A war hero's widow, Graceanne still has her adorable three-year-old twin boys to love—until she receives a letter from her late husband's demanding cousin, Leland Warrington, the Duke of Ware. It seems that the duke—thirty-two years old, twice widowed, and with no forseeable plans to marry again—is in desperate need of an heir. And seeing that Graceanne has two boys, she could easily spare one. Well, couldn't she?

Graceanne is too strong a woman not to stand up to Leland's completely unreasonable expectations. When she does, she unleashes a hair-raising maternal fury that takes Leland by surprise. He also finds it all, quite frankly, magnificent. So much so that he's now entertaining thoughts of winning Graceanne's heart, as well as an heir—a romantic scheme that grows more mischievous, and more unpredictable, with each passing winter night.