ife is on track for Philip Jenkins. Through hard work and a fair amount of luck, he owns an estate, and his horses are renowned throughout Somerset. But he wants them to be coveted throughout England and that requires the endorsement of a well-respected duke. Philip will not allow anything to distract him. That is until he meets a governess attending his neighbor's house party. His attraction to her is strong and immediate, but she cannot seem to see him as anything more than a groom. As the daughter of a viscount, Elizabeth Carter never thought she would be a spinster, or have to seek employment as a governess. When she attends a house party with the children of her employer, she is immediately drawn to the owner of the neighboring estate. But the man is nothing like what she dreamed. He seems more at home in the stables than in the parlor. When a duke makes Elizabeth an offer, she knows she must seize the opportunity with both hands. But accepting the offer does not stop her from thinking of Mr. Jenkins. As the house party draws to a close, both Philip and Elizabeth must decide what is more important--the security they always dreamed of or the love they just discovered.