Orlan Orphans

Sarah Jane Jefferson never felt like she was important to anyone. Just one of the fifteen orphaned girls Edna Petunia Sanders adopted, she spent her days working in an orphanage. She had no real talent other than cooking, but she knew how to love. Needing someone to play Santa Claus for the orphans' Christmas party, she approached the handsome young pastor, Micah Barton, the new man in town. Micah Barton had his eye on one of the orphans the Sanders had adopted, and when she approached him to help her at the Christmas party he couldn't refuse. When a little girl captured his heart at the party, and he needed a wife to help him raise her, he knew what he had to do. They could parent the little girl together easily, but could they live as husband and wife as effortlessly? Or were they destined to be in a loveless marriage for the rest of their lives?

Dorothy Sanders absolutely adores her life in Nowhere, Texas with her sisters and their devoted, eccentric adoptive parents. When she is hired by a young lawyer to do his bookkeeping, she is immediately drawn to his sharp intellect and good looks. Carter Reeves simply wanted a girl to help out with his filing for the summer. He wasn't looking for love, and he certainly wasn't expecting it in such a wholesome young woman like Dorothy. He intends to marry her and bring her back to the city with him, but Dorothy never wants to leave. Will they find a way to be together? Or will Carter leave after the summer is over and never look back?

Gertrude Sanders is completely devoted to her family and her job as the librarian of the Nowhere, Texas library. When a man starts parking his book wagon outside the library, she makes it her business to force him to leave town. It doesn't take her long to discover that most of the people in town are happier to go to the book wagon than go to the library. Jed Thorn owns a traveling book wagon, and he's happy to keep traveling, not settling down anywhere. The first time he sees Gertrude, he's certain that she's the woman who God created just for him. He loves everything about her from her prickly personality to her animosity toward him. Will Jed be able to convince Gertrude they're meant to be together? Or will he be forced to move on...without her.

Hope Sanders is a no-nonsense girl who believes her straight-shooting ways will keep her single for the rest of her life. She has a fast-paced job, working for the only doctor in Nowhere, Texas. When her doctor's nephew comes to apprentice with her, she is immediately frustrated, because they see things so very differently. Stephen Bennett has a great deal of compassion for others. He doesn't like the way his aunt's assistant talks frankly with the patients about money, but he finds himself more and more drawn to her anyway. When their bickering causes his aunt to tell them they have to figure out a way to work together or one of them will be gone, their relationship changes. Will Stephen be able to convince Hope they're meant to be together? Or will they each spend their lives alone?

Minnie Sanders has everything going for her. She's starting a new job at the mayor's office in Nowhere, Texas. She's surrounded by family who love her beyond anything she's ever known. But as Minnie watches her sisters all fall in love and marry, she realizes marriage is something she wants as well. She loves her nieces and nephews, and she dreams of holding her own child someday. She's never been courted, but all of a sudden there are three men asking her father for permission to date her. Timothy Parker's new job with the town judge is everything he's ever hoped for. He loves the work he's doing, but more importantly, he's falling for one of the judge's many daughters. The only problem is that the judge has made it clear he doesn't believe Timothy should date one of his daughters. He doesn't believe in mixing business with family. As Timothy watches one man after another try to date Minnie, he knows she's the only woman in the world for him. Will he find the courage to go against his employer's wishes? Or will he have to watch Minnie marry another?

Hattie Sanders has spent her life pleasing others. She has never felt the need to disobey in any way. When her father takes her to the rodeo, she meets a one-armed rodeo rider and feels an instant connection. She knows how her parents feel about her seeing a traveling man, so they meet in secret, her feelings growing more and more. Will Hart is happy with his life. Despite a life-altering injury, he is doing what he's always dreamed he would do. As the star act for the wild-west show, he has plenty of women who are interested in spending time with him. When he sees Hattie, his life changes. He immediately starts to think of marriage and babies. Will he be able to convince her parents that they belong together? Or will he move on to the next town without her?

When Theresa Sanders finds newborn twins abandoned on the steps of the schoolhouse, she begs her adoptive parents, Edna Petunia and Cletus, to give them a home. She agrees that all their care will be provided by her, but nurturing the twins night and day quickly turns into far more work than she can handle, even with help from her family. She loves them immediately and can't bear the idea of losing them, though her parents think it's time for her to find them more permanent homes. Cody Witherspoon is a traveling insurance man who never expected to come away from a sales visit with a wife. When he meets Theresa, he proposes on the spot, and Theresa's just sleep-deprived enough to accept-until Edna Petunia and Cletus intervene. They don't approve of a stranger marrying their daughter, and they believe Cody should move on to the next town. Will Cody and Theresa convince the Sanders family that the love they have is true? Or will Cody pack up and ride off into the sunset, leaving Theresa lonely and overwhelmed?

