Love Comes Softly (2003)

"Love Comes Softly" (2003) is a family-friendly movie suitable for viewers of all ages, based upon a popular book written by Janette Oke. During the 1800s, a young, newlywed couple Marty (Katherine Heigl) and Aaron Claridge (Oliver MacReady) join a wagon train bound for the western frontier, filled with hopes and dreams for their new life together. Shortly thereafter, Marty’s sweetheart husband suddenly dies, leaving Marty grief-stricken, pregnant, and stranded among strangers. Hailing from the city with limited pioneering skills, she is ill prepared to face a rough prairie winter by herself. Soft-spoken, hard-working widower Clark Davis (Dale Midkiff) then proposes to her a “marriage of convenience,” offering her room, board, and return train fare in exchange for housekeeping and childcare services until the wagon trains can return in about six months to take her back East with no strings attached if so desired. Surprisingly, Marty discovers a slowly budding romance and faith as she learns to cook, clean, and care for Clark and his little girl Missie (Skye McCole Bartusiak) over the coming months.