Margins
The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride book cover 1
The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride book cover 2
The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride book cover 3
The Reluctant Wagon Train Bride
Series · 17
books · 2023-2024

Books in series

A Journey for Lily book cover
#1

A Journey for Lily

2023

“The west is too wild for an unwed woman. If you want to ride on my wagon train and make it to Oregon, you’ll need to find yourself a husband.” THE RELUCTANT WAGON TRAIN BRIDE ~ Twenty brides find themselves in a compromising situation. They have to get married in order to travel to Oregon on their wagon train. Each story in the series is a clean, standalone romance. Will the bride end up falling in love with her reluctant husband? Or will she get an annulment when they reach Oregon? Each bride has a different story ~ Read each one and don’t miss out! A JOURNEY FOR LILY When Lily Browne’s father loses his job at the bank, he decides to make the journey out west, to claim land for cheap in Oregon. And when Lily hears of the need for school teachers out there, she decides that she must go too. There’s only one problem. Even though Lily is barely nineteen, the wagon master demands that she cannot accompany the train without being wed. But she can’t be a school teacher if she’s married… Wayne Cody became a felon by accident when he was fifteen. After serving his time, he was released to find out that he has no family, and no more than five dollars to his name. He doesn’t know much about anything other than guns, horses, and cattle, so he attempts to get hired by a wagon train to help several families make it to Oregon to claim land. If he can somehow earn enough money, he can claim land for himself, too. Then, Mr. Browne makes him an offer he can’t refuse.
A Journey for Amelia book cover
#2

A Journey for Amelia

2023

A grieving woman with no choice but to travel West. A man on the run from his past. And the marriage of convenience that binds them. Family means everything to Amelia. After losing her parents, she's ready to travel the Oregon Trail to find the only person she has left—her estranged brother. There's just one problem...no single women are allowed on the wagon train. So Amelia does what any determined woman would do when told she needs a chaperone. She finds a loophole. Paying the first willing man she finds, she forms a business arrangement with a rugged cowboy. Everything changes for Jack when a woman with fire in her eyes shows up to offer him a way out. He accepts a temporary marriage in exchange for passage out West with a hefty payment to sweeten the deal. On the run from outlaws, he jumps at the opportunity to accompany Amelia on her journey. Something about her eager spirit leaves him ready to take a chance. Neither expected genuine affection to bloom and sorting their feelings won't come easily while on the perilous journey West. Will they be able to open their hearts in time or will secrets and suspicion take root to push them further apart?
A Journey for Ida book cover
#3

A Journey for Ida

2023

Ida, a widow with no hope for her own future, wants the best life for her daughter, Savina. News of a wagon train heading to Oregon holds the key to her daughter's chance for a good future. Just two hitches to her They do not accept single women, including widows, without a marriage of convenience; Savina refuses to go without Ida. With the promise of an annulment once they reach Oregon, Ida agrees to go, but only if the wagon master will agree to be her husband, and his son, one of the scouts, agrees to marry her daughter. What's the harm, they can end the marriage in Oregon? Except hearts and pride tangle into an unexpected knot of feelings for more. Can Ida and her wagon master overcome stubborn determination for independence and follow their heart's desires for love?
A Journey for Alice book cover
#4

A Journey for Alice

2023

Alone and destitute a Southern Belle is forced to marry an Irish Cowboy to make the perilous journey west. Alice's life unravels the moment she arrives in Missouri to join the famous train that travels the Oregon trail. Without options, and desperate for a future, she's trapped into marrying a man she doesn't know, a stranger who seems to despise her for their situation. Patrick Sullivan has always wanted to marry a good catholic Irish lass and save enough to go home to Ireland, but instead, the Wagon Master has tricked him into a sham marriage with a young woman who seems to be more trouble than she's worth. The frontier is perilous, where danger lurks around every corner, and there are some on the trail who would rather see the end of this charade arrangement. Can these two strangers put aside their differences to work together and survive? Can love blossom when their worlds are so very far apart? THE RELUCTANT WAGON TRAIN BRIDE ~ Twenty brides find themselves in a compromising situation. They have to get married in order to travel to Oregon on their wagon train. Each story in the series is a clean, standalone romance. Will the bride end up falling in love with her reluctant husband? Or will she get an annulment when they reach Oregon? Each bride has a different story ~ Read each one and don't miss out!
A Journey for Katie book cover
#6

