“He’s gonna be my new pa,” Ginny said.

Judge Gray nodded approval. “In that case, I’d say he’s one lucky man.”

The happy look on Ginny’s face made Emily’s heart swell with joy. Rusty had accepted a grooming job in Boston so that Ginny could attend Perkins Institution for the Blind.

The Rocking M school, as it was now known, would continue without her. When word got out how Emily had taught a little blind girl, local parents began clamoring for her help. Emily now had a total of six students, and more were on the way.

As much as Emily hated to see Ginny, Rusty, and Peggy Sue leave the ranch, the move would open up a whole new world for Ginny. She might never get her wish to touch the moon, but the school would certainly help her reach for the stars.

“All right, you two,” the judge said, indicating with a pointed finger where he wanted Emily and Chase to stand. “You know the routine.”

Tucking her hand in his own, Chase drew Emily into place by his side.

She barely remembered the fiasco of their first wedding, but she would never forget a single moment of the second.

This time, Emily wore a simple gingham dress she’d made herself. It was plainer than her first wedding dress, the simple lines more suited to the life she had now chosen. In keeping with her new lifestyle, no dainty slippers adorned her feet. This time, she chose to wed in her sturdy cowboy boots, just as a proper rancher’s wife would do.

If their child should ever ask about their wedding day, this was the one Emily would describe. Your father looked so handsome, she would say. And your mama was so happy, she couldn’t stop smiling.

At Chase’s request, she wore no veil. He wanted to make sure he was marrying the right woman this time. Instead of a veil, Emily wore flowers in her hair.

“Let’s get on with it,” the judge said. He stood in front of Chase and Emily.

This time, no stampeding cattle drowned out his words. No veil came between her and Chase. This time, only tears of pure joy blurred her vision.

“Do you, Emily McKnight, take this man again…”

“Oh yes,” she said, not giving the judge a chance to complete his sentence. “I do, I do, I do!”

For more Margaret Brownley check out
the A Match Made in Texas series

Left at the Altar

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Author’s Note

Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoyed reading Emily and Chase’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is the second book in the Haywire Brides series, and I’m now writing the third.

I love reading and writing mail-order bride stories set in the Old West. It’s hard to imagine a young woman traveling west to marry a man she’d never set eyes on.

The original catalog-bride business grew out of necessity. The lack of marriageable women in the west was partly responsible, but so was the Civil War. The war not only created thousands of widows but a shortage of men, especially in the South.