Edmund's Bride: Runaway Mail-Order Bride

Believing that no man will marry her, she wants only to become a mail-order bride … until she counters the handsome rugged cowboy. He knows she’s promised to another, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to stop the wedding.

Rachael Swanson looks forward to becoming a mail-order bride, but before that can happen, she's kidnapped and injured, left with no memory. Now she must rely on the handsome, charming cowboy who rescued her to help her find her way back home to her family.

Wealthy businessman, Edmund Fox, was at the right place at the right time when he saved Rachael's life. Yet, he knows she is engaged to another. Can he confess his true feelings this close to the wedding she doesn't remember?

Immerse yourself in this sweet and wholesome Historical Romance, where tender passion is gently woven, leaving the rest for your imagination to unfold.

The train ride bumped Rachael Swanson on her seat almost as much as traveling in the stagecoach had done. Yet, she had never been on a train, and after she was married, she probably would never ride on one again. She would be marrying a man who lived in the same town as both her sisters, and since they were her only family, why should she need to take the train again?

However, today was special. She and her friend, Penny, were taking the train to Missoula to find Rachael a wedding dress.

Inwardly she giggled, but outwardly she didn’t want to appear too excited and be accused of acting like a child who had been given her first dress. Still, she couldn’t stop the wide grin from stretching across her face.

Three months ago, she never believed this day would happen. Being raised penniless and in a town with very few available men, Rachael thought she would end up a spinster. But then something miraculous happened.

The father that she had barely remembered from childhood had died. Although he was a criminal, he still had money that he hadn’t stolen. Also, he hadn’t remarried or had any more children, so his money went to his daughters. Victoria and Lydia didn’t want any of it, but Rachael was very happy to take it, only because she wanted to purchase nice gowns. After all, she had needed to find herself a beau.

Now she had a nice wardrobe and a man who proposed marriage. Mr. Eric Boyd was Stumptown’s only banker, and he eagerly proposed to Rachael after only meeting her three times while she visited her sisters. Naturally, Rachael knew that turning down this offer was unwise, even if he was fifteen years older than her.

The train ride had been too long as it was. Either that or Rachael was just very excited about picking out her wedding dress – something neither of her two older sisters had done before their weddings. Rachael was nervous beyond belief, and although Penny tried to keep her entertained, the other woman’s chatter gnawed on Rachael’s already frazzled nerves.

When Penny finally stopped talking, Rachael took that moment to glance around the train car. Half the seats were taken, mostly by men dressed nicely as if they worked in prestigious jobs. However, one man sat in the back seat with his hat low over his face, hiding most of his features. The curtains on the window next to him had been pulled closed as if he didn’t want the sunlight on him while he slept. He wore a dark brown duster, a beige shirt with a red bandanna around his neck, and black pants. His black boots appeared scuffed, as did his pants and duster. She doubted he was an outlaw, yet it bothered her that he wouldn’t show his face as if he had something to hide.

Slowly, she slid her hand to her wrist purse. Her fingers outlined a lady’s Derringer hidden inside. Unlike her older sisters, Rachael made certain she knew how to use a gun. She never wanted to be put in a spot where she felt helpless.

As she studied the man in the back of the train car, she had the strangest impression they had met before. Although she wasn’t able to see his face, it was hard not to notice his long, brown hair. She’d only met one man with hair that long, and it was at Lydia’s wedding to Nicholas Drake six months ago. But for the life of her, Rachael couldn’t recall the man’s name. All she knew was that he was friends with her new brother-in-law.

The atmosphere on the train changed, and gasps popped up everywhere, jumping from one person to the other. Panicked voices soon joined the chorus.
Rachael turned to see what the excitement was about. Sitting beside her, Penny grasped Rachael’s arm and pointed toward their window. She swung her gaze in that direction just in time to see three men on horseback riding as fast as they could toward the train. Each man wore a bandanna over the lower half of their faces… and all three carried guns.

“I think,” Penny said with a shaky voice as she nervously twirled a lock of long, black hair around her finger, “that the train is going to get robbed.” She grumbled. “Now would be the perfect time to have my rifle.”