When Abigail Lund lost her mother on the Oregon Trail, she thought her life was over. A month later, her father was down to two oxen with a distance still to travel, so instead of buying more, he trades her for six oxen to a man who will marry her and spend the rest of his life with her. Sebastian Appleby has always been considered odd. He worked with his father and brothers ranching just outside of Clover Creek. Unable to find a woman, he had long since determined he would always be alone. When approached with the prospect of trading oxen for a bride, he doesn't hesitate. Entering into a marriage with Bastian is not only Abby's only option, it feels right. She doesn't mind his differences from other men, and he doesn't mind that he had to pay her father for her. But will the two of them ever have real feelings for one another? Or will their marriage always be a sham?