Julia Howard longs for the freedom her inheritance will bring her – but with her controlling brother holding the purse strings she's going to need a most convenient engagement… And an encounter in the woods with a dashing stranger couldn't be more timely. Wounded, his life at sea at an end, Captain James Covington isn't prepared for the dull ache of civilian life. He sees in Julia a fellow adventurous spirit – willing to risk all. Could agreeing to her outrageous proposal help him recapture a reason to live as they face the biggest adventure of all – marriage?