Burrton Springs Brides Series - 1
A gun-toting, breeches-wearing wife wasn't what the minister ordered.
In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery's sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation's ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.
Jules Walker strides into Drew's life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle--more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she's not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.
Matrimony News, February 6, 1875 edition
Minister bachelor aged 27, height 5 feet 10 inches seeks genteel, honest and first-rate homemaker with a desire to serve God. Must be willing to marry by proxy and arrive in Burrton Springs, Kansas by May 1.
~*~
Burrton Springs, Kansas, Saturday, May 1, 1875
Dear Lord, please don’t let that creature be my new wife. Drew Montgomery swiped the sweat trickling a path down his neck and shoved the new hat back on his head. He squinted, taking in the lone passenger stepping from the stagecoach. At least, he thought it was a woman. He shielded his eyes from the sun, taking in the britches.
Britches? A gun belt strapped to a slim waist. He gulped. A rifle rested on her shoulder, and she wore a Stetson situated low on her brow. The figure shifted sideways, and Drew groaned, fearing his proxy mail-order bride had arrived by the look of all the curves. He squared his shoulders and crossed the street.
"Are you Montgomery?" Her coffee-brown gaze seared through him.
He snapped his gaping mouth shut and nodded. "Y-yes."
"Name’s Jules Walker." She shoved her hand into his and shook it so hard his teeth clattered. "I reckon, Jules Montgomery since we’re hitched." She waved a slip of paper in his face. "Got the paper here to prove it. So are you my husband or not?"
Drew caught a whiff of dirt. He coughed and cleared his throat.
She peered at him as if he were a chicken with one leg.
"I’m Drew." He managed to choke the words out. "Isn’t your name Julia?"
She scrunched her face, pushed her Stetson from her head, and allowed it to dangle from the string around her neck. Her brown hair scattered in disarray, slipping from a shoulder-length braid. "I can’t remember the last time I’ve been called Julia. Like I said, name’s Jules."
"But..." Drew let the word hang between them. No matter. "Where’re your things?"
"Got my knapsack and that there." She pointed to the top of the stagecoach. He expected to see a trunk, but a saddle rested there instead. What kind of woman brought a saddle into a marriage? What kind of woman showed up dressed like a man? No. No. Something was terribly wrong.
* This is fun and interesting tale of two complete strangers. Reverend Drew was very upright and proper and Jules has been raised by the seat of her pants by an older brother, only a couple years older than she.Her parents denied as she was barely a toddler. You will enjoy the fau pas that Jules unknowingly makes. When an unscrupulous man decides to get even he puts not only Jules and her husband but her sister and brother-in-law and their unborn child at risk. You will definitely enjoy reading this one.
~ I thoroughly enjoyed this book with lots of smiles and chuckles. The mail-order bride intrigued me, and I felt her sorrows and insecurities and rooted for her when she got riled and feisty. The mystery of her secret kept me turning the page and while I went about my day, I wondered how it was going to work out for her as I was eager to sit down and resume the story as soon as I could. There's an exciting and sweet ending to the story.
* I loved it. I laughed and cried with the heroine and her valiant efforts to fit into her new life. Not only is there humor in the circumstances of Julia's life, the author knows how to play on words. The hero is genuine and swoon worthy in his efforts to be the husband Julia needs. Read and enjoy.
~ This book is one I won’t soon forget because it reminds me to have a gentle spirit and not to judge. I love that this is a book about living during hard times and the different struggles people faced trying to make ends meet. I absolutely loved Jules the minute she came across my eyes as I read her name. She is spunky, down to earth, protective and very humble at times. I laughed when Drew first saw her. Jules in her britches and toting guns is not what he expected as she stood there standing in front of him with anticipation of being his wife.