Joel's Bride - PAPERBACK

His broken heart may never heal … until he rescues the woman who broke it. Her injury has given her amnesia, but she can’t help but fall for the sexy cowboy in their forced proximity.

Joel Easton's heart was broken four years ago, and he hasn't fully recovered. He doesn't believe in love any longer. During his ride to the next town over, he sees a woman running for her life out of the forest, before falling down a hillside. When Joel reaches her, he realizes she is the woman he had almost married. Now he is hesitant to care for her. Yet when they are caught in a snowstorm, he has no other choice. Maranda Price has lost her memory and it's up to him to help her remember their past.

Can he keep his feelings separated while trying to care for her? And will Maranda ever remember who had attacked and shot her in the forest?

Only time will tell…

Immerse yourself in this sweet and wholesome Historical Romance, where tender passion is hinted at, allowing your imagination to fill in the rest.

Montana, 1877

“Everyone is in the chapel. You can leave now.”
Taking soft steps, Maranda Price’s friend tiptoed toward her as she entered the small room, closing the door behind her. Elizabeth Cummings’ eyes were wide with anxiousness.

Maranda’s heart raced with a mixture of fear and excitement. Today she wore her emotions on her shoulders, and she couldn’t stop the tears from filling her eyes as she leaned over and hugged her best friend. They had been friends since they were very young, and just the thought of leaving everything behind made Maranda want to scream with frustration. She blamed her parents for the second time in four years, Maranda would be a runaway bride.

Elizabeth broke the contact and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Her big, green eyes were full of tears. “Promise me that you’ll write when you find a place to stay.”
Maranda nodded. “I promise.”

“Now go.” Elizabeth carefully opened the door and peeked down the hall. She quickly turned and faced Maranda, motioning her hands toward the back door of the church. “My sisters are keeping watch. I’ll distract everyone in the chapel, so they don’t know you’re gone until it’s too late.”

Holding back another batch of tears, Maranda nodded. “Lizzy, you are the best friend a girl could ask for.”

She gave Elizabeth one last hug before grabbing her carpetbag and rushing out of the room. As she headed toward the back door, she listened intently for anything that might indicate the wedding guests had been alerted to her leaving. Thankfully, she made it to the door. She dashed outside and waved to Elizabeth’s younger sisters. The horse Elizabeth had previously tethered to a tree still waited for Maranda – saddled and ready to ride.

Maranda had changed out of her wedding gown only twenty minutes prior and slipped into a servant’s gray dress. She didn’t want anyone to notice her in the wedding gown and realize that she was running away. Her reputation hadn’t been ruined the first time she had left the groom at the altar, only because her parents packed up and moved them away from Stumptown and away from Joel Easton. This time her reputation would indeed be ruined. However, she didn’t care. She could not marry a man like Stuart Macintosh. It didn’t matter how wealthy he was and that his family hobnobbed with her parents all the time… Maranda would not tie herself down to a man who was notorious for being a gambler and a womanizer.

She rode the horse fast, not daring to even look back toward the church. She must trust that Lizzy had distracted the wedding guests until the final second before discovering Maranda was gone. Her parents would be devastated, humiliated, and extremely upset at their only daughter for blowing the chance to wed a Macintosh man. And her father… A shiver passed through her. She just prayed she never had to taste his violent wrath again.

Pain grew in her hands as she gripped the reins tightly, but it didn’t match the sadness growing in her chest. Four years ago, Maranda had thought she found the perfect man. Joel Easton was charming, handsome, and he treated her with kindness. She instantly fell in love with him, and soon they were planning a wedding… until her parents realized he wasn’t the wealthy man they wanted her to marry.

Tears filled Maranda’s eyes again, and she blinked rapidly, not wanting anything to shade her vision on the road ahead. Her heart cried out for the man she had hurt and who would never love her again.

Why had she believed her father when he told Maranda that Joel had been seen leaving the brothel in the next town over? She should have realized the man she loved would never do something like that. It wasn’t in his character to lie or cheat… or do anything immoral.

But somehow, she had believed her father and allowed her parents to convince her to leave Joel at the altar. Of course, she’d learned at a young age not to argue or disagree with her father in any way.

It only took an hour after her family had left town to realize she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Of course, it was too late to beg Joel for his forgiveness. She wouldn’t blame him if he hated her for the rest of his life.