She's been married, by proxy, to a man she's never met, thanks to her young siblings' meddling! Kate offers her "groom" room and board at her farm until the annulment is granted—nothing more. After all, what else could this predicament be but a blunder that needs fixing?Nathan Rutledge arrives on Kate's doorstep, seeking a fresh start—with a family that needs his help more than Kate will admit. The shadows in both their pasts will be no match for a bright new beginning. But first, he has to convince a woman frightened of love to throw caution to the Texas wind…

    Lovejoy Spencer is so determined to keep her sister from making the same mistakes she did, she almost misses her own last Chance. Hattie Thales is accepting her lot in life, while Logan Chance longs for adventure. He leaves the ranch in Reliable, California, unaware he's launching God's plan for both lives. Daisy Thales thinks she'd rather go it alone until God sends the last Chance bachelor, a rancher who has a quiet way with her son and with her heart.

    least of all handsome newcomer Gray Fuller, who opposed her efforts to offer the women of Dignity, Texas, an herbal alternative to surgery. He treated her like some quack, but April was determined to save other women from dying on the operating table, like her mother did.Gray couldn't help admiring April's spirit and good intentions. Yet he couldn't let this bluebonnet belle steal all his patients--even if she was on her way to stealing his heart.

    The dream becomes reality when her middle-aged parents and bachelor brother surprise her with the news that they want to go as well.After converting three of their best wagons to prairie schooners and thoroughly outfitting them, the little party travels from Kentucky to Kansas City, where they join a substantial wagon train. Elizabeth soon finds herself being drawn to the group’s handsome guide, Eli Kincade.The long journey and deepening relationships challenge the travelers to their core, and Eli’s mysterious past leaves Elizabeth with more questions than answers. She knows there’s no turning back, but she wonders, What have I gotten myself into?About This Series: The Homeward on the Oregon Trail series brings to life the challenges a young widow faces as she journeys west, settles her family in the Pacific Northwest, and helps create a new community among strong-willed and diverse pioneers.

     Her dream is writing. His is the perfect wife and mother. Until God fulfills them both with a dream like no other. Twelve years ago, Faith O’Connor happily gave up her dream as a copywriter to become a wife and mother, clinging to her husband’s promise she could return someday. But when the opportunity arises to write for the Boston Herald again two days a week, her dream hits a snag … along with her marriage. To Collin McGuire, family is everything because he never really had one of his own. Raised by a father who died early and a mother who didn’t care, Collin is determined to give his children the very best with a full-time mother. But when he denies Faith her dream, he soon discovers he’s denied his own as well … until Christmas day brings a healing through a gift like no other.

    Seventeen-year-old Fanny has never put much stock in the conventions of society. In fact, she has given her heart to Michael, the family boat-keeper. But when she receives a surprising inheritance, she discovers just how oppressive society can be . . . and that she may be trusting the wrong people.Dare she follow her heart and risk going against her family? What if she loses everything she's ever known? It all comes down to one choice: What does Fanny Broadmoor want her legacy to be?

    He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He's never liked Art and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick's attitude sours even more.Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons--as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day--work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

    . . The Carnton Novels   Amid war and the fading dream of the Confederacy, a wounded soldier and a destitute widow discover the true meaning of Christmas - and of sacrificial love.  Recently widowed, Aletta Prescott struggles to hold life together for herself and her six-year old son.With the bank threatening to evict, she discovers an advertisement for the Women's Relief Society auction and applies for a position - only to discover it's been filled. Then a chance meeting with a wounded soldier offers another opportunity - and friendship. But can Aletta trust this man?  Captain Jake Winston, a revered Confederate sharpshooter, suffered a head wound at the Battle of Chickamauga. When doctors deliver their diagnosis, Jake fears losing not only his greatest skill but his very identity. As he heals, Jake is ordered to assist with a local Women's Relief Society auction. He respectfully objects.Kowtowing to a bunch of "crinolines" isn't his idea of soldiering. But orders are orders, and he soon discovers this group of ladies - one, in particular - is far more than he bargained for.  Set against the backdrop and history of the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee, Christmas at Carnton is a story of hope renewed and faith restored at Christmas.

