What happens when the enemy turns out to be the protector?
In the turbulent aftermath of the Civil War, Gabriella is determined to protect her family's legacy, River Oaks, at all costs. The estate is the last connection she has to her lost brother and fiancé, and she refuses to let a Union general claim it as his own. Having faced unimaginable loss, her heart is hardened, and she has no intention of surrendering the one thing that remains of her past. Unfortunately, the decision has already been made by her father. Union Lieutenant General Christopher Beaumont has no interest in keeping River Oaks, the Southern estate he inherited. Still haunted by the war, he plans to donate it to a convent, assuming it will be put to good use. When he meets the beautiful Gabriella, whom he believes is one of the nuns, it does not occur to him that she has a claim to the estate. But sparks fly the moment they meet, and he quickly realizes this woman is no ordinary nun. Far from the ghosts of River Oaks, Gabriella and Christopher discover that healing and hope can grow in the most unlikely of places. But will the walls they built around their hearts keep them apart, or will they find a way to bridge the divide between North and South-and between each other? Protecting Gabriella is a sweeping enemies-to-lovers historical romance set against the vast landscapes of the American West, where fate brings two unlikely souls together once more, and love has a chance to take root where neither thought possible.
