The Heart Must Choose — Justine Sommers

Soon after the beginning of the great gold rush, pretty Lucinda Evans receives word from her older brother, Tom that he has struck gold and will return to Illinois. When years pass and Tom does not arrive, Lucinda and her other brother, Davy, head for California by wagon train to search for their missing brother. Lucinda, now a beautiful young woman, and Davy wander from one mining camp to the next. Lucinda's presence does not go unnoticed by the miners who have not seen a woman in months and certainly no one as lovely as Lucinda Evans.

James Masterson, a gentleman farmer from Virginia, lured to California by the promise of an exciting new life, becomes a friend and protector to Lucinda and Davy. His handsome brother Will, resenting the presence of a woman in the camp, is far from friendly... In spite of his surliness, Lucinda is drawn to this mysterious young man. When she and Davy are reunited with their brother and must leave California, James suddenly declares his wish to become much more than her protector; Lucinda is torn between his promise of love and her own desires for the compelling Will...a man she is afraid to love.