    But Oklahoma ranch life brings her more than she bargained for when she meets ranch hand Jake Starnes, a drifter who is running from his past. As her friendship with Jake grows, Lucinda faces emotions she’s never before experienced. As Jake learns more about God’s love for him, he realizes he must face his past and the consequences of his actions, even if it means he will lose the one girl he loves. Will he be able to get his life together before someone else claims her hand…or even her life?

    Clara Fields tries to escape a difficult situation by finding a bride for a storekeeper’s son, only to discover that the task is more complicated than she thought. The shotgun wedding that results from Opal Speck’s hasty confession—that Adam Grogan is the father of her unborn baby—ends up creating more problems than it solves. Gavin Miller’s mistaken proposal to the wrong cousin leads to tension when Marguerite Chandler—the wrong bride—and Daisy—the right bride—both arrive in town.

    Twice, he was engaged, and neither time led to a marriage. He finally made a choice to send for a mail-order bride, but his letter was destroyed on the way to the post office. Enough is enough, he decided. Marriage wasn’t meant for him. Or was it? Cora Barnett’s life hadn’t been an easy one. Her only living parent was a drunken, good-for-nothing Pa, who ruined all her marriage prospects. Barely surviving, she jumped at the opportunity presented to her by an aunt she hadn’t seen in years. Will the union between Eli and Cora only be a means to an end or will they find love this Christmas? Dear Reader: Please note this is a sweet and wholesome, holiday short story of forty (40) pages and has faith elements.

    The New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box and The Walk series returns with a holiday novel of hope, love, and redemption.She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her. As I begin to write, a part of me feels as if I am awakening something best left dead and buried, or at least buried. We can bury the past, but it never really dies. The experience of that winter has grown on my soul like ivy climbing the outside of a home, growing until it begins to tear and tug at the brick and mortar. I pray I can still get the story right. My memory, like my eyesight, has waned with age. Still, there are things that become clearer to me as I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have.

    But a meddling busybody makes the judge give her custody "because an unmarried man shouldn't raise a little girl." Now Jackson has until Christmas to find a bride or lose his niece forever. Larkin Doyle is grateful her employer took in the orphan and believes Jackson abandoned his niece. When her heart says otherwise, will romance blossom? Little Dutch Bride by Kelly Eileen Hake — When Jerome Sanders inherits his grandfather's farm, he vows to do whatever it takes to honor his grandfather's memory. What he didn't see coming was that it would take a bride by Christmas to earn the money! Idelia van der Zee is over the moon when a telegram arrives asking for her hand. But she balks when Jerome's motive is revealed. Will Jerome realize he wants Idelia for her own special self in time to prove his love? An English Bride Goes West by Linda Goodnight — Anxious to secure her new life in the American West, Katherine Wiltshire needs to locate her deceased father's land and get a husband by Christmas. Compelled to redeem his former life of crime, Charlie Landing must prove himself as the new sheriff and a acquire a wife. When the two find themselves engaged, can Katherine learn to trust God with her future? Will Charlies learn to trust God with his past? The Cossack Bride by Therese Stenzel — Spunky, Christian heiress Anastasia (Anna) Federov is on the run from a guardian who plans to marry her for her money. Hoping to choose her own husband before the forced Christmas wedding, Anna places a newspaper ad. Though uninterested in marriage, Kansas rancher Jace Brackett hires Anna to be his housekeeper while she searches for a suitable groom. But then the evil guardian gets wind of Anna's whereabouts.

    But with the U.S. at war and Maggie's personal home front under attack, the Southern belle impetuously joins the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). When Christmas draws near and Maggie finds herself miles and miles away from her Georgia hometown...and her beloved William...will she realize that, no matter where she spends Christmas, home is where her heart is?

    Cassidy Sinclair is alone with a niece to care for--"and extreme times call for daring measures. Tarah St. John's life changes drastically when she reaches out to two abused boys. The impetuous Laney Jenkins is determined to hold on to the reins of her destiny, regardless of any man. When Emily St. John jumps to buy the focal mercantile, she has no idea of the battle that will ensue. Can these determined women open their lives to new possibilities in faith and love?