Anxious to escape the confines of her loving, but overprotective family, Meg Greyson travels to Wyoming Territory to marry the man of her dreams. Only she discovers Brendan Kelly is nothing like the gentleman rancher who penned her beautiful letters. As she comes to know this intimidating, yet tacit man, Meg finds herself constantly having to rationalize away his dark and dangerous side in order to conform him to her image of the perfect man who wrote her letters. Brendan knows he should tell her the truth, but once he does, she will leave him forever. So he keeps pretending and every time she says, "I love you," he dies a little more inside, for he knows he will never be the man she wants him to be.