Showing results by author "Gretchen Wheeler" in All Categories

Can the magic of Christmas heal hearts scarred by loss? Amelia Robbins longs for the family she’s always wanted, but can't have. Her answer comes wrapped as an unexpected gift: an advertisement in The Matrimonial Times placed by an overwhelmed rancher caring for his orphaned siblings. As winter approaches, she travels to the frontier, chasing a new life that promises to heal her sorrows. Jake Keller’s world is upended after tragedy leaves him caring for his three half-siblings. A frontier rancher’s life is difficult enough. He can’t raise children and run a ranch. When his mail-...

A deceived woman. A determined man. A runaway liar. Sarah Turner is tired of being the live-in nanny, cook, and housekeeper for her sister's family. She replies to an advertisement in The Matrimonial Times, quickly engaging in correspondence with the dashing Brian Turner, a wealthy miner in Montana. When her sister offers to pay her fare, Sarah leaps at the chance to travel west and start their life together. But when she arrives, her beau is nowhere to be found... Charles Black runs the stagecoach station in Big Falls, Montana. He works hard and does his best for the drivers, passengers, ...

Can a heart frozen by grief find room for new love? Chris Northup, grappling with the loss of his wife and the overwhelming responsibility of raising three young children alone, desperately needs a miracle, or at the very least, a reliable housekeeper. His children deserve a mother’s love, and he’s convinced that a marriage of convenience is the solution. When Annie Pullman responds to his advertisement in The Matrimonial Times, she knows Chris isn’t searching for love but can’t help dreaming of romance alongside the family she’s always wanted. Though she quickly falls in love ...

A past she can't remember. A future hanging in the balance. Who will she choose? Harriet Wallace, a Pittsburgh socialite, flees a broken engagement from Sebastian Wentworth, seeking a new beginning as a mail-order bride on the wild frontier. In Hidden Pines, postmaster Elias Carpenter is dumbfounded to learn his mother advertised on his behalf in the marriage papers. Just as Harriet steps into Elias's world, an icy fall puts her two months in the past, erasing every memory of Elias and their correspondence, along with her memory of breaking off the engagement. Caught in a confusing web ...

A woman seeking authenticity. A man devoted to his ranch. A matchmaking mother. Eliza Longridge's life of privilege and ease in New York City rings hollow, leaving her yearning for something real. Reading The Matrimonial Times is a way to escape but when her parents agree to a proposal on her behalf, it becomes more than a daydream. On the heels of a quick exchange of letters, she boards a train bound for Colorado but her prospective groom wasn't the one writing... Cody Miller's focus is his ranch, not his love life. When his mother Nell presses him about finding love, he lets her place an ...

A woman with nowhere to go. A man searching for a new home. A villain luring young women to ruin. Molly Daly is a maid for the Dalton family, part of the Boston elite. She begins corresponding via The Matrimonial Times with Ollie Blackstone, a miner in Denver. When she is falsely accused of stealing and put out onto the cold winter streets, she sees no choice but to go west. But when she arrives in Denver, Ollie is nowhere to be found... When his dear uncle passes, leaving behind his ranch in Hidden Pines, Trent Ellis is grief-stricken but determined to make a new life away from the hustle ...

A woman fleeing debt. A cautious man, wary of betrayal. A scheming mother weaving a web of destruction. On the edge of despair, Mary Watson watches her father’s beloved tailor shop teeter on the brink of foreclosure. With time and money running out, she replies to an advertisement in The Matrimonial Times. When the kind miner from Helena responds, Mary quickly falls for John through their letters. Faced with destitution, she risks everything, spending the last of her funds on a ticket west. But a malicious woman intercepts her last letter and John has no idea she’s coming… John Harris...

A woman fleeing a life of servitude. A brother matchmaking behind the scenes. When their plans go awry, will they hold on tight to love or let it slip away? A lonely scullery maid, Jane Wilson toils day and night at the lavish Wharton manor in New York City. When the odious head butler takes an unseemly interest in her, she escapes using The Matrimonial Times. But the perfect advertisement is too good to be true… Aaron Smith is content working his small farm on the outskirts of Silver Hills. His older brother Thomas runs the general store. Seeing his brother's heartache after Thomas's old...

In a life scarred by heartbreak and loss, Cora Greene’s journey to the untamed frontier begins after her fiancé, Charles, falls victim to a villainous bank robbery. However, the man she’s been exchanging letters with in Montana, the one she’s pinned all her hopes on, hides dark secrets. Seeking closure around Charles’s tragic end, she is ensnared in the tumultuous trial of bank robbers in Helena. Unexpected twists of fate unfurl a tale that’s as shocking as it is romantic. Hugh Bailey is an unassuming banker at the First Bank of Hidden Bluffs. Behind the façade of ledgers and ...

A stranded bride. A guarded father. A trail that leads to love—or heartbreak. Charlotte Warren has one chance to leave scandal behind: fulfill her promise as a mail-order bride and reach Silver Creek by Christmas. But when a fierce snowstorm strands her in the frontier town of Sidney, her plans—and her future—are at risk. Her only hope lies with Matthew Carson, a guarded stagecoach driver traveling with his spirited young daughter, Emma. Matthew knows the dangers of the trail all too well and has no intention of letting a stranger disrupt his careful routine. As he watches ...

