A Highwayman’s Mail Order Bride When Melissa married John Carter because her family couldn’t afford to feed her, she had no idea of the cruelty of the man. After seeing an ad in the paper for paid passage westward, she answers the ad in the hopes to use the ticket to escape. She gets on a coach from Boston, heading west, with no money, and needing a roof over her head. A stagecoach robbery is a deterrent she did not count on, nor need. A Rancher’s Pretend Mail Order Bride Rancher Mark Furnish is in a bind. His ranch is losing money, the banks have turned him down, and his wealthy grandfather back east is refusing to fund the venture anymore unless Mark has a wife. The mail order bride that was supposed to be his has now become his foreman’s wife. The mail order bride thing didn’t work out so well for this sexy cowboy rancher. Who says the second time will be a success? A Rancher’s Surprise Mail Order Bride Rancher Ryan Belton’s looking forward to his sister’s nuptials. Poor Ryan has no idea that Abigail, the friend his sister’s invited to the wedding, is a mail order bride. When he finds out and pushes her out of his life, she has no option but to find a position wherever she can. When he finds her walking into the saloon, he realizes she will be a fallen woman and it’s all his fault. How can he convince this hardheaded proud woman that she doesn’t belong in a saloon? A Foreman’s Unplanned Bride Foreman Lewis Sutton’s been like a son to Richard Reed. Except he’s not his son. So when Richard dies and Lewis has to contact his estranged daughters to come claim the ranch that Lewis loves, he’s left with a bitter taste in his mouth. Molly Reed’s got a good life in Baltimore. She’s just taken a position that she’s been pursuing for what seems like forever. A journalist spot. She’s been trying to get that job for so long, and she’s written her heart out to get it. Now she has to leave? The Sheriff’s Fugitive Bride Phoebe Reed made the mistake of going into town and running into a saloon girl. Or maybe it was lying about the stolen wallet the saloon girl slipped her. A series of mistakes have left her in hot water with the town’s hunky sheriff, Rance Connelly. Rance knows this woman’s lying to him. He just can’t peg why. He also knows she’s not a saloon girl. Why won’t she tell him her name? Why won’t she confess to stealing the wallet? An Undercover Detective’s Bride Rachel Reed left Baltimore with a secret that none of her sisters are aware of. A secret so sinister she fears that drastic means need to be taken to protect herself and the ones she loves. She’d hoped she’d left the secret behind in Baltimore, until one fateful day a presence on the streets of Carson City brings the whole matter full circle. Mason Murphy’s on a mission to protect a witness from a group of criminals with one intent—leave no witnesses. An Inconvenient Bride Kidnapped and held for ransom, Holly Reed escapes and makes a run for it. Half Indian, half Scottish, Roan MacIntosh’s just another mountain man. One who wants to be left alone. He doesn’t want company, especially not some yappy female he saves from a blizzard. He also doesn’t need anyone. Until he’s got new set of unexpected visitors. A Bargain for a Bride Cate Reed has one ambition. One dream. One goal. A theatre in Carson City. How can they not have one? So uncivilized. This dream of hers goes against the grain of her sisters, and it seems ,of most polite society. Polite society be damned, Cate Reed’s going to get her theatre, come hell or high water. Or a man who has a bargain. Cate Reed’s made a deal with a devil. A devilishly handsome stranger named Landon Jenkins.

