Many in the South lost their home, families, and fiancées. Many went from living a rich life to being reduced to wearing rags. These three stories are about three strong women who didn’t allow themselves to be beat down. It’s also a book about a group of Confederate Soldiers who start a ranch and make a new family for themselves. Tattered Heart- Book One A war-hardened southern belle. A caring Civil War captain. Can they overcome reconstruction and his cruel mother to find a loving marriage? Texas, 1867. Georgie O’Rourke left Tennessee after the Civil War took everything from her. But when she answers a mail order bride ad, she never thought her arrival would surprise her new husband. It was the handsome captain’s mother who sent in the ad, and the mentally unstable matriarch may also take Georgie to her breaking point… Captain Parker Eastman’s responsibilities haven’t ended after the Confederate Army surrendered. While he agrees to marry Georgie and welcome her into his ranch, he feels he has no choice but to leave her with his mother so he can stop land grabbers on the range. But over a month away may do more damage to his new wife than he ever anticipated… With Georgie at the mercy of Mother Eastman, she questions whether she’ll survive the war’s aftermath. When Parker returns home, can he somehow regain his wife's trust to reclaim a marriage of admiration and love? Tattered Hearts is the first book in the Mail Order Brides of Spring Water series of historical western romance novels. If you like suspenseful but sweet relationships, Civil War heroes, and twists you won’t see coming, then you’ll love Kathleen Ball’s tale of frontier affection. Shattered Trust- Book Two CHRISTIAN HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCE Escaping her abuser, Veronica heads for Texas as a Mail Order Bride. She brings with her an unexpected baby and hopes and prays that Max will be accepting of her child. She also hopes that she will be able to allow her husband to touch her. Max is stunned to see a secret baby but he comes through as a cowboy hero and treats her as his own. He's not sure how to react to Veronica. She is jumpy and scared. He knows it'll be a long road to teach her that some men can be trusted. Then the dead father of her baby shows up. Can they both come to the realization that both love and trust are what makes a forever type of marriage? Or will past betrayals and new secrets ruin what could have been? This is book two of the Mail Order Brides of Spring Water, a Clean, Christian, Historical, Western Romance. Glory’s Groom- Book Three Glory’s life is being turned upside down. Her comfortable daily life as a teacher at The Wigg School and Foundling Home has ended. She'd lived there all her life. How will she survive without her friends? Her future now is to travel to Texas as a Mail Order Bride and be a teacher. Glory wonders if she is good enough for Kent Sandler. Glory has never spent time with a man before and as soon as she says “I do,” Kent’s mother-in-law shows up and hands him a two year old boy he had no knowledge of and rides off. Kent never wanted to get married again. Once was one time too many. But Parker Eastman offers a bet to his three best friends. Whoever gets married first will have a house built for them and Kent wins. Trouble comes to the town of Sweet Water in the guise of hooded men who terrorize the freed slaves. Parker Eastman decides to hire the freedmen and pay them the same wage as the other cowboys. It was a time of violence and suspicion in the South.

    The well-bred Sinclair sisters find themselves unexpectedly alone in the wild, frontier town—a place where fire threatens to reduce the buildings to rubble, the working women strut the streets, rogues will gamble for the shoes on one’s feet, and God’s grace is found amongst the most unlikely of folks. Two sisters,Two missing misters,A shocking welcome to the wild west that leaves both Kat and Nell Sinclair questioning their dreams­ and the hope for true love.

    What she doesn’t know is that she is about to become a mail-order bride, too. 1881 Oregon Melissa Eversoll Burgess’s hope of a wonderful life with her first husband went up in smoke the day she married him. Not only was his abuse difficult to take, but she also learned that he was deeply involved in crime—on the very day he died. Now that they’re both widowed, Melissa and her mother are ready to start over in a place called Hope Hollow. When she is introduced to a handsome farmer and informed that she is to be his mail-order bride, she doesn’t know whether to hug him…or slap him. Garret Pearce came to Oregon three years ago to claim land and nurse a broken heart. Though he’s smitten with Melissa from their very first meeting, he’s not about to fall into that trap again. That is, until it becomes obvious she needs his protection. Entering a marriage of convenience may not have been in his plans, but now that he’s got a wife—and a pretty one at that—he realizes that keeping his heart from being torn in two is going to be the challenge of his life. One that he just might lose. Will Melissa and Garret get a second chance at love? Welcome to Hope Hollow, Oregon, a place where hope abounds for the downtrodden and weary, and where peace and love abide amidst life’s trials. ***Warning: sensitive topics such as domestic abuse and familial suicide are mentioned as past experiences for Melissa and her mother in the story, though the author has made every effort to keep the focus on the development of the main characters' relationship with each other in this sweet romance.

