Dorothy Clark - Mail-Order Bride Switch

His Imposter Bride

Garret Stevenson must find a bride or forfeit his newly built hotel. With his deadline approaching, he plans an in-name-only marriage with a maid who’ll cook and clean for his guests. When a pampered, pretty heiress arrives instead, the deception confirms Garret’s distrust of women. But Virginia Winterman has more substance than her elegant clothes suggest.

Fleeing West to escape a cruel suitor, Virginia finds a business arrangement with Whisper Creek’s brusque hotel owner is mutually beneficial, and she relishes being useful. Yet what was once a practical solution soon blossoms into a deeper union. Can Garret get past old betrayals before his future with Virginia slips away?

Award-winning author DOROTHY CLARK lives in rural New York. Dorothy enjoys traveling with her husband throughout the United States doing research and gaining inspiration for future books. Dorothy believes in God, love, family and happy endings, which explains why she feels so at home writing stories for Love Inspired Books. Dorothy enjoys hearing from her readers and may be contacted at dorothyjclark@hotmail.com.

Also By Dorothy Clark

Stand-In Brides

His Substitute Wife

Wedded for the Baby

Mail-Order Bride Switch

Pinewood Weddings

Wooing the Schoolmarm

Courting Miss Callie

Falling for the Teacher

A Season of the Heart

An Unlikely Love

His Precious Inheritance

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Mail-Order Bride Switch

Dorothy Clark

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08257-0

MAIL-ORDER BRIDE SWITCH

© 2018 Dorothy Clark

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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“You do not have to earn your way, Virginia. You’re my wife. It’s my duty to take care of you. As for Millie, she had entered an additional agreement with me to act as a maid and cook for a wage. I do not expect you to do the same.”

You’re my wife. Her heart pounded. If only she were his wife. His loved wife. Instead of a duty. She lowered her head lest he discern the turmoil of emotions reflected on her face. Emotions that unsettled and confused her.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes. I understand.” What you are saying. Not what is in your eyes.

“We’d better go in now. Before you get cold.”

She wasn’t at all cold. She was warm from his touch and the look in his eyes. She nodded and they started forward side by side. She looked at the road ahead and fought back tears. It was both too long and too short. Nothing was simple anymore.

Dear Reader,

I have enjoyed returning to Whisper Creek while writing Garret and Virginia’s story. I will miss the growing town and the people who have settled there, but as you may already know, the Love Inspired Historical line is closing. This is, therefore, my last Love Inspired Historical book. I am both sad and excited. I don’t know what the future holds for my writing—that is in the Lord’s hands. I will follow where He leads.

It has been my great pleasure to write the LIH stories for you. Thank you for your faithfulness in buying and reading them. And I thank you also for the multitude of letters and emails you have sent me over the years. I will miss hearing from you.

I hope you enjoyed Garret and Virginia’s story, and I thank you, dear reader, for choosing to read Mail-Order Bride Switch. If you care to share your thoughts about this story, I may be reached at dorothyjclark@hotmail.com or www.dorothyclarkbooks.com.

With deepest appreciation,

Dorothy Clark

Who can find a virtuous woman?

for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her...

—Proverbs 31:10–11

To my readers. Thank you for your years of faithfulness. I am so very grateful.

To my editor, Shana Asaro—I so appreciate your wonderful editing talent, your kindness and patience, your willingness to answer my questions and much, much more. I will miss working with you.

To the art department—thank you for the beautiful covers you have designed for my books over the years. I truly appreciate your talent and hard work.

And to Sam, my critique partner and friend. Once again, thank you. I don’t know what’s ahead—but I sure hope you’ll be with me.

“Commit thy works unto the Lord,

and thy thoughts shall be established.”

—Proverbs 16:3

Your Word is truth. Thank You, Jesus.

To God be the glory.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Medicine Bow Mountains, Wyoming Territory

January 1869

Garret Stevenson kicked the snow off his boots, climbed the steps to the roofed platform of the Union Pacific Railroad station and stopped. Light from the train’s lamp pierced the deepening twilight. Snowflakes shimmered in its gleam, were swallowed by the smoke the wind wrenched from the stack. He slid his gaze over the few passengers whose business had driven them from the train to brave the winter cold. There was only one woman among them. She had to be the one. His chest tightened. The flames in the oil lamps flickered and snow swirled through the frigid air, making vision difficult. He clenched his jaw, yanked the brim of his hat lower and started forward, noted the woman’s fur-trimmed hat and coat and stopped. The woman couldn’t be Millie Rourk. No maid would wear such a costly coat and hat. Or carry a fur muff. He frowned and swerved toward the passenger car.