A marriage made in Heaven between a bootlegger’s daughter and a hard-hearted sheriff, they go together like moonshine and bad decisions. Will Abilene find a way to penetrate the barriers of the sheriff’s heart?
Abilene: Rescue Me – (Mail Order Brides) Book 17
A harsh, scar-faced, rancher, An impulsive, whimsical teacher go together like dandelions and daydreams. Well, she thinks so anyway…
Carrie Ann Dixon’s impulsive nature has cost her a teaching position. Destitute, she agrees to seek the help of a matchmaker. She believes there’s a happily ever after within reach for everyone, and she’ll work hard to make her dream come true. Casting her past failures aside, she’s thrilled with the idea of moving west and requests a match with someone who embraces adventure and will be enthusiastic about building a romantic relationship.
Gabe Russell, former solider and regimented rancher, isn’t looking for love. Instead, he needs a cook, housekeeper, and babysitter for his four younger siblings. Hence, his request to the matchmaker includes, “My desired match should be a no-nonsense, hard-working woman who knows the importance of following a schedule.
A semi-retired bootlegger and a beleaguered sheriff- because no good story ever started with cookies and milk.
She’s shaking off the dust of her well-worn boots, not looking back and hoping for a transformation. All she needs is a new dress, a new town, a husband, and a fresh start. Daughter of a traveling merchant, Bethel is tired of peddling her Daddy’s “Special Sauce” and being run out of town by every sheriff east of the Mississippi. So it’s time to head west. She just needs to sell a few more bottles to help fund her trip. After all, who wants to meet their new husband looking like a gypsy? If only she could shake off that irritating detective waiting at the stage stop.
Sheriff Bart Bailey can’t believe the chaos awaiting him at the jailhouse. He has enough on his plate with his two nieces dumped in his lap by his irresponsible sister. Now his zealous replacement has already arrested the flaming-haired beauty sitting in the cell who resembles the gal on the wanted poster.
.
If only the first mail-order bride he sent for had shown up, The girls definitely need a mother. Hopefully, the woman he’s been corresponding with recently will fit the bill. He plans on sending for her as soon as he has the money.
There is no ocean so great that love can’t cross.
In 1917 every man, woman, and child was called to civic duty as the “war to end all wars” encompassed the globe. When the patriotic call comes, Adella begins her campaign of encouragement by corresponding with the frightened and lonely soldiers. On the cusp of adulthood, the young woman is tired of living a cosseted life and hopes to gain her parent’s support when she wants to volunteer her services to the war effort. Her mother worries for her safety, but Adella is more concerned for her heart.
As a recent college graduate, Gibb is led down a path he never anticipated. And one unexpected meeting at a train station tips all of his carefully laid plans into chaos. In the void, Adella’s words of affection flow across the continents. The image of her smile and the consistency of her letters give him a reason to hope.
She’s making a run toward hope, love, and family and she’s not letting go.
Orphaned as a young girl, Ella longs for a life she’s only read about in books. To escape a desperate situation, she heads west as a mail-order bride, narrowing her choice of spouse to three brothers, a millwright, a businessman, and a horse trainer, all searching for a marriage of convenience which will provide the inheritance that will finance the family’s business venture in Oklahoma.
Newspapers claim the unchartered territory is a land where streams flow with milk and the heavens rain down a supply of honey. Will her road lead to the Promised Land?
Audie’s Audacious Bride
When disappointed hopes collide – Will a wilting mail-order bride muster enough resolve to soften a hardened rancher’s heart?
Ace’s Tenacious Bride
Can a spirited pastor’s daughter up the ante, causing a card-playing, cigar-smoking workaholic to wager his heart?
Mercy Fairchild, a pastor’s daughter, is ready for adventure. She’ll comply with her late father’s last wish—to obtain the help of a matchmaking service and find her a young pastor out west to marry. Yes, she wants God’s perfect plan for her future, but she hopes it will be an exciting plan. Perhaps a missionary in a new territory?
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DMZLRSR
Inspirational Brides of Carrie Town Texas Volume 2
LOIS’S RISK: Lois is heartbroken because Daniel is ignoring her. Can she go against the 19th century rules of how a woman should behave and have the courage to tell Daniel how she feels?
MAGGIE’S STRENGTH: A tomboy at heart, she ignores her mother’s pleas to dress more appropriately. Until the son returns. A recent graduate of medical school, although handsome, the young doctor is stoic and obviously put out that his father has hired her to help his mother recuperate. Sparks fly and suddenly for the first time Maggie is concerned more about how she is perceived by others, especially the young doctor? The question is why?Can they get past their first impressions?
CAROL’S CHOICE: Leaving her lifestyle of shopping, lavish parties and holiday endeavors for a simpler life is a temporary solution until she can make a match of her own design. Carol struggles to let go of the past, embrace the present, and hope for a better future. What she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome livery-stable owner, who understands the true meaning of family and Christmas. Will love conquer lavish?
