Not So Pretty Penny

By Amy Lillard

Penelope Pinehurst didn't reach the ripe old age of twenty-five without knowing what the townspeople call her behind her back: Not So Pretty Penny. So when her neighbor declares his eternal love—citing her beauty among her many attributes—she knows he can only be after one thing: her family's land. With her father and brothers still not home from the war, Penny needs a husband to help her save the farm. But in a country still in recovery, marriageable men are in short supply, leaving her only one choice.  

George Washington Brannock is slated to hang for murder, never mind that he was framed. Only the pouch of gold delivered to the sheriff allows him to walk free. Well, almost free. He still has to marry the homely woman who paid for his life. She may have saved him from the gallows, but he's not staying with her forever. He'll help her plant her crops, then he's off to find the man who killed his sister.  

Penny knows that Wash is looking for revenge, but she only needs him until her family comes home. Yet with each passing day the hope that her father and brothers will return safely dwindles. Despite her optimism and faith, she begins to believe that she's all alone in the world. All alone except for her husband. The more time she spends with Wash, the more she starts to care for him. She might not be pretty, but she's smart enough to know that when he leaves she'll end up heartbroken.  

Wash soon learns that God has given him a second chance. Suddenly his life has meaning. He finds himself not only wanting to stay and farm the harsh Kansas prairie, but falling in love with his wife. Then the killer shows up at the farm and Wash has to choose between the wife he never wanted and the justice he deserves. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: A Squared Books
• Release date: Jan 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393006657

Amy Lillard

Amy Lillard is an award-winning author of over forty novels and novellas ranging from Amish romance and mysteries to contemporary and historical romance. Since receiving a Carol Award for her debut novel, Saving Gideon, she has become known for writing sweet stories filled with family values, honest characters, a hometown feel, and close-knit communities. Born and bred in Mississippi, she now lives with her husband and son in Oklahoma. For more information, visit AmyWritesRomance.com.

Book preview

Chapter One

Kansas, 1867

Penelope Pinehurst marched down the wooden sidewalk ignoring the looks she received. She was accustomed to people staring at her, and frankly she didn’t care. She had a mission today, and she was going to see it through.

Her heart thumped in her chest at the thought of what she was about to do. Still, regardless of her anxiety over the situation, she had prayed about it, and she knew this was her only answer.

She paused at the entrance to the sheriff’s office and nervously smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. She really wished she had something better to wear for such a special occasion, but the war had been hard on them all. Still a day dress made from twice-turned-out flour sacks wasn’t the best attire to meet one’s destiny. And that’s exactly what she was here to do.

She stiffened her shoulders, cleared her throat, and strengthened her resolve. This was her answer. The only answer she had. With more aplomb than she truly had, she trooped into the building.

The sheriff sat behind his desk, feet braced on top, hands behind his head, hat tilted to shade his eyes from the sun streaming through the windows. She didn’t know if he was asleep, or merely ignoring her. He didn’t move as she came to a halt in front of his desk.

Ahem. She cleared her throat, hoping to gain his attention. No such luck. Ahem. Louder this time. But still he didn’t move.

Sheriff. She tried again. And still he didn’t move. Looking around she found a large book sitting to the side of his desk. She had no idea what it was doing there. As far as she knew the sheriff couldn’t read. Not one to cast stones, she was glad the book was there. It would serve her purpose nicely. She picked it up with both hands and released it, allowing it to land on the desk with a loud thwack.

What —? The sheriff was on his feet in an instant. It might’ve been hard for her to wake him, but he seemed to be very alert once she got him there.

He looked around as if he was somehow expecting to be ambushed, then caught sight of her and grimaced.

She didn’t mind. She was used to such looks. She got them from everybody she encountered. She didn’t care. He could look at her however he wanted. Just as long as he found her a husband.

Sheriff Riley, she started, I’m in need of a husband.

He eyed her warily as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. Was he afraid that she had set her sights on him? Not likely. The sheriff wasn’t marrying material and a lawman running off and getting killed was the last thing she needed. Her brother and her father had gone off to war and never came back. She still prayed every night that they would return and in her heart God assured her they would. She just had to keep on, to persevere. She had to have faith. And so she would. But more than faith, she needed a strong back to work the land, plant the seeds, and help bring in a crop. A strong back that she didn’t have. And then there was the little matter of her neighbor.

A husband? the sheriff asked.

She nodded, her tiny straw hat moving slightly with the motion. Her hat pin was a little on the worn side, not quite as strong as it used to be. But that wouldn’t matter as soon as she got this crop in.

I heard about this town where a woman could buy a husband if’n she had enough money. A husband from the gallows, see?

The sheriff gave a soft nod. Go on.

I find myself in need of a husband, she said. And I’d like to buy one of these men from the gallows to help me bring in a crop this year. She had done what she could last year on her own. And the year before. She had barely had enough to eke out an existence, but everyone around her had fared about the same. The war had devastated their small town of Cooper, Kansas. But now she needed more than to scrape by. She needed a full crop. She needed to start living again. The war was over and she didn’t want her father and brother coming home to empty fields, no money coming in, no way to support themselves.

Now, Miss Pinehurst, the sheriff started in that condescending tone she knew all too well. But she was prepared for it.

She tossed a small purse onto his desk. It jangled as it landed, the last of the money she’d saved. She only had enough for seeds and some supplies to get them through until the