She's left with nothing and has no means of survival... In the Depression-plagued rural Wisconsin of 1932, Annalee Lines loses her husband to an accident and her home to a fire within a few short months of each other. The abusive husband she can do without, but with her home and possessions totally destroyed, Annalee and her two children are now destitute. She'd been supporting her family by caring for the daughter of a widowed engineer, but with no home of her own, she can't even do that. With memories of her brutal marriage fresh in her mind, Annalee vows never to tie herself to another man-but unless she wants to live with her sour-faced, forbidding parents, she may have no choice. He offers everything...but at what cost? Widowed engineer Jack Harrison mourns the loss of his beloved wife. Left with a small daughter, Sissy, Jack turns to Annalee for daycare while he works. Since he's not interested in remarrying, the arrangement is perfect-until Annalee's house burns down and she's left with no option but to move in with her parents. If she does that, she'll no longer be around. He's unwilling to leave Sissy with anyone else but Annalee won't risk her reputation by being a live-in babysitter, so Jack comes up with a plan: they'll get married, Annalee and her children will move into Jack's house, Annalee will take care of Sissy, and Jack will provide everything she and her children need. Annalee reluctantly agrees, after extracting a promise from Jack that this will be strictly a business arrangement, with no intimacy required or expected. Everything goes according to plan-until Jack kisses her at the altar. Now Jack no longer wants to keep his promise and Annalee is terrified. Her first husband was cruel, and Annalee doesn't care for intimacy...but how long can she keep her new husband at arm's length?