When Lady Katherine - Kat - marries Sir Alex de Beaumont, she knows it is because her father requested the match. Still, when Sir Alex leaves for the crusades the morning after their wedding night, Kat's heart is broken. Alex dies on Crusade; now, seven years later, Kat is finally preparing to marry again.

Her wedding ceremony is halted due to Alex's unexpected arrival, and Kat's life is turned upside down again. Alex wants her back as his wife, but Kat isn't sure that she can trust him again. They make a wager: Alex will try to prove he is trustworthy; if he fails, he will offer Kat an annulment.

The bulk of this story consists of interactions between Alex and Kat, mostly Alex trying to seduce Kat and Kat going along but then saying she can't trust Alex. This reader found much of this part of the book boring and far too repetitive. A subplot revolves around who was responsible for getting Alex imprisoned on Crusade, who is trying to kill both of them now, and an old flame from Alex's past. But none of these extra plots is enough to lift the book from the mundane, particularly as the overall premise – that Alex's one night with his wife is life-changing yet he still runs off on Crusade, despite him not wanting to marry and being in love with someone else at the time – unconvincing.