Blizzard Brides

Welcome to Last Chance, Nebraska! When the freak blizzard of 1878 kills most of the men in a small Nebraska town, what does it mean for the surviving women and children? Realizing they need to find men of honor to help rebuild, the women place an advertisement in the Matrimonial Times. Choosing a husband is more difficult than they thought when there is an overwhelming response to the ad. Will these Blizzard Brides find the second chance at love in a town called Last Chance? This story is loosely based on the blizzard of 1873 and the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888, where many men, women, and children died in the unexpected storm. This book is a short story to introduce you to the town, the characters, and the events that set up series.

Claire just lost her husband to a blizzard, and she'll need a man before spring. With two children to raise, she wants out of the farming community and picks a man who she hopes will take her and her family to civilization. Ethan has lived in the city all his life and works as a librarian, but his dream is to be a pioneer farmer. His chance comes when he answers an ad looking for men to come to Nebraska. Though he'd wanted to marry for love, he figures he'll settle for a mail-order wife if it gets him out of the city. What happens when circumstances throw two people together who want to go opposite ways?

Another chance for love in a town called Last Chance . . . Celia Thornton would give anything to start over after the blizzard ends her loveless marriage. Jack Wendler needs to leave New York immediately after one too many business deals left his investors penniless. Figuring marriage in remote western Nebraska must be better than the reckoning he's facing in New York, Jack pens a response to a marriage advertisement. When he arrives with a bag of letters--including his own--answering the widows of Last Chance's advertisement for husbands, he's quickly taken with Celia's shy beauty and agrees to marry her on the spot. Even though she comes with a farm he doesn't have the slightest clue how to run. Even though he fears breaking Celia's fragile heart. And even though the business partner he crossed in New York could be on his way to Last Chance at any moment. Like all of Cat's books, A Groom for Celia is a sweet and clean romance. It's part of the multi-author Blizzard Brides series, which can be read in order or as standalone books.

Another chance for love in a town called Last Chance . . . Celia Thornton would give anything to start over after the blizzard ends her loveless marriage. Jack Wendler needs to leave New York immediately after one too many business deals left his investors penniless. Figuring marriage in remote western Nebraska must be better than the reckoning he's facing in New York, Jack pens a response to a marriage advertisement. When he arrives with a bag of letters--including his own--answering the widows of Last Chance's advertisement for husbands, he's quickly taken with Celia's shy beauty and agrees to marry her on the spot. Even though she comes with a farm he doesn't have the slightest clue how to run. Even though he fears breaking Celia's fragile heart. And even though the business partner he crossed in New York could be on his way to Last Chance at any moment. Like all of Cat's books, A Groom for Celia is a sweet and clean romance. It's part of the multi-author Blizzard Brides series, which can be read in order or as standalone books.

A woman recovering from a terrible loss, a man on the trail of an outlaw and the mishap that brings them together. Linda Applebee's life is perfect until she loses her husband in a freak blizzard. Now instead of spending her time writing an adventure novel, she has to find a husband or be required to move back to Wisconsin where she knows nobody. With one ad for husbands and a selection made, maybe life in Last Chance can return to normal. Then he rides into town! Michael Darcy longs for the freedom offered by tales of going west. He gives up his comfortable law practice and embraces the life of a bounty hunter. Following a lead, he ends up in Last Chance, hot on the trail of a criminal. His heart is captured by Linda, but he has a job to do, and she already has an intended. Does he follow his heart to Linda or his lead to his bounty? Can Linda change her mind and the man she promised to marry? Is this Michael and Linda's last chance at happiness in a border town called Last Chance, Nebraska?

Carrie Porter doesn't know what she's lost until it's gone. With her husband dead, and a young child to feed, she must rely on herself to improve her situation… or find a wealthy husband to care for her desolate family. When she chooses a man looking for a mail-order bride, she prays he will be her salvation.