    Jillian and Dalton agree that theirs is a marriage of convenience-and nothing more. But when they realize their growing attraction for each other, they must decide whether to give in to their feelings and risk upsetting their new family's delicate balance.

    But a tender-hearted cowboy beckons her to stay.Abigail Jones intends to spend just one summer in middle-of-nowhere Montana with her Aunt Lucy. Time away from her job is just what Abigail needs to reassess her life. The slow pace has her breathing deeply for the first time in years. And the majestic scenery encourages her to get reacquainted with herself . . . and God.What she didn't count on was the handsome widowed cowboy who owns the ranch where her aunt lives. When the rancher loses his daughter's nanny, Abigail decides to lend a hand for the summer.Wade Ryan can't help being attracted to Abigail. But he's given up everything to protect his daughter, and he's not about to risk it all on a pretty face.Under Abigail's care, Wade's home and daughter thrive. And with Wade's touch, Abigail's heart feels at home at last. But Abigail knows this elusive rancher is hiding something. Will her own secrets separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?The Accidental BrideWhen a wedding reenactment turns real, Shay finds she’s an accidental bride.Shay Brandenberger is raising her daughter in Moose Creek, Montana, on her childhood ranch, nestled against the Yellowstone River. Despite the hard work, she can’t seem to keep her head above water—and now the bank is threatening to foreclose. She prays for a miracle, but the answer she receives is anything but expected.Having agreed to play the bride in the Founders’ Day wedding reenactment, Shay is mortified to be greeted at the end of the aisle by none other than Travis McCoy, her high-school sweetheart—the man who left her high and dry for fame and fortune on the Texas rodeo circuit.Then the unthinkable happens. Thanks to a well-meaning busybody and an absentminded preacher, the make-believe vows result in a legal marriage. But before Shay can say annulment, Travis comes up with a crazy proposal. If she refuses his offer, she may lose her home. If she accepts, she may lose her heart.Shay isn’t sure if the recent events are God’s will or just a preacher’s blunder. Will trusting her heart to the man who once shattered it be the worst mistake of her life? Or could their marriage be the best accident that ever happened?The Trouble with CowboysOnly one pair of boots—and the cowboy wearing them—can get Annie out of the mess she’s in.Annie Wilkerson is Moose Creek’s premiere horse trainer and equine columnist for Montana Living. Money is tight as she tries to put her kid-sister through college and provide for her young nephew. When Annie’s column is cancelled, she’s given first shot at a new lovelorn column—and she can’t afford to turn it down. Only problem is . . . Annie’s never been in love.Always resourceful, she reluctantly strikes a deal with the town’s smooth-talking ladies’ man Dylan Taylor: She’ll work with his ailing horse, Braveheart, if he’ll help her answer the reader letters.Working closely with Dylan is harder than Annie imagined, and she quickly realizes she may have misjudged him. But her unwavering conviction that cowboys are nothing but trouble has kept her heart safe for years. And she can’t risk getting hurt now.The more Annie tries to control things, the more they fall apart. Her feelings are spinning out of control, and her sister’s antics are making life increasingly more difficult. Annie knows she needs to turn the reins over to God, but surrender has never come easily.When Dylan reveals his feelings for her, Annie doesn’t know what to trust—her head or her heart. The trouble with this cowboy is that he might just be exactly what she needs.

    Ever since her parents died of yellow fever when she was two years old, Charlotte LeClerc has lived with her grandparents, who rarely speak of their son and his wife. They are on the verge of negotiating a contract with a suitor, a man Charlotte dreads, when they discover that she enjoys the company of Gabriel Girod, a young Creole man. Charlotte's future hangs in the balance as her grandparents consider whether to stop keeping secrets and reveal the truth that they've known since before Charlotte's birth, a truth that will make the difference between a life of obligation and a life of choice for Charlotte.

