Book picks similar to
McCade's Way by Mara McBain
historical
mail-order-bride
historical-romance
western
The Texan's Wager
Jodi Thomas - 2002
But still, she can't help thinking that something about this strong, silent farmer could be the key to leaving her troubled past behind...and making a worthy wager with her heart.
Duncan's Bride
Linda Howard - 1990
Someone to have children with, someone to help rebuild his ranch, someone uncomplicated, and very different from his first wife, the woman who'd destroyed his life. Now he had Madelyn--sophisticated, citified, willing to herd cattle, keep house and start a family. The only thing she asked for in return was love--one thing Reese couldn't guarantee.
Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold
Ellen O'Connell - 2010
Anne Wells has embarrassed her rigidly proper family since she was a child with occasional but grievous lapses from ladylike behavior. They blame those lapses for the disgraceful fact that she is a spinster at 28. Cord Bennett, the son of his father's second marriage to a Cheyenne woman, is more than an embarrassment to his well-to-do family of ranchers and lawyers - they are ashamed and afraid of their black sheep. When Anne and Cord are found alone together, her father's fury leads to violence. Cord's family is more than willing to believe that the fault is his. Can Anne and Cord use the freedom of being condemned for sins they didn't commit to make a life together? Or will their disapproving, interfering families tear them apart?
Tender Is the Storm
Johanna Lindsey - 1985
So she heads west across a vast and dangerous land -- with no intention of honoring her agreement to become the mail-order bride of a rugged Arizona rancher.But Lucas Holt needs a wife -- any wife -- if his plan to destroy his most hated enemy is to succeed. And this gullible Eastern lady would do quite nicely. However, their separate schemes to use one another are complicated by raw, aching passion. For Lucas's beautiful, unsuspecting pawn was not supposed to be so irresistible alluring. And freedom-loving Sharisse never dreamed she could ever desire one man so much!
Heartbreak Creek
Kaki Warner - 2011
Edwina Ladoux hoped becoming a mail-order bride would be her way to a better life, but as soon as she arrives in Breakheart, Colorado, and meets Declan Brodie and his four rambunctious children, she realizes she's made a mistake. Luckily, Edwina and Declan agreed on a three- month courtship period, which should give them time to get the proxy marriage annulled. Except that as the weeks pass, thoughts of annulment turn into hopes for a real marriage-until Declan's first wife suddenly returns.
Lassoing the Virgin Mail-Order Bride
Alexa Riley - 2016
She was the mail-order bride of the owner, and she was to fulfill her duties. Clean the house, cook for his men, and warm his bed at night. What she didn't expect was the beefy cowboy who walked in and literally swept her off her feet. Cash McCallister didn't have time to date and find a wife. So a mail-order bride seemed the easiest way to find a partner. He thought he'd made a mistake until he laid eyes on the little piece of sunshine that lit up his life. He never imagined a true love like this. He never knew an obsession could take hold so tightly. When drama hits the farm and their fast love is threatened, can Clare and Cash hold it together? Warning: This is literally as cliché as it sounds...and just as awesome. It's a country living with high-calorie foods and easy sunsets. Come sit on the porch and stay awhile. You'll like what you see.
Texas Destiny
Lorraine Heath - 1997
The tall cowboy at the station wasn't Dallas. He was Houston, Dallas's brother, sent to escort her on the rugged three-week trek to the ranch where Dallas waited. Brought up in war-ravaged Georgia, Amelia thought Dallas's letters made Texas sound like heaven, a place for her dreams to grow with the right man beside her.And his only love...By all appearances, Houston Leigh would hardly be considered the "right man." The war he survived had scarred him inside and out, and he was little competition for his handsome brother. But from the moment Houston met Amelia, he knew she possessed the courage this wild land needed. She had eyes that could see past his wounded face to his soul. And he would fight any man—except his brother—for her heart. Now he and Amelia were riding down dangerous trails, sleeping under the stars, and God help them, they were falling in love.
Promises Linger
Sarah McCarty - 2004
Asa dreams of a place of his own, a wife, and the respect that comes with both. Marrying Elizabeth may have started as a means to an end, but nothing in Asa's wildest dreams prepares him for the excitement of unleashing the carnal woman beneath his wife's prim and proper exterior.
High Country Bride
Linda Lael Miller - 2002
Three sons. Only one will inherit...and on one condition. Tired of waiting for his sons to settle down, Arizona-territory rancher Angus McKettrick announces a competition: the first son to marry and produce a grandchild will inherit Triple M ranch. Now, three distinctly different, equally determined cowboys are searching high and low for brides. If Emmeline Harding knows one thing, it's that she can't hold her liquor. And though she's not sure how she came to wake up next to a stack of gold coins in a brothel, she fears the worst. Fleeing town as a mail-order bride, she wonders: how will she ever confess her past to her handsome new husband? Freedom-loving Rafe McKettrick is a man of strong beliefs and stronger passions and he'll do anything to win the Triple M—even marry a stranger. To his surprise, Emmeline's charms beguile him even as the secrets he senses she's hiding ignite jealousy and suspicion. But when a visitor from the past enters the high country, the newlyweds have no choice but to give up on a marriage in name only and seek a union that satisfies them body and soul.
