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His Substitute Mail-Order Bride
Sherri Shackelford
Stand-In WifeRuss Halloway’s mail-order bride never boarded the bride train! In her place is recently widowed Anna Darby Linford, sister of the last woman to jilt Russ. He’s surprised to see Anna again—and stunned when he discovers she’s pregnant. Marrying Anna seems the right thing to do…especially since love continues to evade him.Anna hopes Russ will help her find employment—becoming a wife again never even crossed her mind. Yet as she struggles to start over in the small town, Anna forges a genuine connection with Russ. When secrets from her past threaten Russ’s future in politics, can they protect their family in the making?Return to Cowboy Creek: A bride train delivers the promise of new love and family to a Kansas boom town.
Stand-In Wife
Russ Halloway’s mail-order bride never boarded the bride train! In her place is recently widowed Anna Darby Linford, sister of the last woman to jilt Russ. He’s surprised to see Anna again—and stunned when he discovers she’s pregnant. Marrying Anna seems the right thing to do...especially since love continues to evade him.
Anna hopes Russ will help her find employment—becoming a wife again never even crossed her mind. Yet as she struggles to start over in the small town, Anna forges a genuine connection with Russ. When secrets from her past threaten Russ’s future in politics, can they protect their family in the making?
SHERRI SHACKELFORD is an award-winning author of inspirational books featuring ordinary people discovering extraordinary love. A reformed pessimist, Sherri has a passion for storytelling. Her books are fast-paced and heartfelt with a generous dose of humor. She loves to hear from readers at sherri@sherrishackelford.com. Visit her website at sherrishackelford.com (http://www.sherrishackelford.com).
Also By Sherri Shackelford
Love Inspired Historical
Return to Cowboy Creek
His Substitute Mail-Order Bride
Montana Courtships
Mail-Order Christmas Baby
Prairie Courtships
The Engagement Bargain
The Rancher’s Christmas Proposal
A Family for the Holidays
A Temporary Family
Cowboy Creek
Special Delivery Baby
Cowboy Creek Christmas
“Mistletoe Bride”
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
His Substitute Mail-Order Bride
Sherri Shackelford
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08439-0
HIS SUBSTITUTE MAIL-ORDER BRIDE
© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“Someone is bound to notice if we’re seen together.” Anna glanced at Russ.
“You’re far more likely to attract attention than I am.”
“Me?” She backed away, bumping into the table and toppling a bag of seeds to the floor. “No one knows me here.”
“Yet.” He knelt and reached for the bag. “There’s still time to become notorious.”
With trembling fingers, she swept the seeds. “I just want a little peace and quiet.”
He pressed his hand over her chilled fingers. “I was only trying to lighten the mood. Neither of us is likely to incite comment.”
“If you say so.”
Russ resumed sifting seeds, his thoughts troubled. The memory of the carefree girl she’d been all those years ago lingered. Surely there was something he could do to bring back that mischievous twinkle in her eyes once more? Perhaps if he knew more about her life, more about her time in Philadelphia, he’d have a better chance at avoiding potential hazards in their friendship. Five years was a long time, and a lot had obviously changed for Anna.
Not all of it for the better.
* * *
Return to Cowboy Creek: A bride train delivers the promise of new love and family to a Kansas boomtown
The Rancher Inherits a Family—Cheryl St.John, April 2018
His Substitute Mail-Order Bride—Sherri Shackelford, May 2018
Romancing the Runaway Bride—Karen Kirst, June 2018
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
—Deuteronomy 24:16
Dear Reader (#u04282e42-ccac-50d9-87ff-b4e1f18f9086),
I was fascinated to learn that a vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen contains almost a million packets of seeds, each variety an important food crop. The Global Seed Vault is an international initiative that provides protection for these valuable commodities against the challenges of natural and man-made disasters.
When Anna was collecting seeds in 1869, there were at least 285 varieties of cucumbers for her to plant. If she were gardening now, she’d have limited varieties from which to choose. While savings seeds from year to year was common, Anna was ahead of her time in post-Civil War America in cataloging the heirloom seeds for future generations. Seeking historical varieties of seeds has become a hobby for many people in recent years.
While gathering and growing different varieties of seeds is a fun and important way to remember our history, cultivating these seeds can also protect against blights. The Great Famine in Ireland was caused, in part, by heavy reliance on only one or two high-yielding types of potatoes. Cultivating genetic variety is often used as a protection against losing an entire crop to a disease.
The next time you’re at the grocery store, think about all the different varieties of fruits of vegetables!
