Thanksgiving Brides Series by Zina Abbott, V. McKevitt

A time for love in nineteenth century America, a time to be thankful. Shortly before Thanksgiving, 1881, Lila Cleod is called home from the Iowa City, Iowa, where she works as a nanny and attends the University of Iowa. However, this Thanksgiving, she doubts she will find much to celebrate or be thankful for. Her father has died. After the funeral, she will learn if he left her, his oldest daughter by his first marriage, anything in his will... moreA time for love in nineteenth century America, a time to be thankful. Shortly before Thanksgiving, 1881, Lila Cleod is called home from the Iowa City, Iowa, where she works as a nanny and attends the University of Iowa. However, this Thanksgiving, she doubts she will find much to celebrate or be thankful for. Her father has died. After the funeral, she will learn if he left her, his oldest daughter by his first marriage, anything in his will. She suspects his second wife and Lila’s half-brother, three-year-old Wellborn, will get the lion’s share. Will she be able to complete her course of study and qualify to become a teacher?David Manchester, Junior, having been sent by his father to escort his three younger half-siblings home from a visit to their New York grandparents he does not share, looks forward to returning to his job as his father’s assistant on Littleton, Colorado’s Highline Canal construction project. After reboarding the train in Iowa City, Iowa, his siblings point out a young woman dressed in mourning clothes sitting within the pair of facing benches they formerly occupied. What David notices is the obnoxious, middle-aged drummer leaning over the back of her bench and placing his face too close to her ear. The man's loud bragging had annoyed David since boarding in Chicago. Deciding to not only reclaim his former seats, but hopefully, to rescue the young woman without adding to her discomfort, siblings in hand, he makes a bold move.Will this Thanksgiving season bring Lila only sorrow, or will it include the promise of love and future blessings? less

Mrs. Charlotte Dunbar has been widowed for longer than she was a wife, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like a good engagement or the drama of two young people coming together! Especially when she feels they just need a little help to see the match was meant to be. Five years ago, Ginger Carlyle turned down a marriage proposal that everyone, including Jacob Noble, thought she would agree to... moreMrs. Charlotte Dunbar has been widowed for longer than she was a wife, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like a good engagement or the drama of two young people coming together! Especially when she feels they just need a little help to see the match was meant to be. Five years ago, Ginger Carlyle turned down a marriage proposal that everyone, including Jacob Noble, thought she would agree to.Five years ago, Jacob Noble took a job in a northern California mining town that he hoped would help him to forget the love he’d left behind in Ashton. But there was no way he could forget Ginger, or his own broken heart.Back in Ashton, Ginger has been beset by tragedy after tragedy. After her father’s death, she is the only one who can care for her ailing mother and manage the family house and land. Selling eggs and baked goods to make ends meet, Ginger and her mother survive out of sheer determination and hard work. But hard work isn’t enough when the bank comes looking for the mortgage payments. Unable to tell her mother the truth about their dire financial circumstances, Ginger will have to work even harder to make sure that their Thanksgiving holiday is as joyful as it always was when her father was alive.However, after Ginger is accused of stealing from her new employer, her whole world is turned upside down. She's dragged to the sheriff’s office where she's shocked to discover the new deputy is none other than the very man whose proposal she turned down all those years ago. Can she trust Jacob to help prove her innocence? Or is he still harboring a grudge against her for refusing his hand in marriage?As the past is re-visited and secrets come to light, is there hope that justice will be Ginger's in time for Thanksgiving?Trust the local matchmaker to make sure! less

Returning from caring for a sick aunt, Caitlyn O’Mara travels back to the ranch, anxious to return to her horse breeding program. A charming stranger boards the stagecoach, and she enjoys a flirtation. When a broken wheel rolls the coach, everyone is injured and alone on the Texas prairie.Mateo Beltran is on his way to investigate specially trained horses. He’s on the lookout for cutting horses to give him the edge for the roping event in the newly established professional rodeo... moreReturning from caring for a sick aunt, Caitlyn O’Mara travels back to the ranch, anxious to return to her horse breeding program. A charming stranger boards the stagecoach, and she enjoys a flirtation. When a broken wheel rolls the coach, everyone is injured and alone on the Texas prairie.Mateo Beltran is on his way to investigate specially trained horses. He’s on the lookout for cutting horses to give him the edge for the roping event in the newly established professional rodeo. An accident leaves him injured with his future career in jeopardy.Determined they are the most physically fit, Caitlyn and Mateo lean on each other to reach the next stagecoach stop. Trust develops but will it last when they discover an unknown connection? less