Zale Campion is a bit of a nerd, something that really didn't bother him much. He has a loyal family and owns a thriving business with his brothers, so what did he care what people thought of him? Still, he finds himself caring when he meets the new schoolteacher in town. Effie Rose is what people called eccentric, though weird was probably more apt a description. Though she has wonderful parents, a supportive brother, and a genius IQ all working for her, she'd still been banished to Carmel Springs because she was too much to handle in polite society. When Zale meets the quirky schoolteacher, he pulls out all the stops to make Effie his.