A Bride’s Deception When Uncle Gabriel dies, Sadie Salinger and her sisters find themselves owning a detective agency. Complete with a case ready to go. Adelaide’s come up with an idea. Masquerading as a madame and a lady of the night. Sadie’s the one who has the gumption to pull off the ruse, so it’s settled. She and Adelaide will go to a mining town to solve the mystery Uncle Gabriel left behind. Larson Donaldson’s not a lawman anymore, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to eat. Of course, he does, so he gets himself a job as private security for a madame and her sportin’ woman. He’s never had a job quite like this one. Then again, he’s never met a woman quite like Sadie Salinger. Things seem fine until an attempt is made on their lives. That’s when he determines he needs to know the truth. He can’t protect the women when he doesn’t know what in creation’s name they're actually doing in this mining town. The Man on The Docks Cody Carson’s twin brother, Abner, has been murdered. Cody’s trust in the local law to solve the crime is not panning out. He feels the need to find an investigator himself. So he turns to Adelaide Salinger and her sisters, who run a private detective agency, the only one in Sacramento, California in 1849 that is run by women. Can he trust them to solve a mystery that is so close to his heart? The case twists and turns. Cody and Adelaide break laws to find answers. Adelaide wasn’t looking for love. She’s been an independent woman all her life. The oldest of her sisters, she’s the one they rely on, and yes, truth be told, she did give up on marriage long ago. Cody brings out feelings in her heart that she thought would never come to life. Now she has a decision to make. Can she let her heart lead her to love? It doesn’t take long for Adelaide and Daniel to discover their feelings are mutual and true. Can they solve the mystery without getting in their own way, distracted by their feelings for each other? Will Daniel find justice for his brother with the help of Adelaide and her sisters? Or will danger bring disaster for him, the sisters, and the detective agency? Love on a Train Although Josie Salinger has been working with her sisters, Adelaide, Sadie, and Belinda at the private investigation agency their uncle left to them, she had never played a major role in any of their cases. She has always preferred to stay out of the spotlight. In 1849, it wasn’t common for women to do such jobs. Her sisters object to that opinion and push her to begin a new journey. Little does Josie know that when she opened the door to Taylor Jameson that crisp fall day, she was about to begin the adventure of a lifetime. Taylor Jameson has been receiving threatening letters. The letters started three months after the murder of his wife, an unsolved case that seemed to be getting nowhere. The lawmen in charge of the case see no correlation between the letters and the murder and therefore will not investigate further into it. The most recent letter was the last straw and Taylor decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Would consulting an all-female detective agency be the right move? Despite popular opinion of the time, Taylor decides to take a chance on the women. Little do Josie and Taylor know that the case that draws them together is just the beginning of a bright future as the two fall in love, bonding through the danger and fear. Will the murderers catch up to them before they have a chance to express how they feel? Or will they triumph and love each other till the very end? Bride in Disguise Belinda Salinger was the last sister of four to find love. She wasn’t really looking and had a mind it would happen when it was supposed to. On the day her sisters all leave with their beaus, she realizes how lonely she will really be. Is she destined to spend the rest of her life running the private investigating agency the sisters’ uncle left to them? Lionel Calverson, the son of the mayor of Josephson County, very near Sacramento, arrives that very day unexpectedly. He is in need of help and heard the Wagon Wheel Justice Agency was run by professionals – even though they were all women. In 1850, that wasn’t commonly accepted. Lionel enlists Bonnie’s help to solve a mystery of cattle rustling and sabotage that surrounded his best friend, Dwight Barnes. Together, they work through the clues to find out who is responsible for the crimes and clear Dwight’s good name. Despite complications and obstacles, the two diligently work together and realize at the end of their adventure that they were destined to be together.

