Hardship is all Kate Mayer has ever known. Raised in an old stucco house on the outskirts of Turkey Creek Camp in the Panhandle of Texas, she becomes the lady of the house at the age of eleven. Her life becomes worse when her father marries a woman with three children and Kate is forced to do everything for them also. Marrying for convenience, Kate leaves Texas for the lush grape country of California where her new husband, Buck Jones, owns a farm. Knowing Buck married her out of pity keeps Kate from letting him know she is falling in love with him. Having a beautiful Mexican woman helping to run the farm doesn't help Kate relax. She must constantly strive to be the mistress of the farm and make Buck not regret he married her. It isn't until she learns of her father's illness that Kate returns to Texas. She has to face the heartache and anger she has left behind. She also must face the greatest challenge she has ever faced: telling Buck she loves him. Will he accept her love or will he leave her in Texas and pursue a relationship with his lifelong friend, Margarite?