"Ordering a wife through the mail is unnatural. Having your mother order one on your behalf is infuriating.” Asa Bailey grew up hard, on a daily diet of driving cattle, drinking coffee, and eating dust. Since his father’s premature death, the weight of the responsibility for the success of the ranch and the added pressure of his mother’s contrary and snobbish nature weighs like a millstone strapped to his neck. Disappointment from the betrayal of his childhood sweetheart has left him skittish about matters of the heart. The last thing he wants is a wife. Unfortunately, his mother thinks differently and has taken matters into her own hands. Orphaned and then abandoned in a children's home, overlooked and often judged because of her grandmother’s Cherokee heritage, Annabelle Ryan knows the pain of rejection. Desperate, she accepts the advice of her pastor and applies to a matchmaking agency. Upon receiving correspondence from a friend who recommends a potential groom willing to overlook her background, Annabelle is thrilled. Ignoring the warning that her husband-to-be’s responsibilities include caring for a meddlesome and snobbish mother, she accepts the invitation and heads west. “One of the blessings of growing up in an orphanage is learning resilience. I’ve survived measles, a yellow fever epidemic, hunger, and abandonment; any trouble that might come from a meddlesome mother-in-law won't amount to a hill of beans.” An overworked rancher weighed down by the responsibilities of his family, A teacher of Cherokee descent longing for acceptance and love. Could her sunny disposition be the spark of hope that melts his stubborn resolve, ignites their love, and brings the acceptance Annabelle longs for? Or will their budding relationship be sabotaged by his meddling mother and her snobbish ways? More about The Matchmaker and the Mother-in-Law Love blossoms for 16 beautiful brides and their charming grooms in this frontier romance series. Each bride must navigate the challenges of being matched with a groom-to-be in the Old West, but a formidable adversary is setting hurdles for each of them to overcome—a mother-in-law. Every book in this series is a standalone, sweet, clean, wholesome romance with surprises, difficulties, and a meddling mother who tests their commitment. Will love truly conquer all? Read every story to find out!