As a result, marriage brokers and heart-and-hand catalogs popped up all around the country. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, lonely men even wrote to the Sears catalog company asking for brides. (The latest such letter received by Sears was from a lonely marine during the Vietnam War.)

In those early days, advertisements cost five to fifteen cents, and letters were exchanged along with photographs. Fortunately, the telegraph and train made communication easier.

Not all marriage brokers were legitimate, and many a disappointed client ended up with an empty bank account rather than a contracted mate.

For some mail-order couples, it was love (or lust) at first sight. In 1886, one man and his mail-order bride were so enamored with each other that they scandalized fellow passengers on the Union Pacific Railroad during their honeymoon.

Not every bride was so lucky. In her book Hearts West, Chris Enss tells the story of mail-order bride Eleanor Berry. On the way to her wedding, her stage was held up at gunpoint by four masked men. While signing the marriage license, she suddenly realized that her new husband was one of the outlaws who had robbed her.

No one seems to know how many mail-order brides there were during the 1800s, but the most successful matchmaker of all appears to be Fred Harvey. He wasn’t in the mail-order bride business, but by the turn of the century, five thousand Harvey Girls had found husbands while working in his restaurants. Until next time,

Margaret

Acknowledgments

You would think that after publishing as many books as I have, the writing would get easier. It doesn’t. If anything, it gets harder. After writing more than forty-five books, the biggest challenge for me is keeping my stories fresh and each couple’s story unique.

I mention this because even old veterans like me need support and encouragement. Especially on the days when my characters refuse to talk to me and the writing stinks. That’s when you need the most support. But there are other times too.

The one person who always stands ready to help is my wonderful agent, friend, mentor, and all-round adviser, Natasha Kern. She’s been there for me during the many professional and personal ups and downs of this writer’s life. I don’t know how she does it, but I always feel better after talking to her, and I cherish our talks.

I also consider myself extremely lucky to write for Sourcebooks. I’m especially grateful that Mary Altman is my editor. She has some sort of sixth sense that can zero in on any weakness in a manuscript, and her comments are always right on target.

A special thank-you also goes to Chris Cocozza for Cowboy Charm School’s sweet, romantic cover. That’s just how I pictured my couple!

I’m also grateful to my dear family and friends who think my habit of talking to myself weird but love me anyway. Finally, a great big thank-you to you, my readers. You make it all worthwhile.