He had never faced a real crisis. Pierce Lanson's charm and looks had carried him gracefully through life's challenges. Until he was forced to run from a jealous husband with underworld connections. Alone and broke, Pierce accepted a job on an Alabama soybean farm. Then he met Christine Walsh. Christine was a woman of the land, as natural as a spring day, strong and confident and so different from the other woman he'd known. Both Christine and Pierce tried to convince themselves a life together could never be, but the fruition of their love was as certain as the cycle of the growing season.