A Woman In Pants! The arrival of Michael Bowen’s bride, married sight unseen by proxy, sends the rancher reeling. With her trousers, cowboy hat and rifle, she looks like a female outlaw—not the genteel lady he corresponded with for months. He’s been hoodwinked into marriage with the wrong woman! Selina Farleigh Bowen loved Michael’s letters, even if she couldn’t read them herself.A friend read them to her, and wrote her replies—but apparently that “friend” left things out, like Michael’s dream of a wife who was nothing like her. Selina won’t change who she is, not even for the man she loves. Yet time might show Michael the true value of his unlikely wife.
A family in the makingBecoming nursemaid to Paul Holmes's orphaned niece seems like the perfect solution to Becky Siddons's problems. After having her romantic hopes dashed, she's determined to focus solely on her charge and not the little girl's handsome uncle. Until Becky realizes she is losing her heart to a man determined to keep his own under lock and key….Paul had hoped hiring Becky would allow him to keep a distance from his niece, a reminder of his late sister–and his failings in raising her. Yet he soon finds himself enjoying spending time with outspoken, impulsive Becky and the child. Can he take a chance on this unexpected, joyful new family?
A Very Practical Proposal He hired a governess, but what retired officer Tristan Willoughby-Smith needs is a wife. Not on his behalf, but to protect little Dora and Freddie. When Caroline Bradley arrives at his Wyoming ranch, she seems perfectly suited—capable, efficient, intelligent…if a trifle too appealing. Caroline knows what a real union of hearts should be, and the major’s polite, no-nonsense offer hardly qualifies.Still, she accepts for the children’s sake, little knowing the complications the marriage will bring to test her confidence and her faith. Yet in this unusual match, Caroline starts to see a glimmer of something strong and true—the makings of the family she never thought she’d find…
FROM BLUESTOCKING TO BRIDE Proposing to the Earl of Aynsley seems a sensible—if unconventional—solution to Miss Rebecca Peabody’s predicament. As a married woman, she will be free to keep writing her essays on civil reform. Meanwhile, the distinguished widower will gain a stepmother for his seven children and a caretaker for his vast estate.But the earl wants more than a convenient bride. He craves a true partner, a woman he can cherish. To his surprise, the bookish Miss Peabody appears to have every quality he desires…except the willingness to trust her new husband. Yet despite his family’s interference, and her steadfast independence, time and faith could make theirs a true marriage of hearts.
He survived a battlefield massacre and, before that, his fiancée’s betrayal.Cavalry officer Caleb Montgomery is unable to trust in anything now, especially himself. But then he’s stationed in Fort Larned, Kansas, where Lily Kellogg, the lovely army surgeon’s daughter, begins to rekindle his faith—and his hope. Caleb is the kind of gallant, surprisingly sensitive man Lily never expected to find on the western frontier.Since childhood, she has longed for the stability and culture only the big city can offer, and her most cherished wish is suddenly within reach. Still, putting both their dreams to the test is the one way she and Caleb can find their road home…to each other.
HE CAN’T LET HER STAYWill Hopkins’s new housekeeper is the prettiest young woman he’s ever seen—and that’s the problem. Will thought Abigail Stewart was a middle-aged matron well suited to hardscrabble prairie life. Even if his young sons are entranced by her wholesome kindness, his only option is to send Abby back east.For the sake of propriety…and his guarded heart. Answering the newspaper advertisement was Abby’s chance of escape from her unhappy home. But now her employer has turned out to be a rugged widower instead of a widow. A marriage in name only will allow her to remain long enough to find another job. Or until a misunderstanding becomes the means to a second-chance family…
This Texan Had No Intention of Becoming a Groom…Until he found out he had a year to find a bride–or risk losing the family ranch. Any of the four mail-order brides recently arrived in Granite, Texas, would make a good wife. So why can't Levi Westland stop thinking about the one who refuses to have him? The marriage of convenience Levi offers isn't enough to persuade Millie Hamilton. Truth is, it's no longer enough for Levi, either….Millie just needed a place to escape to. Now that she's paid Levi back his traveling expenses, she can forge her own way. If he knew the truth about her past, Levi's admiration would vanish. But the only thing harder than risking her heart may be watching Levi marry anyone but her.
There was a time when Julia Stanton's fondest wish was to be Samuel Ward's wife. But that was before the war. As pro-Confederacy sentiments clash with the Union troops occupying Baltimore, fear and suspicion turn friends to foes. Julia chooses the Confederacy…Samuel does not. And his decision is one she's sure she'll never forgive. Samuel would gladly give his life for Julia.Still, he cannot go against the certainty he feels that slavery is wrong—even after his beliefs cost him Julia's love. Yet as they work to comfort a city in turmoil, Samuel prays God's guidance will lead them to common ground. For where there is courage and faith, two divided hearts may come together once more…
FOR RICHER OR POORER…To help her destitute parents, Emma Mercer must marry very well. And very soon. Love is irrelevant, only security matters…doesn’t it? Aided by her friend Olivia—and Olivia’s brother Marcus, Earl of Westin—Emma quickly gains society’s notice. But Marcus himself, the only man whose company Emma truly enjoys, seems oblivious to her charms.With his finances in jeopardy, Marcus knows he can’t be the wealthy groom Emma needs. Instead, he’ll see her properly engaged to the right man…and break his own heart. Yet Emma’s determination and Marcus’s resolve may be no match for love, faith—and a scheming sister determined to end Emma’s husband’s hunt right at Marcus’s side.
THE WEDDING PROMISENo one is more surprised than Sunny Licht when Noah Whitmore proposes. She’s a scarlet woman and an unwed mother—an outcast even in her small Quaker community. But she can’t resist Noah’s offer of a fresh start in a place where her scandalous past is unknown. In Sunny, the ex-Union soldier sees a woman whose loneliness matches his own.When they arrive in Wisconsin, he’ll see that she and her baby daughter want for nothing…except the love that war burned out of him. Yet Sunny makes him hope once more—for the home they’re building, and the family he never hoped to find. Wilderness Brides: Finding love—and a fresh start—on the frontier