirth, leaving him with an infant daughter to raise alone. He was stunned when the Magistrate informed him that he was to wed Taylor’s widow, or his child would be taken away and given to another couple to raise.

Faith learned quickly that Ethan was nothing like her sweet-tempered James. Could they make this marriage work? Or would they be doomed to a life of misery?