Choose Me: mail order brides western historical romance

By Kent Hamilton

The story of every new love begins with a choice…

Kathy is alone.

The love of her life has died in a tragic accident.

The town she lives in shuns her, leaving her completely and utterly alone.

Deciding to move on with her life, she gives love another chance by becoming a mail order bride.

But her new husband, Paul Lowder, is not all that he seems.

When Kathy comes face to face with a stagecoach-robbing bandit, she begs for her life and for her possessions. To her surprise, the bandit lets her go, safe and well. Finally reaching her destination, Kathy finally makes it to the altar to meet her new husband for the first time.

It doesn't take her long to realize that she has met him somewhere before!

If you like romance, adventure and a dash of suspense, then you'll love this brand new mail-order bride novella!

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Heirs Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386715078

Kent Hamilton

Author Kent Hamilton has always had a natural flair for writing, right from his school years. A student of Columbia University, he has over 15 years of writing experience and is an avid reader of clean romance, dramatic fiction and the classics. Kent passion for evoking raw emotion and his honest representation of the human experience makes his work relatable to his readers. He enjoys drawing on the experiences of his surroundings, observing the behaviors of others and combining this with a healthy dose of imagination. He is a keen communicator with an eye for detail and this is reflected in his writing. Having written short stories since he was a teenager, Kent also contributes to online blogs and enjoys reviewing novels from new and established authors. He is constantly open to learning new things and thrives on reading fiction that evokes emotion and stimulated the senses. Prior to writing his clean romance novel Without a Hitch, Kent spent several years traveling around Australia where he met his current partner. He lives with her and their one year old daughter and his other passions include cooking, photography and film. Without a Hitch is a novel that questions the notion of true, lasting love and draws the reader into the hearts of its protagonists. Kent has recently started another romance story which he hopes to publish next year.

Book preview

Writing Letters

Kathy took a deep breath. This was it. The last opportunity for her to change her mind. She gazed down at the letter in her hand, surprised to see her hand trembling a little. She looked around, knowing that she was tired of this place, that she had to get away. The same voices, the same bodies, the same stories over and over, day after day. She was tired of the pitying glances, the whispers behind gloved hands. Steeling her resolve, Kathy took the final step and mailed her letter.

Wandering slowly back to her small house, Kathy felt a sense of relief wash over her. She would soon be finished with this place. Her thoughts turned back to when she had first moved here, a young excited bride. John had been everything she could have hoped for in a husband. He had been kind, loving and attentive, with a good job and a house she could make into a home. She had dreamed of their life together, of their children clinging to her ankles as she cooked dinner. Her hopes had been crushed in an instant, when news came of John’s sudden and tragic death a little over a year into their marriage and a few months after she’d received the news of her father’s death. John had been thrown from his horse and broken his neck, dying instantly. She’d shattered into a thousand pieces inside, and had been trying to put herself back together again since that dreadful day, but she could never quite find all the pieces. It was as though she’d forgotten who she was without John, her life now purposeless and empty. Yes, she had her home but it was no longer a home without him, instead a constant and painful reminder of the life they’d once shared. She was a widow now and this town had effectively shunned her, for no other reason than she was the newcomer as well as the image of what so many women feared they’d become.

Sitting one summer’s day, spending it alone and quiet, like so many of her days, Kathy had realised that she needed to move on. She needed to leave this town – and her memories of John – far behind her. Starting again was her only option and her only chance for children; staying here would be the death of her. She would probably slowly fade away, with no-one left to remember her. Both her parents had passed, and now John as well, so there was nobody left who cared where she lived or what she did. That meant there was no-one to judge her when she wrote a reply to an advert in the newspaper for a Mail Order Bride.

Man, 34, seeks woman with a loving disposition, intelligence and charm with an inclination towards matrimony. Must be hard working and willing to make a home together. After further correspondence, must be ready to travel west and marry immediately.

She had written back almost immediately, telling the anonymous writer that she was ready and willing to travel west as she was looking for a new start. She briefly mentioned she was a widow, but assured him that she had no children. In honesty, she wrote that whilst she was not ugly, she was not a beauty by any means but she was a hard worker and could turn any house into a home. Having written it and rewritten it three times, she had been satisfied with her fourth attempt, taking it to be mailed the very next day. Now all she had to do was wait for a reply.

A few weeks passed and Kathy became downhearted, having received no reply from the man in question. Eventually she resolved that she would not give up at the first rejection, instead deciding to find out if there were any more suitable adverts to which she might respond. Perhaps someone would want a 32 year old widow, who was willing to move west at any required moment!

A knock on her door interrupted her train of thought and, opening it, found a letter being waved in her face by a small boy.

The postmaster said you’d be wanting this, he said, handing her the letter.

Th – thank you, Kathy stuttered, taking the letter from him and staring at it for a few moments. A quiet cough reminded her that the boy was still waiting.

Oh yes, yes of course, she muttered, turning on her heel and searching for a coin to give him. Finding one, she handed it to him without a word, shutting the door and rushing back to the kitchen to read her letter. Sitting down at the kitchen table, she carefully opened the envelope and, with trembling hands, unfolded the single page within.

Mrs Oakley, the letter began. I was mighty pleased to receive your letter. I am still looking for a wife and it sounds like you might be the one for me. My name is Paul and I am seeking someone to marry me immediately as I need help me with the farm and the house. If you are still so inclined, please write me back and I will make arrangements. Sincerely, Paul Lowder.

Kathy pressed a shaking hand to her forehead. She could hardly believe it. Her life here was over and another life was beckoning her, if only she could be brave enough to answer its call. Gathering herself, she got up from the table on wobbly legs, looking for a pencil and paper. She would write back to him immediately confirming that, yes, she would consent to become Mrs Paul Lowder.

It took a good few weeks for Kathy to receive her reply but once she did so, she flew into action. Paul had given her instructions about how to travel to the little village of Farvale, stating that she should make her way to the general store and