An Unexpected Mail Order Bride Theresa Baldwin’s bored with the boys paraded before her to pick from. She wants a man. Not some silly boy who plays pranks. She’s not one to wait for life to come to her. She’ll seize it by the horns. And she does just that, ending up in the wild west with nothing but her money and her companion. Nate Winchester and his two boys were abandoned by his wife. She simply up and left them. Who does that? Now, Nate’s had to figure out how to be mother and father to his sons. Lucky for him, he’s got siblings who have helped him. But that’s not enough. Children need a mama. When his sister comes up with a plan for getting him a bride, he’s not interested. Yet, his sister Melissa is persistent. Lo and behold, here comes Theresa Baldwin. A ray of sunshine in his otherwise bleak life. Theresa has no idea that her appearance has been orchestrated by Nate’s sister. She’s thrilled to have found this woodworking, ranching man’s man in the wild west. Until she learns the truth… A Bride's Dilemma Melissa Winchester’s happily engaged to Jonah Bell. Life should be perfect for this youngest of the Winchester Clan of Shady Forks, Wyoming, shouldn’t it? Until Jonah starts acting weird. Then gets into public fighting. Then gets arrested. Then gets killed. Of course, Melissa’s seen his downhill trend over the last few months and things have changed drastically between her and her betrothed. Now Melissa’s the number one suspect in his murder. The handsome new sheriff in town believes she’s responsible for killing Jonah. Her? Her! Melissa Winchester’s no murderer. What’s it going to take to convince this sheriff otherwise? The Mail Order Bride's Promise Aileen Riley’s not sure she belongs at Shady Forks any longer. Sure, she loves the kids. She loves being a nanny. And Theresa’s still her best friend, but… So, what’s a gal to do when she needs to leave? She takes a page from Theresa’s book and answers an advertisement for a mail order bride. She doesn’t expect to find herself married under suspicious circumstances. She doesn’t expect to find a lot of things. And yet she does. Now she’s missing the Winchesters, she’s in danger, and she’s scared for her life. Donald Ferris isn’t the type who likes to be deceitful, but when his boss asks him to perpetrate a deception on a young woman who’s answered a mail order bride ad, well, a fella can’t say no, can he? No, Donald can’t. Not to the man who’s been almost like a father to him for the last decade. So he goes on with the charade, hating himself for it. And then really hating himself after he meets the lovely Aileen. Now Donald’s in a jam. Can he tell her the truth? Would she forgive him? The Stranger in the Storm Richard Corcoran’s been a ranch hand all his adult life. He loves his life. Positively loves it. Except, something’s missing. He knows what’s missing, but he just doesn’t know what to do to get it into his life. Tracy’s holding a secret. One she can’t afford to have come out. She’s got to protect her son from the cold, cruel world. Unfortunately, that same cold, cruel world took her son. She thinks she’s keeping her secret quite well. Until a stranger knocks on her door in the middle of a storm.

A Mail Order Bride for the Rancher Isabelle Lawton is ready for adventure. After a life of comfort, taken care of by her aunt and uncle after the deaths of her own parents, Isabelle is sought after by the most eligible bachelor in town, the mayor’s son. Unfortunately, she isn’t interested. What can she do to change her fate without angering the mayor and half the town? When Jeremiah Connelly’s beloved father dies, he expects he has inherited the ranch and is next in line for this fate. This proves to be true—with one stipulation. Jeremiah has to get married within three months of the reading of the will. Bewildered by this odd request by his father, Jeremiah doesn’t know where to turn. Then he spies a magazine and decides to place an ad. A Mail Order Bride for the Bounty Hunter In the late 1800s, Hendricks Potter and his partner, Denver, have been searching for a notorious outlaw, a robber and a murderer. They are forced to split up, each taking a different route when the outlaw disappears at a supposed fork in the road. Will he be the one to stumble on the brigand or will Denver, who has traveled to the large city of Richmond, Wyoming? After Hendricks discovers the criminal in a bar, he chases him to the town of Low Branch but once again, as he is known to do, Kelsey disappears. Henry has been injured in their last encounter and is forced to seek help from a stranger, a woman living in a cottage with a barn perfect for hiding in. Bridget Watson has troubles of her own. She has fled from her home to live in Low Branch where her close family friend Jeremiah and his wife live Jeremiah fits Bridget with a home and offers her assistance as she decides what to do with her life being away from home with only the support of her cousin. Rumors spread about her through the town, which disturb her. But when Hendricks comes into her life, the humiliating rumors are no longer important to her. Making sure Hendricks is safe is her only priority. A Mail Order Bride for the Lawman In Low Branch, Texas, crime is low and community