Marine Rick Pruitt was actually home on a thirty day leave but if he was being truthful with himself he had serious doubts about whether or not to continue his military career. He missed his home and realized that in all the years he had been away there was still a part of him that remained pretty much a home grown rancher. But assuming the responsibilities for running a large ranch wasn't what he envisioned for himself.

Sadie Price was someone else who had recently come back home to Royal but she was there to stay. Rick and Sadie had a bit of history -- well a blissful one night of history -- which, although firmly ingrained in Rick's memory, wasn't at the time enough to keep him from serving his country. Sadie had surely won a piece of Rick but he wasn't about to settle down. He had plans and they did not include any permanent relationship and Sadie had permanent written all over her.

Now that Rick was back home, albeit even for just a month, Sadie knew she had to introduce him to two very important people -- his twin daughters. When Sadie found out she was pregnant she thought long and hard about telling Rick but even though she knew it would be right to tell him she decided not to. Not for any nefarious reason but for what she considered an honorable and sensible one. After all Rick was facing combat conditions where his very safety and those of his unit commanded focus and Sadie was afraid that this news would put him in harm's way. It wasn't as if Rick was going to run into Sadie any time soon and without a husband their small town gossip mill would have a field day so moving to Houston made sense. But now years later all bets are off. He is furious that he missed three years of his children's lives and with his sense of honor at play he does what any honorable man would do -- he proposes marriage. Sadie was not going to marry anyone who was trying to do the honorable thing. Her first marriage was pretty much arranged by her father and that had left her pretty raw. This time she was holding out for love. But even though Rick knew that this woman and these children were important to him and vital to his life, he just wasn't capable of the love that Sadie was searching for. He just couldn't understand why she wasn't willing to marry him for all the right reasons -- love not necessarily being one of them. But he didn't count on Sadie becoming an independent woman who didn't want a marriage based on honor and responsibility. It was love or nothing. This big bad marine had definitely met his match.

Just how can you resist a charming story about people who are just too stubborn to admit they are crazy for each other -- lust is overrated -- love is what ultimately counts.