Originally published in the Sew in Love Collection with Barbour Books as Hearts Sewn With Love

In 1850, during the height of the California Gold Rush, a decent single young lady was rarer than gold itself…

After a grueling seven-month journey to Gold Bar, California, Maggie McDermott and her mother arrive only to face a devastating loss—her cousin, their only connection in the West, has met an untimely end. With no male relatives to support them, the town assumes Maggie will marry. But Maggie has other plans. Determined to build a life on her own terms, she opens a seamstress shop—and soon earns more gold than the men clamoring for her hand.

One man stands apart from the rest—Benjamin Freethy. A hardworking miner raising his orphaned nephew, Ben is captivated by Maggie’s kindness and beauty. But with gold growing scarce, he refuses to consider marriage until he can provide for a wife. Even if that wife is the one woman he longs for.

When a jealous miner blackmails Maggie and uses dynamite to trap Ben inside a collapsed river cave, Maggie is faced with an impossible choice. As the town rallies for a rescue, both Maggie and Ben must decide—what is truly more valuable, gold or love?