Longing For You

How long do you wait for love?
Montana Territory, late 1860s. Layla Adamos was abandoned by her fiancé in the frontier town of Bozeman. With no resources and no other place to go, Layla moves into a new boarding house run by Bertha Alsobrook. It is a respectable place even though it is run by a former madam—but it’s only a short-term solution. The local preacher’s wife wants Layla to marry quickly and without much care for the man so that she’s not a burden to the town.
She’s left with the choice of marrying a stranger or taking a job. Proposals are no problem, but she wants to marry for love, not because a man thinks she’s pretty and will be a hard worker. That leaves her needing to find a job.
Jared DeGroot needs a housekeeper and a caretaker for his dying wife. Though theirs has been a marriage in name only, Jared is bound to honor his vows. He has long accepted his lonely life until Layla joins the household. She is impetuous, and he is staid, but somehow these strangers become friends.
And then friendship turns to love. Even as they are drawn to each other, they keep their distance. Jared would never dishonor his vows, and Layla wouldn’t want a man who did, nor would she sacrifice her own honor. They’re ready to wait it out when a new medicine gives Jared’s wife a chance at survival, and Layla’s ex-fiancé returns.
How long can they dream of a future that never comes?