A Journey for Katie

2023

Harris Gibson plans to head to Oregon with his brother and sister-in-law. Last-minute difficulties leave him alone with a large wagon and supplies for three people. Katie Burns’ father is a drunkard and deeply in debt. He decides his best asset is his eighteen-year-old daughter and takes her to the wagon train gathering spot to sell her as a wife to any man for fifty dollars. When Harris hears a slovenly, drunken man of forty bragging that he plans to buy a young, innocent wife, Harris steps in to save Katie from a life worse than she had at home. With a promise to be a gentleman and bring Katie safely to Oregon, where she can build a new life for herself and annul their marriage, the couple set out on the wagon train. Will the grueling trip from Missouri to Oregon bring this couple together, or will they go their separate ways once reaching their destination? This is a sweet romance.
A Journey for Annabelle book cover
#7

A Journey for Annabelle

2023

Can two desperate people help each other escape danger and find the truth on the Oregon Trail? Annabelle Martin is all alone. Both her parents died and her sister married a year ago, moved away, and promised to keep in touch. But after that first letter, she hasn’t heard a word and her own letters remain unanswered. Something must have happened to her sister. She took work as a laundry woman to earn room and board with a family in town, but the woman of the house is a cruel slave driver and she’s about at her wit’s end. If only she could join that wagon train to Oregon. But she’d have to be married and she’s got zero prospects. Graham Walker needs to hide. Two mornings ago, he woke up beside a dead body, covered in blood with a lump on his head, and unable to remember what happened. Why would he kill a man? He wouldn’t. Would he? Then someone was coming so he ran, barely escaping whoever now chases him. Now he’s buying time until he can figure out what happened and prove himself innocent. If only he could join that wagon train and blend in, he might stand a chance. They’re looking for a single man. If he had a wife, that might throw his pursuers off his trail. As Annabelle washes blood out of the stranger’s shirt, she wonders what in the world he did. When he witnesses her boss strike her, he intervenes. Privately he asks her if she wants to go with him. A quick wedding and they could both be out of here and on their way to Oregon. It could be Annabelle’s opportunity for a better life. Or she could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The only thing she knows for there’s something he’s not telling her. After you read Annabelle's story, read her sister’s story in A Journey for Maribelle!
A Journey for Dorothy book cover
#8

A Journey for Dorothy

2023

“The west is too wild for an unwed woman. If you want to ride on my wagon train and make it to Oregon, you’ll need to find yourself a husband.”THE RELUCTANT WAGON TRAIN BRIDE ~ Twenty brides find themselves in a compromising situation – they have to get married in order to travel to Oregon on their wagon train. Each story in the series is a clean, standalone romance. Will the bride end up falling in love with their reluctant husband? Or will they get an annulment when they reach Oregon? Each bride has a different story ~ Read each one and don’t miss out!A JOURNEY FOR DOROTHYDorothy Mason swore that she’d never marry again when her husband passed away five years ago. She just wasn’t interested in her heart being broken again. But living in her old house in Tennessee kept breaking it by reminding her daily of her times with her husband, and she was having a difficult time letting go. So, her sister convinces her to get a fresh start by traveling west on the wagon train to Oregon. But once she’s given up her life and everything dear to her and arrives in Missouri, Dorothy discovers that she can’t move forward unless she considers getting married again.Reverend Elias Stone doesn’t quite believe in Manifest Destiny, but does believe in bringing lost souls to the Lord. With so many lost people moving out west in search of gold and riches, Elias feels a calling on his life to make a move in that direction, himself. So, he arranges to join a wagon train heading to Oregon and California. But before the journey even starts, he finds himself in a harrowing situation that could take his life, calling, and ability to travel away from him. Only by considering a marriage to a woman he doesn’t even know can he continue, but is this really God’s plan for him?
A Journey for Hope book cover
#9

