Wounded Heart is the story of a dangerous journey, a courageous woman, and an undeniable love.
The year is 1870. When orphaned Della Hughes decides to accompany her uncle, General Clint Logan, and his family West, she has no idea of the challenges she'll face. Della can dance a graceful waltz and flirt with gentlemen behind her fan, but she can't style her own hair without the help of her maid. The feisty society miss longs to escape the restrictions of Victorian Boston. The trip West offers her freedom, although she doesn't realize that life on the rugged frontier will test her courage beyond her imagination. Her uncle is moving a herd of horses to Colorado to sell to the army. The western cavalry needs horses to fight its Indian wars, so Clint Logan plans to trail a herd of remounts across the prairie to Colorado for the army and set up a breeding program on the ranch he's purchased. Shane Hunter, the former army scout Clint Logan has hired to guide them across the prairie, tries to discourage Della from accompanying the wagon train. He advises her that she's not suited for life in the West and urges her to return to Boston. He warns her that she'll be a liability to her uncle's endeavor. Spunky Della determines to prove him wrong and show him that she can get along without a maid. Rustlers, a stampede, and rattlesnakes test her mettle. The suave cavalry captain who heads up the unit detailed to guard the horses sees in Della the perfect wife to assist him in his political goals. He woos her during the journey, although austere Shane Hunter interests her more. What secret from Shane's past makes him believe that he's not worthy of loving Della? And what future will Della have when she's captured by a band of marauding Cheyenne warriors and taken to their village? The chieftain's son determines to marry Della and gives her into the care of his aunt, who is tasked with teaching Della how to be a good Cheyenne wife. The handsome warrior courts Della in the Cheyenne custom, while she hopes Shane can rescue her before the wedding. Della's life is filled with more adventure than she thought possible when she left Boston.