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DST218D
Inspirational Brides of Carrie Town Texas Volume 3
GARNET’S GIFT
Twenty-two-year-old Garnet Adams longs to marry and have a houseful of children. Forced to support her widowed mother, she embraces her role as a teacher, although the Carrie Town board of education’s rules for female teachers leave no opportunity for a social life. She contents herself playing the violin at church.
Tall, bearded, and rough around the edges, Deputy Noah Scott would rather hunt than socialize. Garnet thinks he’s a rude, insensitive drifter, and Noah’s sure the last person he’d want to court is a schoolmarm–especially with her unladylike sneeze. As the needs of her students bring them together, opposites seem to attract until a certain Christmas present derails their future.
MAUDE’S MISSION
After the death of Isabelle’s father, the last few years have been difficult for Izzy and her family. Employment for women in the late nineteenth century is limited, so her job as a waitress is a godsend. Isabelle’s mother encourages Izzy to let go of the worries of the past and move forward. Why not consider the offer of courtship from one of her many admirers? The problem is—the so-called admirers at the diner are insincere flirts.
Bart Ogletree, a successful businessman new to Carrie Town, Texas, is intrigued by the lovely waitress at the local diner. Isabelle Miller is hard-working, with a ready smile for everyone but him.
And then there’s Maude. God has sent a lovable but slightly awkward angel to the rescue. Her mission is to find two worthy souls to bring together. The problem is two-fold: How will she recognize the worthy souls, and how can she cook up ways for them to be together and fall in love?
Will the difference in social backgrounds and a certain family member’s prejudice be too much for this clever-but-clumsy angel?
VICTORIA’S VALUE
Opposites attract, but does this former debutante have what it takes to be wife, mother, and live on a ranch? Can a controlling cowboy who is more concerned with his axle than his wedding, find a way to steer a courtship in the right direction?
Former debutante, Victoria Wilson, hides the pain of her past behind a beautiful façade. Desiring a new start, she agrees toparticipate in a matchmaking service recommended by her pastor. Yet she wonders.What if she can’t handle a completely different lifestyle from the one her grandmother has prepared her for?
Rancher Gabe Ross needs someone to take over the care of his three young nieces – a sensible woman who isn’t afraid of hard work. Whoever he chooses has to make a quick acceptance because his housekeeper has had enough.
This couple brings a whole new meaning to the adage that opposites attract. Does this cultured beauty have what it takes to be a rancher’s wife? Will Gabe find a way to steer this courtship in the right direction?
Heaven Inspired Matrimonial Matches
I love mail-order bride stories, and in July I released my first one, with a bit of a twist.
A Fresh Start for Christmas is book one in a series based on matchmaking venture started by a matron of an orphanage. Subsequent stories are A Bride for David, Willow’s Worth, and an upcoming release is A Beekeeper for Christmas.
She’s whimsical and fun-loving, he’s gruff and likes to keep things simple. Has the matchmaking agency made an error in judgment? Can affection soften two stubborn, opinionated individuals forging a relationship of the romantic kind?
Bethany Phoebe Brady loves assisting her grandfather with his bee farm and volunteering at the Counting Stars Children’s Home. A tall woman, she’s always felt awkward and unattractive and now at the age of twenty-seven, she’s given up on the dream of a family of her own.
Until her grandfather and the orphanage founder come with a proposal that will change her life forever. Should she take a chance and turn her future over to the new matchmaking venture? Is her desire to have a family of her own, enough to risk a future with a man she’s never met?
Encouraged by his brother’s success with his mail-order bride, twenty-nine-year-old, Moses Montgomery is ready to take a chance. Afterall, he orders things from a catalog all the time, why not a wife? She should be sensible and take an interest in his business at the livery stable.
Bethany prefers to avoid the stable yard due to problematic hay fever. Moses finds bees destructive and painful pests. She’s whimsical and fun-loving, he’s gruff and likes to keep things simple. Has the matchmaking agency made an error in judgment? Can affection soften two stubborn, opinionated individuals forging a relationship of the romantic kind?
After the death of Isabelle’s father, the last few years have been difficult for Izzy and her family. Employment for women in the late nineteenth century is limited, so her job as a waitress is a godsend. Isabelle’s mother encourages Izzy to let go of the worries of the past and move forward. Why not consider the offer of courtship from one of her many admirers? The problem is—the so-called admirers at the diner are insincere flirts.
Bart Ogletree, a successful businessman new to Carrie Town, Texas, is intrigued by the lovely waitress at the local diner. Isabelle Miller is hard-working, with a ready smile for everyone but him.
And then there’s Maude. God has sent a lovable but slightly awkward angel to the rescue. Her mission is to find two worthy souls to bring together. The problem is two-fold: How will she recognize the worthy souls, and how can she cook up ways for them to be together and fall in love?
Will the difference in social backgrounds and a certain family member’s prejudice be too much for this clever-but-clumsy angel?
We live in a world where we have communication at our literal fingertips. I’m old enough that I recall the time where telephones were plugged into the wall and calling anyone outside of town was costly. While researching life during the 19th century I became fascinated by the lives of telegraph operators, many of who were women.
