Karen Kirst - Bride By Arrangement

Mail-Order Matchmaking

Newly minted Cowboy Creek sheriff Noah Burgess doesn’t want a wife—despite his friends insisting that he needs one. So when they send for a big-city single mother to be his mail-order bride, he’s fit to be tied. Even if vivacious Grace Longstreet might just be the only person who can see past Noah’s scars...and help him heal.

Grace needs a husband to keep her and her twin daughters out of her brother-in-law’s grasp. And she’ll do anything—including taking on her cousin’s identity—to find one. But as the attraction between Grace and the lawman sparks higher, she begins hoping for a real marriage. So she needs to tell the truth...or a mail-order match that’s meant to be could crumble.

“I’m afraid you’ve come all the way out here from...”

“Chicago.”

“Chicago.” Of course. Lots of wealthy industrialists in that fine city. Was there a shortage of acceptable men her age? Both sides of the war had lost significant numbers.

With the rush of adrenaline fading, he began to notice details about her. Miss Longstreet wasn’t a classic beauty. Her features were too interesting. Slightly playful. It was the eyebrows, he decided. Sweeping over large, expressive eyes, the dark slashes formed a natural arch and were set in perpetual inquisitiveness.

No, it wasn’t the brows. It was her unusually shaped mouth. Soft and pink, the top lip curved in a smooth arc above the full lower one. A tiny freckle hovered above it on the right. Definitely intriguing.

He blinked those thoughts away. Intriguing or not, the city girl wasn’t staying.

Folding his arms across his chest, he delivered a glare that made most townsfolk quiver in their boots. “The trip was a waste, Miss Longstreet. I am not, nor will I ever be, in the market for a bride.”

* * *

Cowboy Creek: Bringing mail-order brides, and new beginnings, to a Kansas boomtown

Want Ad Wedding—Cheryl St.John, April 2016

Special Delivery Baby—Sherri Shackelford, May 2016

Bride by Arrangement—Karen Kirst, June 2016

KAREN KIRST was born and raised in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. A lifelong lover of books, it wasn’t until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. Now she divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom and romance writer. Her favorite pastimes are reading, visiting tearooms and watching romantic comedies.

Bride by Arrangement

Karen Kirst

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

—Philippians 2:3

To Elen Matuszkova—even though thousands of miles separate us, you’re still close to my heart. We love and miss you.

Many thanks to editor Elizabeth Mazer for choosing to work with me again. It’s been a pleasure. And to my fellow authors in this continuity, Cheryl St.John and Sherri Shackelford. I’ve enjoyed working with you both.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Mail-Order Matchmaking Newly minted Cowboy Creek sheriff Noah Burgess doesn’t want a wife—despite his friends insisting that he needs one. So when they send for a big-city single mother to be his mail-order bride, he’s fit to be tied. Even if vivacious Grace Longstreet might just be the only person who can see past Noah’s scars...and help him heal. Grace needs a husband to keep her and her twin daughters out of her brother-in-law’s grasp. And she’ll do anything—including taking on her cousin’s identity—to find one. But as the attraction between Grace and the lawman sparks higher, she begins hoping for a real marriage. So she needs to tell the truth...or a mail-order match that’s meant to be could crumble.

Introduction “I’m afraid you’ve come all the way out here from...” “Chicago.” “Chicago.” Of course. Lots of wealthy industrialists in that fine city. Was there a shortage of acceptable men her age? Both sides of the war had lost significant numbers. With the rush of adrenaline fading, he began to notice details about her. Miss Longstreet wasn’t a classic beauty. Her features were too interesting. Slightly playful. It was the eyebrows, he decided. Sweeping over large, expressive eyes, the dark slashes formed a natural arch and were set in perpetual inquisitiveness. No, it wasn’t the brows. It was her unusually shaped mouth. Soft and pink, the top lip curved in a smooth arc above the full lower one. A tiny freckle hovered above it on the right. Definitely intriguing. He blinked those thoughts away. Intriguing or not, the city girl wasn’t staying. Folding his arms across his chest, he delivered a glare that made most townsfolk quiver in their boots. “The trip was a waste, Miss Longstreet. I am not, nor will I ever be, in the market for a bride.” * * * Cowboy Creek: Bringing mail-order brides, and new beginnings, to a Kansas boomtown Want Ad Wedding—Cheryl St.John, April 2016 Special Delivery Baby—Sherri Shackelford, May 2016 Bride by Arrangement—Karen Kirst, June 2016

About the Author KAREN KIRST was born and raised in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. A lifelong lover of books, it wasn’t until after college that she had the grand idea to write one herself. Now she divides her time between being a wife, homeschooling mom and romance writer. Her favorite pastimes are reading, visiting tearooms and watching romantic comedies.

Title Page Bride by Arrangement Karen Kirst www.millsandboon.co.uk

Bible Verse Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. —Philippians 2:3

Dedication To Elen Matuszkova—even though thousands of miles separate us, you’re still close to my heart. We love and miss you. Many thanks to editor Elizabeth Mazer for choosing to work with me again. It’s been a pleasure. And to my fellow authors in this continuity, Cheryl St.John and Sherri Shackelford. I’ve enjoyed working with you both.

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

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Cowboy Creek, Kansas

June 1868

Noah Burgess wasn’t cut out to be sheriff. He’d worn the badge less than three days and had already failed the town he’d helped found. Seemed one simple task—rounding up the Murdoch brothers and their band of outlaws, men who’d managed to relieve the bank of its gold and end Sheriff Davis’s life—was beyond him.

Muscles stiff from long hours in the saddle, his shirt clinging to his sticky, sweat-slicked skin, he welcomed the sight of his homestead rising up from the sea of prairie grass. The steadfast sun painted everything in a butter-yellow haze. The one-and-a-half-story cabin wasn’t grand or vast like his friends’ houses. In fact, with its awkward roofline and porch awning dissecting the front facade, the home he’d designed and constructed was somewhat of an eyesore.