A Journey for Hope

2023

Sold to a desperate man, Hope finds herself married and on a wagon train bound for the mining camps of California. Will her faith sustain her? Can any good come out of such an arrangement? Hope Joy Roberts wrapped her shawl around her and then picked up the old Bible her grandfather gave her. She hugged the leather book close to her and could still smell Grandfather's rosemary spice, leather, and the tonic he splashed on his hair. It was because of the old itinerant preacher that she ministered to the ladies of the night. It took the women several months before they accepted her, but she’d helped enough of them that they trusted that she came with more than words and judgment. Hope walked to the saloon on First Street, went through the swinging doors, and nodded at the bartender. “I’ve only come to bring Good News.” “They’re waiting for you. Even Delilah got up in time.” “Good.” Hope went up the stairs and knocked on the door. Angel, the madam of the house, let her in. “I’m so glad you’re here. We think something is going on with Sheriff Specter. He said we couldn’t leave the saloon today.” Hope set her reticule down on the nearest table and took off her shawl. “Julie Ann, you look chilled. Take my shawl.” She went to the thin woman, girl really, and put it around her bony shoulders. “So, you think Specter is up to something? I have to agree. I saw him yesterday, and he wouldn’t even look me in the eye.” There was a loud knock on the door. Hope looked at Angel. “Are you expecting anyone else?” “On a Sunday afternoon? Not hardly. All the good folks are home eating lunch with their families. They don’t think of us until well after dark.” Angel laughed, but there was no joy in it. They didn’t need an answer because half-a-dozen men broke into the room. Before Hope knew what was happening, a sack was thrown over her head, and she was tossed over a man’s shoulder and carted down the stairs. By the screams, she was not the only one. Through a slit in the canvas bag, Hope recognized the sheriff talking with the wagon master who had rolled into town last week. Douglas Crane had seemed decent enough at the time. Sheriff Specter shook hands with the wagon master. “We’ve got you ten. Just like you asked.” Douglas Crane nodded. “Here’s the money. A hundred for each one. The men on the wagon train will thank you.” Specter laughed. “I doubt it, but you’ve got brides for your men.”
A Journey for Lona book cover
#10

A Journey for Lona

2024

Newly accredited teacher Lona Hollis joins a westward wagon train with her two cousins. The three young adults are moving to Portland, Oregon, to join the rest of the family where Lona’s uncle runs a shipping business. They connect with a small group of twenty-five wagons, but the original captain becomes ill. An appointed leader acquires a new captain who demands all women over age sixteen be married. Such marriages are for convenience and safety only with the option of being annulled when the wagon train arrives in Oregon. Faced with several possibilities, Lona has to make a decision on who will make the best partner…within an hour of meeting him. Laborer Mal MacMurphy needs to move out of New York City. Hanging out with the Irish mob favored by his da and brothers is not healthy. Cousin Sully just died in a knife fight. To make a new start, Mal works his way west on the railroad and joins a wagon train heading on the Oregon Trail. But he has to offer himself in marriage so a single woman can continue the trip. Unfortunately, he’s matched with a woman who has a widely different outlook on life. Will the perils they face convince the couple of an inevitable split or force them to rely on each other to stay alive?
A Journey for Savina book cover
#11

A Journey for Savina

2024

Savina, the daughter of a widow, is forced to marry a stranger in order to travel with a wagon train heading west to Oregon. She’s promised an annulment when they arrive, but that goes against everything her momma taught her while growing up. Can she compromise her values to fulfill her mother’s dream for a brighter future? What’s good for the gosling is good for the goose. If Savina has to marry, she insists her momma has to also. But why can’t she choose which of the handsome young men available on the wagon train she marries? What if the one her momma choses is not the same as the one her heart longs for? Can she switch mid-stream? Or will love conquer all and she finds love ever after with the man she first married?
A Journey for Leah book cover
#13

A Journey for Leah

2024

Falsely accused of being a loose woman, she has nowhere else to go. His heart belongs to another, and he has no desire to become entangled. A victim of misplaced affections, Leah Dearing dreams of starting a new life in Oregon where she can own land and put her past behind her. But as a single woman, she is refused a place in the wagon train, no matter that she’s more than capable of doing all she needs. Desperate to build a new life for herself, she is willing to do anything—including a marriage in name only. Stanley Keith has no intention of heading out West with a bride until he overhears Leah’s plight. He knows the way will be difficult and many don’t make it. To top it off, he’s got a woman waiting for him when he gets there. Yet, something about her determination sparks in him, and before he’s realized it he offers to let her join him on his journey in exchange for her cooking and companionship. However, the trail is long and dangerous, and the challenges they face might be more than either realized. Especially when one of them starts to fall in love…and the reminder of another waiting for them at the end of the train becomes impossible to ignore.
A Journey for Jillian book cover
#15

