Jocelyn Norwood wasn't a runaway bride because she never intended to be a bride.

On Jocelyn Norwood's father's deathbed, she promised him she would marry the banker's son so he could die with a clean conscience, knowing his daughter would never need anything. Unfortunately, her father didn't know the true nature of the man he had chosen for her to wed. When the day arrives for the wedding, the maid only finds a wedding dress in the middle of the bathroom floor, and an opened window.

To escape Perryville, Texas, Jocelyn takes a stagecoach to Midland Texas and joins a bridal wagon train; destination, Amarillo, Texas. She pleads with the wagon master to let her travel with him, but not as a bride. She never intends to marry any man, much less a stranger.

Matt Colburn, a handsome rich rancher was in desperate need of a cook, so he paid passage for a woman to travel on the bridal wagon train and he doesn't care what she looks like-he only wants a good cook for his men, not a bride.

After arriving home, he discovers his new cook was already in residence. But once he saw the young beauty, who has such a sweet nature, he changes his mind. Marriage sounds like a good idea.

Not only does his new cook not plan to marry, but she also has a detective company hot on her trail. Turns out Jocelyn Norwood is a runaway bride, and her prominent husband-to-be has posted a large reward for her return.

Be careful what you wish for.