Messages were sent with dots and dashes and abbreviate much like we do today via text.
Telegraph operators would greet each other in morse code — at the beginning and end of their shift. They had the unique opportunity of getting to know other operators when they weren’t busy sending other people’s messages. Messages were sent with dots and dashes and abbreviate much like we do today via text.
Telegraph operator, Willow Graham benefited from a unique lifestyle growing up with her grandfather. She’s independent and loves spending time riding and training animals. With her twenty-first birthday approaching, her family pressures her to return to the city and take up the lavish lifestyle her uncle has planned for her. But another option piques her curiosity –a matchmaking agency’s recommendation that she begins a correspondence with a handsome farmer.
Hardworking, twenty-seven-year-old, Leo Weaver, is a man of many talents. He’s helped his father develop a successful farm. Loyal to Carrie town, he volunteers as a deputy sheriff. But handsome and charming, Leo’s become the target of several well-meaning ladies in the community who have submitted his name for a new matchmaking venture.
Willow craves the outdoors. Leo loves community life and wants to live in town. Can a matchmaking agency really help two independent people realize the opposing desires of their hearts?
While researching life in the 19th century, I became fascinated with the quirky octagon fad that was popular in the mid-19th century. The Octagon House, A Home for All, written by Orson Fowler, promoted an idealistic movement in architecture to promote efficiency of building materials, improved natural lighting, and ventilation.
A circle is the most efficient shape but challenging to build. “An octagon is a shape within a circle. It contains eight sides, eight angles, and has straight sides that connect. Thomas Jefferson built his home in the configuration.
The eight-sided octagon maximizes living space, receives more natural light, is easier to heat, and remains cool during the summer months. The design includes a flat roof, which has cisterns built in to collect and distribute water.
The Octagon home seemed the perfect place for geometry loving, Mathematics teacher, Daisy Murphy. She agrees to participate in a new matchmaking service organized by her pastor and the matron of the orphanage where she has spent the last fifteen years. Romantic, yet practical, Daisy’s systematically eliminated all candidates but one and anticipates getting to know him better through months of correspondence.
Time is not on the side of David Taylor. He has a nephew and niece to think about, and his attorney has warned him he will lose custody of both to their rich grandfather if he doesn’t have a wife. A teacher longing for security, a businessman about to lose the only family he has; and a proxy marriage that can give them both exactly what they need.
A teacher longing for security, a businessman about to lose the only family he has; and a proxy marriage that can give them both exactly what they need.
***Although I enjoy mail-order bride stories, I’ve never written one. My concept is based on a backstory of several of my characters, mentioned in previous books, however this story is a stand alone. The concept is several pastors and the matron of an orphanage work together to find a way to match young women to men in the west to form H.I.M.M.” Which is short for Heaven Inspired Matrimonial Matches.
Memphis Rose Griffin loves teaching at Counting Stars Children’s Home. The girls and staff are like family, and working here ties her to her mother, whose last wish was for Memphis to take her place as teacher. But something’s missing. Now at the age of twenty-eight, her teenage dream of having her own family has all but faded.
Until her pastor and the orphanage founder come with a proposal that will change her life forever. Should she become their first candidate for their new matchmaking venture? Though grim, at least her life at the orphanage is familiar and certain. Can she risk an unknown future with a man she’s never met?
The last thing thirty-three-year-old Mike Montgomery wants is to marry again, especially to someone he’s never met. His family has other plans for him and completes the application without his permission–even changing some of his preferences to make him seem more intriguing. Can two star-crossed candidates dare to dream again?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081SF6HCK
Twenty-two-year old Garnet Adams longs to marry and have a houseful of children. Forced to support her widowed mother, she embraces her role as a teacher, although the Carrie Town board of education’s rules for female teachers leave no opportunity for a social life. She contents herself playing the violin at church.
Tall, bearded, and rough around the edges, Deputy Noah Scott would rather hunt than socialize. Garnet thinks he’s a rude, insensitive drifter, and Noah’s sure the last person he’d want to court is a schoolmarm–especially with her unladylike sneeze. As the needs of her students bring them together, opposites seem to attract until a certain Christmas present derails their future.
New Release – Carol’s Choice A Western Christmas Carol
After the deaths of her mother and stepfather, twenty-year-old Carol Stone finds herself in reduced circumstances with two younger siblings to care for. The suggested marriage of convenience is out of the question, so she stalls for time. When Carol learns she is the sole heir of a small home in Carrie Town, a newly expanded railroad village, she throws caution to the Texas wind and packs her bags.
Though warned of the extreme change in lifestyle, she’s shocked at the smallness of the Sunday House. And why didn’t she think to ask about indoor plumbing?
Leaving her lifestyle of shopping, lavish parties and holiday endeavors for a simpler life is a temporary solution until she can make a match of her own design. Carol struggles to let go of the past, embrace the present, and hope for a better future. What she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome livery-stable owner, who understands the true meaning of family and Christmas. Will love conquer lavish?
Combining, History, Humor, and Romance with an emphasis on Faith, Friends and Good Clean Fun 