A Journey for Jillian

2024

Jillian Barker's father and brothers were harsh drunks, so when the older brother closest to her age decides to run away to the West, she talks him into taking her with him since he’s the most responsible brother. However, when they get to St. Louis he decides to stay there. The wagon master refuses to take an unmarried woman with him, and she doesn't want to remain with her brother who is working in a saloon. Her only option is to wed. The wagon master assures her he can find someone who will agree to an annulment in Oregon, but can she risk another man lording it over her?
A Journey for Evelyn book cover
#16

A Journey for Evelyn

2024

Blurb to come
A Journey for Delilah book cover
#17

A Journey for Delilah

2024

Kidnapped and sold as a Mail-Order Bride to a man she’d have never chosen, the unlikely couple travel on the wagon train west, facing danger and, even worse, each other.Delilah glared at the preacher lady. Why the woman came to preach to the soiled doves of Adam’s Saloon, Delilah would never understand. Why Delilah had shown up that morning, she couldn’t say. Boredom maybe. To harass the preacher lady was another possibility. But deep inside her heart, where she never looked, maybe it was a desperate cry for help. What Delilah got was a sack over her head and tossed onto a wagon train going to California and a husband. A man she would have never chosen in a million years. Not that he was bad. She could handle them. Edward James was a gentleman, a knight in bright shining armor right out of King Arthur’s Court, and husband or not, Delilah couldn’t stand him. Sweet Christian Romance
A Journey for Christiana book cover
#18

A Journey for Christiana

2024

Description coming soon!
A Journey for Sallie book cover
#19

A Journey for Sallie

2024

After the death of her beloved husband in the war between the states, Sallie Tenney decides to join her brother and his family on their journey west to Oregon. Upon arriving in Missouri for the trip, Sallie is shocked to learn she cannot travel as a single, albeit widowed, woman. She must marry to join the wagon train. Without much choice, she agrees to marry fur trader Michael Schmidt on the promise that he will grant her an annulment as soon as they arrive in Oregon. It’s only after they say “I do” that Peter Cardinal arrives for the expedition and catches Sallie’s eye. But when her new husband Michael is thrown from his horse and Sallie must defend the wagon and supplies from thieves, she realizes this six-month journey won’t be anything like she expected. Especially when Peter is so close and they have a long way still to go.
A Journey for Bonnie book cover
#20

A Journey for Bonnie

2024

Blurb to come

Authors

Willow Callaway
Willow Callaway
Author · 2 books

Willow Callaway is the author of sweet, historical romance stories. She loves to write about flawed characters who fight for a second chance through faith, love, and promise. Willow lives with her loving family in beautiful Northern California where she enjoys reading, painting, and whipping up new recipes in the kitchen. Her true love is God and His goodness in all things. Nothing brings her more joy than to pour out her imagination through the written word and share it with anyone who stumbles upon her books hoping for a tale that will brighten their mood and lighten their heart.

Linda Carroll-Bradd
Linda Carroll-Bradd
Author · 43 books

As a child, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about characters having exciting adventures in places far away. Upon reaching a landmark birthday, she decided to write one of those romances she loved so much. Easier said than done. Perseverance paid out and twelve years later, she received her first call from a publisher and a confession story was published. Now Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor, and many have a tie to her previous home of Texas. Linda enjoys writing from her cabin in the mountains among the cedar and pines with her husband of 34 years and their two much-loved dogs.

