1905 – South Dakota
Alice has always been the good daughter, the one who does what everyone expects. She promised Kent Douglas she would wait for his return even though her family has fought his for the past thirty years. Then he left and never contacted her again.
Five long years have gone by and Alice is an adult. Despite the occasional annoyance by the Douglas patriarch, they hear nothing from their neighbors. When word comes that Kent not only returned, but has been back for quite some time without contacting her, tensions rage. Alice wants revenge for her humiliation.
Kent was heavily scarred protecting Alice from a bomb, and he’s returned home with worse scars to his heart.
He went to school to become a doctor, but along the way found out the teachers thought he’d be better suited to a barn. No patient wants to look to a monster for hope. He never wanted to work on a ranch again, but now his training — the training he ran away and fought to have — will be in a barn.
He loves Alice Johlman like she’s half of his heart, but he can’t accept the failure he is and won’t force her to follow through on her promise from years before. If only he could forget her.
