Part of Series
She has a list of qualifications for her groom. He doesn't measure up. But sometimes, a good man comes around. Based on a true story ... Oliver Martin is a shiftless, mischievous no-account. But he wasn’t always. Jilted at the altar, he takes nothing seriously anymore and now spends his days looking for a drink or trouble, whichever comes first. John Fowler, Oliver’s friend and business partner, spends his time trying to keep Oliver out of trouble. Tired of rescuing the young man, Fowler decides a wife might bring back the old, steady Oliver. He applies for a mail order bride for the lad—but secretly. Abigail Holt spent ten years married to a belligerent drunk. Now widowed, she’s worn out trying to make ends meet and raise her boys alone. She has decided to become a mail order bride—in her estimation, the perfect way to pick a husband—using pure logic and a rational mind. Marrying for love the first time resulted in a train wreck. She wants to find a good man who is qualified to raise her sons. Romantic entanglements will not be part of the bargain. She arrives in Jubilee Springs ready to wed Oliver—who has never heard of her. Perhaps that’s a Godsend as he clearly doesn’t meet her standards. The mail order fiasco ends Abigail’s desire to ever be a bride again, and that’s just fine with Oliver. He has no intention of ever getting his heart broken again. But love and life—and even tragedy—can’t be avoided. In fact, trying to run from them may do more harm than good …
Author
“Heather Blanton is blessed with a natural storytelling ability, an ‘old soul’ wisdom, and wide expansive heart. Her characters are vividly drawn, and in the western settings where life can be hard, over quickly, and seemingly without meaning, she reveals Larger Hands holding everyone and everything together.” MARK RICHARD, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, AMC’S HELL ON WHEELS, and PEN/ERNEST HEMINGWAY AWARD WINNER I write Christian Historical Western Romance. Yes, that often entails the use of firearms in a threatening manner. Sometimes there are fistfights. There may even be politically incorrect but historically accurate language. But also, there is always an inspirational message and strong allusions (at least) to the gospel. A former journalist, I am an avid researcher and endeavor to skillfully weave truth in among fictional story lines. I love exploring the American West, especially ghost towns and museums. I have walked parts of the Oregon Trail, ridden horses through the Rockies, climbed to the top of Independence Rock, and even held an outlaw's note in my hand. I grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina on a steady diet of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and John Wayne Westerns. My most fond childhood memory is of sitting next to my daddy, munching on popcorn, and watching Lucas McCain unload that Winchester! My daddy also taught me to shoot and, trust me, I can sew buttons on with my rifle. I can be reached several different ways: http://ladiesindefiancé.com/ https://www.facebook.com/authorheathe... https://twitter.com/heatherfblanton https://www.pinterest.com/heatherfbla... I am a proud member of Western Writers of America. My novels are all Christian Western Romance because this is the genre that lets me write about strong, pioneer women and men who struggle to find God and then live out their faith in real ways. Like good old fashioned Westerns, there is always justice, a moral message, American values, lots of high adventure, unexpected plot twists, and more than a touch of suspense. Of course, romance is always a strong element in my stories because it is such a beautiful gift from God and a perfect reflection of how he loves us: sacrificially and lavishly. My stories aren’t preachy or cheesy, but I hope they are inspirational, heart-warming, realistic, illuminating, and glorifying to God.