Janice Cole Hopkins
Author · 20 books

Janice Cole Hopkins grew up in rural Wilkes County, North Carolina, with an Appalachian heritage. She loved stories and learned to read when she was five. She graduated from Appalachian State University with degrees in history and reading, and she also taught school, wrote and published in magazines, and dreamed of someday publishing a historical novel. Janice has always attended church and has done short and long term mission work. All the profits from her books go to a scholarship fund for missionary children. Sown in Dark Soil is a stand alone novel and is the second book in her Appalachian Roots series. Facebook

F. Tilly Brownne
F. Tilly Brownne
Author · 7 books

F. Tilly Brownne writes women’s fiction, drama, sweet & clean historical romance, contemporary romance, and Christian fiction. Audrey’s Search was her first historical romance in a series in July 2022 followed by it's sequel, Trevor's Torment. Watch her growing list of novellas, often on KU pre-order. Please mark them Want to Read for the latest news. And please follow her on Bookbub for notices of new books and more. Find her here: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/f-til... Join her fiction newsletter here: https://dianne-e-butts.ck.page/756490... When not writing she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, gardening, and photography. She lives in beautiful Colorado. (She writes nonfiction under her real name: Dianne E. Butts. Learn more on her web site: https://www.dianneebutts.com/fiction.)

Susan Horsnell
Author · 28 books

I was born in Manly on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia and grew up in the west after we moved there to help my brother’s eczema which was made worse by salt air. I now reside in the beautiful sunny state of Queensland. My dad had the biggest impact on my life. I have always had an overactive imagination and would often tell him stories which floated in my mind. He encouraged me to put pen to paper convinced that one day they would become published books. Apart from marrying the love of my life, the highlight of my life was being accepted into Nursing just before my 16th birthday. It had been a long-time dream and one which encompassed 37 years of my life. Along with nursing, being married to a Naval Officer for almost 47 years, and posted in numerous places, gave me experiences which I have written into many of my books. We enjoy traveling the country with our Caravan/RV, and Jack Russell puppy by the name of Gemma who will be joining us. As my parents were British, never Australian citizens, I hold dual citizenship and we plan to take advantage of this to spend two years traveling the UK and Europe in the near future. It will also give me the opportunity to catch up with many family members who reside in England. My books are in various genres - Western Historical Romance-both steamy and sweet, Contemporary Romance-steamy and sweet, Male/Male, Australian Outback and City Romance. I also have one menage and one paranormal romance along with two children's books. As I said earlier, I have a rather overactive imagination. I hope you will pick up one of my books and when you close the cover on one of my stories it will be with a satisfied sigh. Author Links Blog: http://susanhorsnell.com Web: http://www.susanhorsnellromanceauthor... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanhorsnel... Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan... You can email me at: horsnells@yahoo.com.au

Allison Wells
Allison Wells
Author · 5 books

Allison Wells is an author, wife, and mother who is also a logophile (a lover of words). The desire to write came early for Allison. After graduating from Clemson, Allison became a newspaper reporter. Tired of constantly writing bad news, she began writing novels. Now, Allison writes for regional publications and enjoys writing southern novels with elements of faith. In her writing, Allison feels led to bring an element of reality to her readers. She recognizes that living a Christian life does not mean everything is rosy all the time, and she wants to represent that with her writing, while still wrapping things up with a happy ending. Allison's motto is Life is Short, Eat the Oreos.

Lynn Donovan
Lynn Donovan
Author · 53 books

Lynn Donovan spends her days chasing after her muses, trying to get them to settle down and behave long enough to write down their words and actions. The results are numerous novels, anthologies, and short stories. Lynn enjoys reading and writing all kinds of fiction, paranormal, speculative, contemporary romance, and time travel. But you never know what her muses will come up with for a story, so you could see a novel under any given genre. All that can be said is keep your eyes open, cause these muses are not sitting still for long! Oops, there they go again… You can learn more about Lynn on her blog https://authorlynndonovan.wordpress.com, follow her on Twitter @MLynnDonovan, her Face Book Author page at Author Lynn Donovan www.facebook.com/lynndonovanfgg, and her website: http://lynndonovanauthor.com And on Amazon www.amazon.com/author/ldonovan

P. Creeden
Author · 50 books

P. Creeden is the sweet romance and mystery pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author Pauline Creeden. Her stories feature down-to-earth characters who often feel like they are undeserving of love for one reason or another and are surprised when love finds them. P. Creeden married her college sweetheart, who she also met at a horse farm. Together they raise a menagerie of animals and their one son, an avid reader, himself. Animals are the supporting characters of many of her stories, because they occupy her daily life on the farm, too. From dogs, cats, and goldfish to horses, chickens, and geckos—she believes life around pets is so much better, even if they are fictional.

Sarah Lamb
Author · 6 books
Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
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