Meg chooses Tye. In a move that creates such a rift in town only the local minister will speak to her, Meg proposes a marriage Tye cannot refuse. In exchange for helping her keep the ranch going, she promises to help him with his dream of a packing plant if they accumulate sufficient funds. Cheryl St. John conveys the pathos of a small western town to which few of the combatants return home. Those who do return are often disabled emotionally or physically.
Parents grieve for lost sons, wives for lost husbands.
Impoverished, young widows are forced to choose between living as charity cases in homes of relatives and finding another husband among a male population greatly reduced by the Civil War. How Meg and Tye turn their arranged marriage into an honest, loving relationship is the heart of Cheryl St. John's story. How others in the town, especially Joe's family, learn to accept and value the choices made by this independent, feisty woman and tenderhearted, courageous man is as important to the impact of the tale. One should not have to risk life and limb to convince a town of one's worth, but as told by this author, the way in which Tye does so is credible. That may try the patience of the cynics out there, but it's perfect for the hankie crowd.