A desperate, expectant mother. A blacksmith locked in the past. A group of well-meaning meddlers. When she finds out she's expecting a baby shortly after her husband dies, Ruth Cunningham is torn between joy and dread. She writes to a wealthy miner via The Matrimonial Times, but leaves out a major detail... and when he rejects her upon their first meeting, she must forge a new path on the unknown Colorado frontier, aided by welcoming strangers who become friends. Earl Gibson lost his wife and daughter years ago and spends his days alone, focused on work. When a beautiful, pregnant widow ...

A mail-order bride, a secret past, and a Christmas that will change everything… Prudence Walker journeys west to the rugged Colorado frontier, leaving behind the familiar comforts of Boston in search of a fresh start—and a husband she’s only met through letters. But when she arrives in Aspen Ridge, the rancher waiting for her isn’t the steady, dependable man she’d envisioned. Instead, he's brooding, guarded, and hiding a past that threatens to destroy their fragile trust. Bryce Calder never expected to marry, let alone to welcome a spirited, blue-eyed bride into his quiet, ...

She fell in love with his letters. Too bad he didn't write them... When Philadelphia schoolteacher Hannah Miller arrives in snow-bound Colorado Territory just before Christmas, she expects the poetic soul whose letters charmed her heart. Instead, she finds Wyatt Thompson – a man of few words and too many secrets. Trapped on his remote ranch as winter storms rage, Hannah discovers that actions speak louder than borrowed words – especially in the tender way Wyatt cares for his young, orphaned niece Esther. Wyatt knows he's not the educated man Hannah deserves. Between running the ranch ...

A woman guarding her broken heart. A man carving his own path. Will a marriage of convenience bring solace or sorrow? After her faithless fiancé drops her for a wealthy heiress, Francine Tucker swears she's done with love. When her father's printing press picks up a contract for The Matrimonial Times, an advertisement for a marriage of convenience is the perfect solution. Fran exchanges letters with a rancher until he invites her to Colorado. But when she arrives, something isn’t right. What is her handsome groom hiding? Theodore Steele turned away from his wealthy Boston upbringing to ...

A rancher hardened by loss. A jilted woman yearning for a new start. Can love bridge the vast divide of their hearts? After the tragic loss of his wife and son, rancher Frank Gallagher has only his life to the unforgiving Colorado frontier. His ranch is his refuge, and the silence suits him just fine. However, the coming winter threatens to swallow him whole, leaving him no choice but to seek help. Placing an advertisement for a mail-order bride, he’s looking for a practical partnership to keep his ranch running. Nothing more. Charity Patricks has seen her share of heartbreak and betrayal...

A woman who’s never belonged. A widower who swore he’d never marry again. Two little girls longing for a mother… Kate Winner arrives in Colorado full of hope, answering a mail-order bride advertisement. But when she steps off the stagecoach, she’s greeted by icy shock—Tucker Matthews never placed the advertisement. His mischievous twin daughters and a meddling ranch hand are to blame for the scheme. Distrustful and grieving, Tucker is determined to send Kate packing. Desperate for a chance, Kate bargains to stay until Christmas. She never expected to fall for Tucker’s quiet ...

A desperate widow. A rancher wrestling doubt. A tragic, unwed mother and her son. After losing her husband, Rebecca Brown is driven to build a future for herself and her young daughter Mary. Facing imminent eviction, she gambles their lives on an advertisement in The Matrimonial Times. On the journey west, her path crosses with the young, unwed Nellie and her toddler Noah. When tragedy strikes in Denver, what will she do? She can't get Noah from her mind, but her groom is expecting one child, not two... Cole Smith focused his life on building up his ranch outside Hidden Pines, Colorado. ...

Can Blanche escape her gilded cage and find love on the frontier by Christmas? Blanche Bishop, engaged to a spineless man and facing a wretched future under the shadow of a domineering father-in-law, is determined to make her own destiny. She corresponds with a cheerful rancher, Mike Turner from Hidden Pines, via The Matrimonial Times. In a daring escape, she flees to Colorado, only to find Mike in love with another. Adrift on the frontier, Blanche yearns for a future alongside a handsome, stoic stagecoach driver. Lewis Wells lives for the road. His wanderlust keeps him traveling week after...

A woman deceived. A well-meaning meddler. A stalking villain. Maud Connors wants nothing more than love and a family for Christmas. When she's unjustly fired, she flees Boston, seeking refuge with the kind man writing to her from The Matrimonial Times. But when she arrives, Maud discovers a heart-wrenching deception: the letters were not penned by Thomas at all, but by his brother, Samuel. Betrayed anew, she seeks a fresh start in Denver. But shadows of the past are not so easily left behind... Samuel Jenkins wants nothing but happiness for his little brother. He's determined to find a new ...

A woman seeking refuge. A man out of his depth. A set of orphaned twins. Rosemary Clark toils daily at the Morton Match Factory. Though she has wonderful friends, she yearns for a family of her own. The Matrimonial Times offers the opportunity to start a new life in Colorado with a dashing sawyer. Before her courtship is complete, Rosemary must flee westward after an alarming incident with the factory supervisor. But when she arrives, no one is waiting. She travels to the sawmill, only to be confronted with the shock of a lifetime... Grant Ferguson loves his work at the sawmill in Hidden ...