She didn’t come West to play house. He didn’t ask for a wife. But with two children caught in the middle, neither of them has much choice.
Charlotte McKinney was supposed to be married already. But after being left behind with nothing but a dress and a pile of canceled invitations, she agrees—grudgingly—to let her family enroll her in Miss Mabel’s Matchmaking Registry. A quiet marriage out West, far from the whispers and pitying looks, seems like the simplest way to salvage what’s left of her pride. She never expected to walk straight into a custody battle… or a life that’s already falling apart.
Beau Collins didn’t want a bride. What he wanted was to keep his children. But when his late wife’s wealthy parents petition the local judge to take the kids away—claiming his home is unstable and his ranch too dangerous—his sister takes matters into her own hands. A capable wife, even a reluctant one, might be his only chance to keep his family together.
But Charlotte isn’t the kind of woman who follows orders. And Beau isn’t the kind of man who asks for help. They may be stuck together by circumstance, but hearts are harder to wrangle than cattle, and love isn’t something either of them planned for.
Sometimes, the match you didn’t want becomes the one you can’t live without.
