Wyoming (Coble)

Jessica knows all about men-and how they should never be trusted. Jessica DuBois is not used to getting her hands dirty or her heart broken. When her mother remarries and takes Jessica with her to rugged Fort Bridger, Wyoming, Jessica longs for her Boston parties and the control she used to have over her life. Then she meets Reverend Clay Cole, a man who seems only to have eyes for God and his adoring three-year-old cousin. Clay is not just immune to Jessica's charms, he challenges her selfish attitude. When tragedy brings this unlikely pair together, they must decide: Is love truly powerful enough to heal the soul? Rich in historical detail, The Heart Answers takes us to 1867 Wyoming, where a misplaced socialite and an independent preacher ask the deepest questions of the heart.

Traveling to a rugged country to meet her new husband for the first time, Bessie wonders, Can love truly conquer fear? Bessie Randall is shocked to discover that, thanks to her sister's meddling, she is married by proxy to Jasper Mendenhall, a man she's never met. Believing she has no choice but to honor the marriage, Bessie travels from Boston to Jasper's military quarters in Fort Bridger, Utah Territory. Jasper Mendenhall is equally shocked when he meets his wife at the stagecoach and realizes she is not the beauty from the picture he holds. But Jasper has orders to move to Arizona Territory, and he has no choice but to take Bessie with him. Bessie and Jasper's mutual distrust is hard enough, but snakebites, Apache raids, and food shortages present even more challenges as they head to the Southwest. A story of quiet commitment despite the odds, To Love a Stranger explores how love can grow in the most difficult land.