Natalie Browning was a spoiled belle of sixteen when she met the man of her dreams aboard the steamship Pulaski. Burke Latimer, only eight years her senior, was a self-made man with no time for a pretty child. Then a night of terror ended the voyage and Burke discovered another Natalie. But the night that brought him love also wreaked disaster on his fortune, and Burke was forced to ask Natalie to wait until he could make a home worthy of her. Life had never denied Natalie before. Her need to be with Burke drove her to follow him to Georgia's back country, hoping to show him she was ready to be his bride. Could she grow up before she lost the love of her life forever?