    In the process of saving the daughter of an immigrant from raiding Blackfoot Indians, Josiah decides to take the white woman as his wife. Hardened by the wilderness and his own past, the trapper wrestles against change and the gentle ways of a woman who threatens to tame his heart.Through circumstances beyond her control, Emma Perkins suddenly finds herself the wife of a wild and leathery mountain man. His rough and tumble temperament go against her upbringing, and Emma struggles to keep her faith and survive in a land where the animals, and the people, are mountain wild.This historical romance can be found at the author's website as a free read. All scripture references are from the KJV (King James Version).Word count: 235,534*** Includes a bonus "Behind the Scenes" look at each chapter ***About the AuthorJudith Bronte has been writing inspirational romance since 1998. Her novels can be found at her website, where she publishes a newly written chapter for her online work in progress on the 15th of every month. With over a million words of free romantic fiction on the Internet, she's read monthly by thousands of returning readers.Love stories have long been Judith's passion. She loves to capture the dynamics of a romantic relationship, and the challenge of bringing two people together from different backgrounds and finding a way to make that relationship work. Her style often follows the characters even after they marry, so readers get to see how their relationship works after the I-do's. There's always lots of dialogue, as Judith loves to bring the drama home to the reader, through the characters, themselves.

    The only problem is, he disappeared into America’s West. With only her personal maid, Elise Finster, as determined chaperone, Anne embarks upon a quest to find David Stone. First stop, St. Louis, where the ladies discover their quarry went farther west five years ago. Resolute in their mission, Anne and Elise join a wagon train to Oregon. But will their prairie adventure turn into a Wild West nightmare? Scout Eb Bentley, initially skeptical that the women can survive the journey, soon finds himself falling for the determined, charming, beautiful Elise. Can he keep her alive long enough to win her love? Or will the ladies succumb to the rigors, ruffians, and rustlers along the trail?

    Men join the military to defend the frontier, while their women support them - striving to keep families together no matter what the hardship. Only after she agrees to marry another man does Sarah Montgomery realize her fiance was not killed in the Civil War. Fort Laramie is Where Leads the Heart, but does love still await her? Abandoned and pregnant, Emmie Croftner leaves her gossip-filled hometown, seeking refuge with old friends on the Plains of Promise. Can a gentle lieutenant convince her that all men are not the same? For Jessica DuBois, privileged daughter of an army officer, The Heart Answers only to money and male attention. But when her world changes, can she prove herself a woman of substance - worthy of a righteous man's notice? Thanks to her sister's meddling, Bessie Randall discovers that she is now married by proxy to Jasper Mendenhall. Shocked, Bessie travels to Fort Bridger to learn To Love a Stranger - and experiences the surprising things God has in store for them both. Discover love, faith, and adventure in the forts of frontier Wyoming.

    He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.Charlotte Atherton, former headmistress of Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the orphaned girl entrusted to her care. Charlotte promised Lily’s mother she’d keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.When Miss Atherton produces documentation that shows her to be Lily’s legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything he’s been led to believe. Is she villain or victim? Then a new danger forces Charlotte to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone vows to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he’s ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte’s heart.

    Because of the pain of her past mistakes, she has taken on a shy personality to protect her heart. When her father remarries and sends her away, she goes to Prescott, the town where her only friend lives. She never expected she would end up working for such an attractive business man. As her heart begins to hope for the future, she must keep her past from destroying it.After years of supporting his mother and siblings, Paul Lancaster now has his independence. He splits his time between his placer mine and the boardinghouse he built for his mother. When a spinster comes to town to visit a friend, he wonders if she could be the love he has waited so long to find. In the midst of it all, his life turns upside down and he stands to lose both of his businesses.Will the secrets of their pasts keep them from finding the hidden prospect of new love?

