Savannah could feel Matthew's eyes on her throughout the evening, and it unnerved her. She would be lying if said she found the man unattractive. She was drawn to him, and she chided herself for it. Matthew Lakely was a minister. She had no intention of marrying a minister. She had no intention of marrying at all... Twenty-two-year-old Savannah O'Connell, Sheridan, Oregon's, schoolteacher, is an independent, determined young lady who has never liked to be told what to do. Having recently moved out of her parents' home and into the little schoolhouse, Savannah believes life is just the way she wants it...that is, until the handsome young minister moves into the parish next door. When an innocent situation involving Savannah and Matthew turns into the town scandal overnight, Sheridan's fine teacher and respectable preacher are faced with only two solutions: resign or marry. They both know marriage would be difficult, to say the least, with Savannah's stubbornness facing Matthew's unceasing patience, but resignation from the positions they love and hold dear would be more than they could bear. Could everything Savannah never knew she wanted actually be standing right outside her door? Perhaps in the end, Savannah only needs the Freedom to Surrender.