James Gerris, a married meteorologist bound for a research colony on Mars, expects a routine journey—until he discovers a fearless stowaway aboard his ship. Marilyn is sharp-tongued, unrepentant, and impossible to intimidate, meeting his threats and warnings with brazen confidence and quick wit. What begins as outrage soon turns into an uneasy, flirtatious battle of wills, as Gerris finds himself irritated, fascinated, and increasingly vulnerable to her charm. But Marilyn's arrival is more than a personal complication. Gerris knows the colony is a tiny, overcrowded dome with no spare room, no simple way to send her back, and a staff of isolated men and women whose routines could be thrown into turmoil. As he wrestles with exhaustion, duty, and his loyalty to his wife and home, Marilyn treats every obstacle as a challenge to outsmart. By the time Mars comes into view, Gerris is bracing for the chaos she will unleash—not only on the colony, but on his carefully ordered life. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
