Griffen Abernathy has sworn an oath never to marry, or, if he must, to never fall in love with his wife. He is forced into wedding when his father insists that he do so before going to war. Lady Alyssa Carrollton wants only to work in her garden, but her mother wont rest until she is married off. When Alyssa and Griffen meet, their mutual distaste for marriage makes them perfectly suited for one another. After he returns from battle, though, he's a different man. He realizes he does have feelings for the woman he left when she was barely a bride--but will she ever come to love him?