When the freak blizzard of 1878 kills most of the men in a small Nebraska town, what does it mean for the surviving women and children? Millie Reed is trying to do it all. She is a mother, the local schoolteacher, and trying to keep her husband's horse ranch going. She knows her husband is never coming home after he died in the blizzard that killed so many men. She needs help, so why is she so hesitant about the letter she mailed to a stranger? What she doesn't expect is to find a man hiding in her barn, or his outrageous story of innocence. But beggars can't be choosers and Mille needs help. If he wasn't so handsome and making Millie feel things she thought had died. Robert "Deuce" Taylor is no stagecoach robber. He made his living as a gambler. How was he supposed to know that he would be wrongly accused of being a part of the elusive Myron Gang? When he is injured during a misunderstanding, he needs to find a place to hide and tend his wound until he can prove his innocence. He didn't count on the local schoolteacher and her enchanting daughter, offering him shelter while he heals. When Millie's groom is scheduled to arrive, will Robert be able to let her go? When Robert's past catches up with him is Millie in danger of losing more than just her horses? Can love be found in a town called Last Chance?

Altar Pennington isn't like most of the widows in Last Chance, Nebraska. After a blizzard takes her husband's life, she's neither mournful nor joyful at his death. Her biggest concern isn't how she's going to live now that she's a widow; but how is she going to raise a child on her own? When the preacher demands that all the widows remarry or leave town, she is forced to seek a husband to provide a father for her child. When former steel driver Wolfe Laingsburg receives Altar Pennington's letter, he accepts her proposal to meet in Last Chance and from there decide if they can form a life together. Arriving in town, he unwittingly sets a chain of events that lead to Altar and himself being found in a compromising position. With the preacher breathing down their necks to wed for the sake of propriety, Wolfe must make the decision if he can marry a woman he doesn't know much about. Altar and Wolfe are forced to trust each other...but is trust the only element needed to build a marriage upon, especially when a danger from her dead husband's past rears its head, threatening her life and the life of her child. Will trust be enough for Altar to depend on Wolfe to protect her family? Would it be enough for Wolfe to risk his life to save a woman he barely knows?

Nineteen-year-old Rachel Kayden's worst nightmares never included being widowed a month after she married John. She decides her marriage vows also meant caring for their horse ranch regardless of the hardships. Rachel's mother never wanted her to marry and leave home. John's death gives her the perfect reason to try and force Rachel to return home. Samuel Ashworthy, the son of a prominent Philadelphia furniture manufacturer, refuses to marry any of the women his father chooses. He seeks adventure, and the West appeals to him, but his father has threatened to disown him if he leaves. When he inherits his grandfather's racehorse estate, Samuel no longer needs to remain in Philadelphia. A newspaper advertisement seeking a husband might be the answer, but Rachel's mother has other ideas. Will a young couple brought together by unthinkable circumstances find love or live a life of convenience forced on them? This is a sweet romance.

If Gracie Erstwhile wants to keep her new homestead, she must do what every other widow in Last Chance, NE has done: choose a mail-order groom. At least having a man around to handle the farm will free her up to pursue her dream of opening a theater. Noble McCain has lost his wife and his farm. And while he doesn't "need" a wife, his son needs a mother. He agrees to run Gracie's farm and believes he and the little actress have come to an acceptable arrangement-acceptable until Noble realizes Gracie has some pretty shady ways. When she agrees to put on a theatrical presentation for Last Chance, she gets a glimpse at a new kind of life. She makes friends, guides a son, and chases a dream-why, she might even be falling in love. It's all going along so well…until Gracie's past catches up with her.