A Taste Of Heaven
Alexis Harrington - 1996
Instead she learned that she has been duped again by the cowboy who made her his mail-order bride. He died, leaving her with no money, nowhere to go, and no resources but her own ingenuity. Then she learned about the Lodestar Ranch and its owner, Tyler Hollins.Besides a lifetime of painful memories, Tyler had his hands full with immediate problems. Half his cattle were lost during the worst winter on record and his cowhands were about to quit if he couldn’t find a decent cook. Libby Ross fit the bill. She had never seen a man so attractive with such a sour disposition. But she sensed desire behind the wall Ty erected to keep everyone at a distance . . . a wanting so fierce it nearly broke her heart.They locked horns from the outset, but they could fight each other, or fight together to see their dreams come true . . .
Prince Charming
Julie Garwood - 1994
Now dear Esther -- one of London's richest and most formidable matriarchs -- lies dying. But first she was going to help Taylor pull off the scam of the season.To escape becoming a ward of her unscrupulous uncle, Taylor would wed Lucas Ross, a rugged American rancher. Lady Esther's money would enable Ross to return home to Montana. Taylor had her own urgent reason to go to America...a precious legacy she hadn't revealed to Ross, for they had agreed to part ways once they reached Boston. But as her handsome new husband spoke of life in Montana, Taylor began planning a new future. To Taylor, the wide-open spaces of Montana sounded like paradise....
Morning Comes Softly
Debbie Macomber - 1993
Never before has she done anything so reckless, casting the only life she knows aside to travel to a strange place and marry a man she's never met. But something about this man calls to her—and she knows this may be her very last chance at happiness.Tragedy made Travis Thompson the guardian of three orphaned children—and determination leads him to do whatever it takes to keep the kids out of foster homes. When he decides to take a long shot on a personals ad, the results are surprising, and before he knows it, he has agreed to marry a mysterious Southern woman sight unseen.It could be the mistake of a lifetime. But Mary Warner may be exactly what this broken family needs. And with a little faith, a little trust, and a lot of love, two lonely hearts might just discover the true meaning of miracles.
Freight Trained
Sarah Curtis - 2016
Years of dedication and an I don't give a f*ck attitude turned him into a champion. Then tragedy changed the course of his life once more.Buying a ranch on the outskirts of a small town, he planned to spend the rest of his days training horses, removed from society and the temptation of letting anyone close.And then he saw her. Tired of substitute teaching and unable to afford to move from her parents home, Abigail O'Neal jumped at the chance to start a new life away from the big city in the small town of Jasper Falls.Shy and socially awkward, she wanted the chance to be a different version of herself. But breaking out of her shell turned out to be harder than she thought.Until she met him. Who knew Abby's resemblance to a dead woman would make her the target of someone's sinister deeds.Can a hardened cowboy and a shy little mouse beat the odds, preventing tragedy from striking again? ***This is a full-length, standalone, steamy contemporary romance with a HEA. Due to sex and language, it is recommended for persons over 18.***
The Sheriff and the Innocent Housekeeper
Lynda Chance - 2011
Mesmerized immediately with his raw masculinity and sinewy strength, her fascination turns to love as the years pass and his honest integrity is revealed. Jake Cooper manages to ignore his pretty, little orphaned housekeeper for three long years. But when she begins a subtle metamorphosis from girl to woman, he can’t control his consuming need for her any longer. It has been his job to protect the town all these years, but who will protect her from him? Excerpt: Becky clutched the plate to her mid-section, standing as still as a rabbit caught in a predators sight, when she saw the way he stood at the door, watching her. Her hands began the all too familiar shaking, and she heard a roaring sound in her ears and a crashing, splintering noise at her feet. She looked down at the broken plate and in her confusion quickly bent down to retrieve it. A sharp pain in her hand jerked her upright again. The spell was broken when his deep voice intruded on her consciousness. “Goddammit!” Becky stood immobile as he pushed off the door and was quickly upon her. He picked up her hand in his. “Becky, what the hell?” She looked down at his hands holding hers and saw a stream of blood running from a cut on her finger. She realized she had compounded her mistake by cutting her finger. The plate was in shards on the floor. She knew those plates had belonged to his mother. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sheriff.” He pulled her to the kitchen and his large body crowded her against the counter as he held her hand where it was bleeding. His arms wrapped around her from behind, his chest pressed into her back as he held her bleeding finger in the pail of cold water. The water turned pink as she tried not to faint. His mouth moved to her ear. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” He growled the words in her ear. His warm breath caressed her face. “I’m sorry about your m-mother’s china.” Her voice wobbled from the impact of his nearness. He reached around and tugged her chin up and around so he could look into her eyes. “You know this isn’t about the goddamn china, don’t you, Becky?”
Cinders' Bride
Kathleen Ball - 2015
Instead, her intended is a saloonkeeper. Her refusal to marry enrages John Hardy and he slices her cheek with a knife so no other man would want her. She runs into the street and no one helps her until blond, blue eyed Cinders rescues her. Sexy, rancher Cinders saves Shannon and offers her a job. To protect her reputation he must marry her. They both agree it’s a marriage of convenience. He admires her spunk and willingness to learn everything about surviving the Texas frontier. He waits for her to ask to go home but she never does. They learn a lot about each other through, stolen horses, Indian troubles, a cattle drive and the busybodies of the town. Their attraction for each other grows, but can they learn to trust enough to love? Join me in Asherville, Texas and see how this love story unfolds.