spirit is high. Denver Blanchett has been working as a bounty hunter for so long, he doesn’t know anything else. Two years after his partner and best friend, Hendricks Potter, decides to call it quits and find a woman to marry, Denver comes to the same conclusion. He has only known travel and outlaws. He wants the softness and peace of a woman by his side. So when he returns to Low Branch to visit Henry, he wonders if it is time to make the big change. Marti Williams lives a few hours from Low Branch in Southern Pines with her father and older sister. She has two more sisters who have married and moved away from home. As the last daughter without the prospect of marriage, Marti’s father is anxious for her to leave the nest. But can she find someone before her father runs out of patience? A frightening incident pushes Marti to make a move sooner than she thought and she runs to Low Branch fearful of her father. Denver finds a frightened woman, smaller and weaker than he’d expected from the letters he’d received from Marti when she comes to Low Branch to meet him. A Mail Order Bride for the Nomad Ginny Fairway didn’t have a typical childhood. Her father, Arnold Fairway, was a criminal, a known thief, and a murderer. When she reaches the age of understanding, Ginny realizes what her father has had her involved in all her life and runs away from that life. She joins up with Jasper Connelly, who is acting as a bounty hunter, and Fairway is his target. They grow to trust each other and fall in love. But when Ginny is shot, and Arnold rides off with her on the back of his horse, Jasper pursues to no avail. He loses his woman and the man who took her in the blink of an eye. Will he ever see his love again?

A Socialite’s Abduction Mattie Holbrook has an easy life. She lives with her brother and sister in Bighorn, Texas, where her father works as a judge, a man known for his fairness in dealing with outlaws and criminals, doling out justice that suited almost everyone involved. When her socialite sister is abducted at a party thrown in his honor, instead of telling her parents what’s happened, Mattie sets off on a journey of her own, accompanied by her loving and devoted brother Franklin to find their stolen sister. Dylan Sullivan and his business partner, Luke Turner, are just trying to find the money to start their own magazine for men, espousing all the wonderful traits of men while exploring why the female of the species is so inept. It doesn’t take long after he meets Mattie Holbrook for Daniel to begin to question his chauvinistic ways. Dylan and Luke join Mattie and Franklin in the search for Lauren, at time confused to be dealing with bandits that seem to change their plans frequently – if they have plans at all. Dylan suspects they are making things up as they go along, with no real end in sight. Will he and Mattie rescue Lauren without coming up against each other in conflicts of their beliefs? Or will love win the day, creating a different world for everyone involved? A Bride’s Edition Isabella’s an Italian beauty that’s determined to make a go of it in this new wild country called America. She and her brother take a boat and make their way to Texas. Texas! She doesn’t plan to deceive the man who hired her by penning a letter to him under the guise of a mail order bride and she prays he will forgive her. Luke Turner love his job, managing a magazine he owns with his best friend. He loves his life. He’s not lonely, but he’s definitely alone and it hits home when he watches his best friend Dylan with his new wife. Luckily, a beautiful Italian belle has made her way to their town and has agreed to work in the magazine’s office. His wonders if his head will be turned when he gets correspondence from an interested lady? The Runaway Bride Alistair’s life is almost completely perfect. He’s got the ideal job, in the ideal town. He’s only missing one thing. A wife. That would complete his life and make it perfect. He reaches out to his friends Luke and Dylan who have a magazine and they help him compose an advertisement for a bride. Lo and behold, he’s pleasantly surprised when a lady from Virginia responds. He’s even more surprised when she appears—practically on his doorstep—ahead of schedule and darned near with no notice. Lydia’s got a problem. A huge one that has a heavy hand and a short temper. So what’s she to do? She leaves town and heads toward the man she’s been corresponding with. A man who’s captured her heart with his words. She didn’t plan to arrive early and without much notice, but with her life at stake, what else can a woman do? Now what’s she going to do when Alistair starts to ask the hard questions? The ones she is loath to answer. A Bride for the Ranch Hand Sophia loves Bighorn. She loves her job as a nanny. Her life is complete. Except… She’s not getting any younger and she’d like to settle down. Particularly with a certain ranch hand she’s got her eye on. Owen fancies Sophia. She makes his heart beat a little faster. Oh, who is he kidding. She makes it race. He’s so excited that he will spend the evening escorting her to the party at the ranch. It all seems fine until catastrophe strikes. Will a calamity force these two apart or will it bring them together?