Jilted at the altar, with no groom in sight, Callie Stratton is left with few options. Friends and family view her with contempt, as if somehow the abandoned bride is to blame. Unable to bear the shame, Callie takes the only path open to her. Run! Callie leaves Georgia for Last Chance Nebraska, as a mail-order bride to a marry a reputable successful businessman, James Frankford. After the speedy wedding in town, the bride is brought to a run-down farm only to discover her new husband is not the man he claims to be. When the blizzard hits, and James does not return from the hunt, Callie is more relieved than heartbroken. Will she agree to wed yet another stranger-as Pastor Collins demands for decency's sake-and join with the widows of Last Chance in their search for a mail-order groom? Her only other choice is Gilbert Manning, the man who abandoned her at the altar in Georgia, who arrives in town hoping to win her back but is unwilling to share the secret that separates them. Grab your copy of this historical, sweet, mail-order groom romance, filled with adventure and intrigue, and hopes for a happily-ever-after ending.

When the freak blizzard of 1878 kills most of the men in a small Nebraska town, what does it mean for the surviving women and children? When Heather Barnes loses her beloved husband to the terrible blizzard that claimed so many lives, she must decide where her future lies. It was her husband who led all the men to their fate, and now she feels responsible that the women must remarry so quickly. The last thing she wants is another husband, but taking care of the farm, hunting, the butcher shop, and being a mother to two orphan children, is too much for the woman that is also the town's midwife. What she doesn't count on is a traveling gunslinger making her question her choice to love again. Dalton James left everything behind to chase after his brother's killer. Five years on the frontier have roughened him into a man that legends are made from. Now, instead of chasing outlaws, he envisions a life where revenge and traveling are no longer necessary. He didn't count on finding his future so quickly in the form of a blue-eyed lady doctor. When the object of his affection has decided she isn't going to marry any man, can Dalton convince her to stay and take a chance on a new future with him? What happens when a secret Dalton has been hiding comes to light, putting his love and the women of Last Chance in danger? Will Last Chance become a second chance at love for Dalton and Heather?

Jenna is tied to the earth, to nurture her farm, and see things grow. Alex has a wandering skip in his step and longs to see what is over the next hill. Is love strong enough to uproot Jenna? Or will it tie Alex to Jenna and her farm? And then Pastor Collins decides to answer a groom letter on Jenna's behalf, and Ben Harper shows up on her doorstep.

When Becca's husband dies in the freak blizzard that September, she brings her remaining livestock and two girls to town to live. Her hand is forced by Pastor Collins to reply to a potential intended, Haden Jarrod, but before he arrives, she falls for her sister's intended, Charlie T. Cairn. Charlie arrives in Last Chance, Nebraska, prepared to marry Linda Applebee, but finds her sister, Becca Collingsworth, much more enjoyable to be around. When the woman who left him at an altar in Pennsylvania shows up begging for him to reconsider, things get really complicated. Can these two work things out? Will Becca trust Charlie even though his previous fiancée is in town? How can Charlie convince her that she is truly his destiny when it looks like she's his third choice? Will Pastor Collins send Becca back to Wisconsin? Or will Becca give everything up and marry her friend, the livery owner?

Beatrice Collins is known as the demure and obedient sister of Last Chance's overbearing Pastor Collins. But enough is enough! She's tired of watching as woman after woman has a beau come and her brother refuses to let her send for one, telling her she needs a Godly man, and that God will provide. Maybe He will or maybe God helps those who help themselves. When one of the men seems to be forsaken by his bride-to-be, Bea sees her chance and takes it, even as her brother surprises her with a traveling preacher he's promised her hand to. Sam Yorkshire's arrival in Last Chance didn't go as planned. His bride is missing or at the very least avoiding him. Yet he can't deny the attraction he has almost instantly to Pastor Collin's sister Beatrice. Only she has another beau. What's a man to do when the woman he wants can't seem to make up her mind? Especially when outside forces seem to be trying to tarnish his reputation in her eyes? Will Beatrice follow her heart to the man who has captured her attention or will she settle for the hand-picked fiancé her brother presented? Can Sam overcome the attack against his character or will he have to watch the woman he desires choose another? Can there be a last chance at love for these two or is another to become a groom for Bea?