Isabel Reed has promised to marry for love. At present her heart belongs to the one companion she knows accepts all her eccentricities—her horse. So when her older brother threatens to trade the animal on a whim, Isabel must force aside her progressive beliefs and bargain to entertain her brother’s flirtatious, albeit handsome, friend Lucas Ashcroft in exchange for keeping her horse.

Lucas is on the brink of madness—after a year’s worth of visits, he loves Isabel and is ready to propose. When it seems like she has finally come to feel the same, he foolishly believes he’s won her heart. After a botched proposal from Lucas, Isabel makes it her mission to prove his affections for her are misplaced. But Lucas is determined not to give up his pursuit, and as Isabel comes to know him and his heart, she must work to save herself from losing not only her horse, but the most equal love match she never thought possible.