The Reliable Cowboy

Isabella Johnston lost her husband to the sea, and now she wants to get as far from the coast as she can. She is tired of always worrying about men on the water. When she hears about a plan to send mail-order brides from her church to Wyoming Territory, she sees it as the ideal chance to move far from the ocean. She leaves Maine to marry a cowboy, reasoning that he will be safe on the ranch. Edwin Gray is being considered for the job of ranch foreman by the owner. This job would include a small cabin, and Edwin decides to put his name on the list for a mail-order bride. Afterward, he wonders if that was a mistake. If a bride comes for him, and he doesn’t get the promotion to foreman, how can he marry her? He needs to be sure he’ll have a place for them to live. Isabella arrives, and they wait for word from the rancher. Every time Edwin is late for an engagement, she finds herself worrying. Has he had an accident, the way her first husband did? What could be horrible enough to make him late for their wedding?