Alice Sanders feels as if love will never happen for her. She watches longingly as each of her sisters marries in turn. When her sister Ruby has a problem pregnancy, she agrees to help out in the store Ruby owns with her husband, Lewis. There she meets a handsome man she feels like she could care for, but his intentions are in question.Mark Brooks is struggling to find his way as he takes over the family business from his recently deceased uncle. His travel and work take him to Nowhere, Texas where he meets the beautiful Alice Sanders. For him, it's love at first sight. When he makes an error in his business dealings, her family stops trusting him. Will he ever be able to convince her adoptive parents that he cares for her? Or will he need to move on, leaving the love of his life behind?

Opal's life had gotten much better since she'd left New York. Her twin had just married, and she was living in a house with thirteen other girls, with a crazy old lady as their new "mother." Florence Reid, a little girl Opal met in town, was just what Opal needed to stop worrying about being left behind and move on with her life. The little girl needed help, and Opal was just the woman for the job!Nathaniel Reid was a widower, doing what he could to keep his daughter happy and healthy. When he got in from a long day of work and found a woman there, cleaning his house and cooking his supper, he knew he needed to keep her around. Would he be able to convince her that she belonged in his life? Or would she go home and forget all about them?

Katie Sanders is the youngest of Edna Petunia's adopted girls. With a voice like an angel, she sings for the family and the church her brother-in-law pastors in Nowhere. She has watched all fourteen of her sisters marry and have families, and she can't help but wonder if she'll ever have her chance. When fifteen new orphans end up in Nowhere with no homes, her eyes turn to their handsome headmaster.Aaron Cavett travels from New York to Texas with one thing on his mind. Placing his boys in the orphanage waiting for them and returning to New York to his job. When there is no home waiting for the boys, it becomes his duty to find adoptive families for all fifteen boys. During his time in Nowhere, he can't help but be a bit distracted by the beautiful Katie Sanders, an orphan like himself. Will he be able to find homes for his charges in time to return to his job in New York? Or will he leave be forced to depart before they have families…leaving love behind?

Betsy Sanders loves her life. She has a wonderful and often boisterous family. She has a job for a man who makes her a bit crazy, but it's good honest work, and she makes a decent wage. When a new man starts working for the auction house, she feels immediately drawn to him.Charles Brooks has been left with the burden of four younger siblings to raise. When he begins working for the local auction house, he's interested in getting to know the young lady who works there better. He hires her to help him with his home and younger siblings in an attempt to draw closer to her. His siblings immediately love her. Will Betsy's fear of getting too close too fast keep them apart? Or will Charles be able to convince her she's a necessary part of his life?

Eighteen year old Ruby has known for years that she would eventually marry her childhood sweetheart. When she's forced to move to Texas, it throws a kink in her plans, but she still knows that David will send for her, and they'll marry. After a year of living in Texas she receives a letter changing her whole world. Lewis moves to Nowhere, Texas, to start a new life with his sons after his wife leaves him for another man. When he's introduced to Ruby, he feels strongly that she would be the perfect wife and new mother for his boys. The only problem is she's engaged to someone else. When he finds out Ruby is no longer engaged, he takes the opportunity to make his move, asking her to marry him immediately. Will Ruby ever get over her feelings for her former fiancé and fall for Lewis? Or will they spend their lives trapped in a loveless marriage?

Martha Sanders has always been the quietest and least understood of the orphans adopted by Edna Petunia Sanders, and she likes it that way. When she has the opportunity to move to her sister's ranch and help her out with her growing family, she jumps at it. After all, she's never planning to marry, so what difference does it make if she's stuck in the country or spending time in town?When Andrew Ford moves to the McClain ranch, he has no idea he is looking for love. As soon as he spots his boss's sister-in-law, he knows he has feelings. He's ready to drop everything to marry the mysterious woman. No matter how many attempts he makes to get her attention, she simply doesn't seem interested. Will her shyness put him off? Or will he break through her barrier to the Martha inside?