His Ready-Made Family
Mason Chandler is home to meet his mail-order brideâsix months too late! Little wonder Emma Jones wants to honor his letter releasing her from their agreement, especially when Mason has returned from his fatherâs deathbed with two adopted girls in tow. And the dark secret heâs hiding makes the homesteader feel unworthy to woo anyone.
As the new schoolteacher in Pepin, Wisconsin, Emma can support herself without a husband. Yet sheâs touched by Masonâs kindness to his half sister and her orphaned companion. Taking the little girls under her wing comes naturally to Emmaâand they dearly want her for their mama. Can Mason break free of his past to fight for their surprise family?
A USA TODAY bestselling author of over forty novels, LYN COTE lives in the north woods of Wisconsin with her husband in a lakeside cottage. She knits, loves cats (and dogs), likes to cook (and eat), never misses Wheel of Fortune and enjoys hearing from her readers. Email her at [email protected]. And drop by her website, www.lyncote.com, to learn more about her books that feature âStrong Women, Brave Stories.â
Also By Lyn Cote
Wilderness Brides
Their Frontier Family
The Baby Bequest Heartland Courtship Frontier Want Ad Bride Suddenly a Frontier Father
The Gabriel Sisters
Her Captainâs Heart
Her Patchwork Family Her Healing Ways
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-08042-2
SUDDENLY A FRONTIER FATHER
© 2018 Lyn Cote
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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The day played through Emmaâs mind.
Her shock at meeting Mason Chandler on Main Street, seeing his two little girlsâthe silent and troubled Charlotte, the bright and sweet Birdieâand hearing the unguarded words heâd said when he woke after falling from the roof. Youâre so good. You could have been mine.
If only she was young and unmarked by war, she might have reacted differently. But for four years, she had prayed and hoped and kept up her spirits. Trusting that Jonathan, good-natured and honorable, would return whole and they would spend their life together. Instead heâd been buried in Virginia. She stopped her thoughts there.
She did not think of Jonathan often anymore. Mason Chandler returning and the words heâd said to her had brought it all backâall the pain, all the waiting. She would keep her distance from him. But then she remembered Mrs. Ashfordâs remark about judgment and little Lilyâs unusual reticence. Those girls, Charlotte and Birdieâhow could she help them?
Dear Reader,
Well, my stories of the twin mail-order brides comes to an end, a happy one. Mason discovered that his fatherâs past sins were not his own and Emma learned that her heart had not died with her first love. And sweet little Birdie and Charlotte have a real family at last.
This is the fifth story set in Pepin, Wisconsin. Iâve enjoyed researching and writing about this town so rich in history, beginning with the birth there of Laura Ingalls Wilder. If you recall, Pepin was the setting for Little House in the Big Woods, the first of the Little House stories.
The romances of Sunny and Noah (Their Frontier Family), Ellen and Kurt (The Baby Bequest), Rachel and Brennan (Heartland Courtship), Judith and Asa (Frontier Want Ad Bride) and finally Emma and Mason (Suddenly a Frontier Father) have been delightful stories to write. Iâve enjoyed each one and hope you have, too.