An Orphan Bride Annabelle Gates lost her parents at the age of fourteen. Without any possessions left after her house burned to the ground, Annabelle was sent to an orphanage in her hometown of Cedarville, Nevada. At eighteen, she would be sent out to work and make a living for herself unless she found a husband before then. Ira Knox didn’t have a typical childhood either. After the death of his mother, his father would eventually abandon him to work out his room and board for the Fortescues, an older couple very popular in the town of Deepwater, Texas. He doesn’t suspect his life will change when he picks up the new maid, Annabelle, from the train station. But it is about to. A Widower's Bride Delfinia Yates has just arrived from Cedarville, Tennessee, to work for a man who lost his wife to the illness the year before, leaving him with two small children to care for. Delfinia is thrilled to get away from the orphanage where she spent most of her life and excited for the adventure of life she sees ahead of her. Keith Hall was deeply devoted to his wife, Laura, before her death. In the year since, he has not been able to get himself back together. Aware that he’s failing his children and ruining his own life, Keith struggles to find new purpose, something to put his feet back firmly on the ground. A Deputy’s Bride Henrietta O’Malley has turned eighteen. It’s time for her to leave her home at the orphanage, the only home she’s really ever known. What will she do without the stability of her mentor and guide, Mrs. Saunders? Henri knows she has to leave and follows in the footsteps of her two friends, Annabelle and Delfinia, who traveled to their sister town of Deepwater, Texas to find work and husbands. She prays for the best but fears the worst, as she is a shy, withdrawn type of young woman. Will she ever find a man who can draw out the woman inside? A Mail Order Bride for the Brother Sue Cayden is the last of her friends to leave the orphanage in Cedarville, Nevada, heading to Deepwater, Texas for her eighteenth birthday. She hopes to find love, safety and happiness in the same town her three friends came to during the year before. Her birthday proves to bring to a close the quartet of friends coming to Deepwater to make their lives. Will she find what she’s looking for? Fred Louis is the wealthy son of the mayor and an all-around fun gentleman. Despite his upbeat nature and positive outlook, the woman he hoped to marry from boyhood lead him to the altar only to abandon him when he proposed for her hand in marriage, destroying his heart. It’s been two years and his brother, Ryan, has lost patience with his good-natured brother. He writes to Sue, who he knows is coming to Deepwater, posing as his brother and asking her to allow him to court her once she arrives. All without Fred knowing. How will his brother react? Will he reject Sue?

The Midwest has always been the heart of America-both its economic bellwether and the repository of its national identity. Now, in a new, globalized age, the Midwest is challenged as never before. With an influx of immigrant workers and an outpouring of manufacturing jobs, the region that defines the American self-the Lake Wobegon image of solid, hardworking farmers and factory hands-is changing at breakneck speed. As factory farms and global forces displace old ways of life, the United States is being transformed literally from the inside out. In Caught in the Middle, longtime Chicago Tribune reporter Richard C. Longworth explores the new reality of life in today's heartland and reveals what these changes mean for the region-and the country. Ranging from the manufacturing collapse that has crippled the Midwest to the biofuels revolution that may save it, and from the school districts struggling with new migrants to the Iowa meatpacking town that can't survive without them, Longworth addresses what's right and what's wrong in the region, and offers a prescription for how it must change-politically as well as economically-if it is to survive and prosper.