    Six historical romance novellas set in the Old West. WRITTEN IN HER HEART, a charming novella by Stacy Henrie, Georgeanna is getting desperate. She can’t fund her favorite orphanage unless she marries and secures the rest of her inheritance left by her father. But her father’s financial planner, Clay, can't understand why she's not content with her current situation. Georgie determines to send out a notice as a mail order bride to attract suitors who won’t know her financial situation. Little does she know, Clay takes up the pen and sends her letters of his own under an assumed name. After years of working for Georgie’s father, Clay realizes he isn’t ready to watch her marry another, not when his heart is already claimed by her.In Kristin Holt’s delightful novella WANTED: MIDWIFE BRIDE Dr. Naomi Thornton thinks she has it all: a beautiful house, a loving husband, and a fulfilling career. But when everything she holds dear is ripped away, Naomi has no choice but to start over. What will she find in the wild and untamed Wyoming Territory? Dr. Joe Chandler has waited years for a wife with the knowledge, skills, and tender heart he yearns for in a medical colleague and lifetime companion. When a midwife arrives with more expertise and secrets than he counted on, Joe quickly discovers there’s more to love and marriage than a simple mail order contract. In THE SOUND OF HOME, a captivating novella by Annette Lyon, Marilyn is given the choice of either marrying the despicable Victor or being charged with a murder she didn’t commit. Refusing to believe that either is her fate, she finds a third option: she answers a mail order bride advertisement and boards a train to Wyoming to wed a man named Harry. Moments after her arrival, she learns that Harry isn’t who he seemed to be, and the advertisement turns out to be a giant mistake. Harry’s brother Thomas agrees to let her stay until she can figure out what to do next—after all, she simply cannot return to New York—but Marilyn quickly finds herself developing feelings for Thomas.In Sarah M. Eden’s endearing novella FOR BETTER OR WORSE Gerald Smith, on the advice of his well-meaning neighbors, has decided it’s time to change his lonely existence. Mary Hill, on the advice of her empty pocketbook and non-existent roof over her head, has decided it’s time to secure herself a future. A mail-order marriage, they both realize, is no guarantee of happiness, but it is a risk they are willing to take. However, coming face to face on the train platform, the hapless couple discovers an unexpected truth: marriage to a perfect stranger is sometimes far preferable to the prospect of a lifetime with someone you used to know.Heather B. Moore’s sweet novella THE INCONVENIENT BRIDE sees Carmela traveling from Boston to Colorado, eager to meet the man she’s been corresponding with and will soon marry. Her brother’s new marriage leaves little room for Carmela in her old life. Upon arrival in Leadville, she faces a rude awakening, and the only one who can understand her predicament is her fiance’s brother, Samuel. But Samuel can’t possibly help her out of an awkward situation, can he? It would be better for all if she returns immediately to Boston and pretends she never traveled to Colorado in the first place.THE PRICE OF SILVER, an engaging novella by Siân Ann Bessey, Katie leaves New York for Idaho to marry Jake, a man she’s written to a couple of times. But when she steps off the train, his brother Caleb is there to greet her. Jake has gone to take a mining job he couldn’t pass up. Caleb takes Katie back to the family ranch to wait for Jake’s return. The more Caleb gets to know Katie, the more he envies his brother, but he can’t let his heart overrule his head unless Jake changes his mind about his intended bride.

    Her brother, Asa is dead — killed by the King’s army, so when she stumbles across a wounded British soldier, her sense of right and wrong is challenged. Should she help a soldier of the enemy who took her brother’s life, or let him die, cold and alone?The war has also broken British soldier Daniel Lowe’s spirit. A severely wounded prisoner of war, he escaped his rebel captors while on a death march to Boston. As the pain in his injured leg worsens, he wonders if the young woman looking down at him is an angel or the enemy.Need and compassion bring these two young lives together, but will the bitterness of war keep them apart? Or can they find their way to love and forgiveness on the Road to Deer Run?

    Life on the frontier can't be worse than forced wedlock to pay her father's gambling debts. But Ted Logan's rustic lifestyle and rambunctious children prove to be more of a challenge than Elizabeth expects. She doesn't know how to be a mother or a wife. She doesn't even know how to tell Ted the truth about her past--especially as her feelings for him grow. Little does she know, Ted's hiding secrets of his own, and when their pasts collide, there's more than one heart at stake.

    The "tobacco brides" would be on board--eligible women seeking a better life in America, bartered for with barrels of tobacco from the fields.Drew O'Connor isn't stirred by news of a ship full of brides. Still broken-hearted from the loss of his beloved, he only wants a maid to tend his house and care for his young sister.What he ends up with is a wife—a feisty redhead who claims she is Lady Constance Morrow, daughter of an Earl, brought to America against her will. And she wants to go straight back to England as soon as she can. She hasn't the foggiest notion how to cook, dares to argue with her poor husband, and spends more time working on mathematical equations than housework. What kind of a wife is that? Drew's Christian forbearance is in for some testing.Headstrong and intelligent, deeply moral but incredibly enticing, Constance turns what was supposed to be a marriage of convenience into something most inconvenient, indeed.