I hope you enjoyed Anna and Russ’s story. Don’t forget to read book one of the series by Cheryl St. John, The Rancher Inherits a Family, and book three by Karen Kirst, Romancing the Runaway Bride.
I love connecting with readers and would enjoy hearing your thoughts on this story. If you’re interested in learning more about this book or others I’ve written in the Prairie Courtships series, visit my website at SherriShackelford.com (https://www.sherrishackelford.com) or reach me at sherrishackelford@gmail.com, on Facebook at Facebook/SherriShackelfordAuthor (https://Facebook.com/SherriShackelfordAuthor), on Twitter @smshackelford (https://twitter.com/smshackelford), or with regular old snail mail: PO Box 116, Elkhorn, NE 68022.
Thanks for reading!
Sherri Shackelford
To my editor on this project, Elizabeth Mazer, for working with authors all day long, and still loving her job! To the other authors in this series, Cheryl St.John and Karen Kirst, I’m humbled to be among you.
Contents
Cover (#u2c6932dc-be74-5cbe-9151-bbcd338a9101)
Back Cover Text (#ue85ed869-5667-576a-b830-6c75008ff0f3)
About the Author (#ude784c6c-2d35-5a0d-889e-5b246493d34f)
Booklist (#ud6c0764f-967c-52ec-b3b3-0ead0834e1c7)
Title Page (#uda442939-173d-5636-ab57-3b24c8c19d3d)
Copyright (#u4f8c3c6f-c9bf-536a-ba69-5bbbe929265a)
Introduction (#u30aee0f1-c661-548d-b5b4-4a518fb1299c)
Bible Verse (#ue5df8a54-f9fa-5b3e-a0f6-1bd87c044e05)
Dear Reader (#ua5a068d3-25e4-5010-a78f-b623491355b8)
Dedication (#u8fa7de6e-eefe-5430-a369-930f0899ea65)
Chapter One (#u9cdcaf9f-6887-509c-9035-475db774aa81)
Chapter Two (#u1ce5d9f0-a4a0-57da-80dc-7cae2aa62b95)
Chapter Three (#ud8e4ee80-2232-51cf-afdc-53816bc00648)
Chapter Four (#ud2a1e755-2c42-5a56-a867-f1f3da3aa558)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#u04282e42-ccac-50d9-87ff-b4e1f18f9086)
On the road to Cowboy Creek, May 1869
“Something don’t feel right,” the wagon driver declared, casting an uneasy glance over one shoulder. “I travel this road every Tuesday and Friday delivering eggs to the restaurants in Cowboy Creek. But something don’t feel right today.”
“How can you tell?” Anna Linford anchored her bonnet with one gloved hand and squinted against the sun. A narrow creek snaked beside the road with scrub brush lining the steep banks. “We haven’t seen another soul for miles.”
Everything in Kansas was exaggerated and larger than life. The sky was painfully blue, the clouds a preposterous shade of white and the horizon seemingly endless. Even the fluttering prairie grasses were an overblown hue of emerald.
“That’s why I’m worried,” said the driver, Mr. Ward. “There should be more folks traveling this time of day.”
Mr. Ward’s skeletal hands trembled on the reins. Anna’s reluctant companion was somewhere past seventy and as gnarled and bent as the old oak tree outside the window of her childhood home. Layers of wrinkles corrugated his face, rendering his expressions indecipherable. Though he’d politely refrained from smoking in her presence, the sooty odor lingered on his coat, and her stomach churned.
As they rounded the corner, the railroad tracks and what looked to be the site of a previous accident came into view. Anna sucked in a breath. Two railcars lay overturned in the ditch, their metal axels twisted. Fresh weeds growing through the blackened prairie grasses and long, muddy gashes in the hillside indicated the accident had occurred sometime in the past month. The loamy scent of freshly turned earth competed with the stench of machine oil and scorched wood.
A sudden breeze whipped her bonnet ribbons over her shoulder. “What happened here?”
“Some fool engineer took the curve too fast a month or so past.” The driver grunted. “Those last two cars have to be separated afore they can drag ’em out of the ditch. Good thing you didn’t arrive with the last bride train, or you’d have been in the ditch too. Timing is everything in life. Take this morning. Bad timing.” He chuckled at his joke. “Too bad the train left without you.”
After founding Cowboy Creek, the council realized the area needed families to flourish and grow. Since women were scarce, they sent back east for brides. Some of the women corresponded with local men before traveling west on a bride train. Others accepted a ticket paid for by the town, rather than a prospective groom, and hoped for the best. Anna’s unique circumstances had left her somewhere in the middle—there’d been a correspondence, and she was hoping for the best.
