A Child for Christmas: Confederate Widows, Spinsters, and Proxy Brides

A woman desperate to begin again. A man who longs for connection. Only a baby stands in the way of their happily ever after.Charlotte Reynolds lost both her fiancé and her father during the War of Northern Aggression. She and her sister Esther struggled to hang on to the family’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. Unfortunately, Esther sacrificed her virtue to pay the taxes and died as a result.With no home, her sister's newborn, and the cool weather of winter in the offing, Charlotte seizes on the chance to marry a man in the West. The only catch is she must marry him sight unseen in a proxy ceremony. She will face any obstacle to keep her nephew safe, even marry a Yankee!Butch Whaley needs a woman’s chatter to get through the winter. The previous year he nearly went mad spending the season by himself on the land he homesteaded, land he had gotten free as a veteran of the recent war. He craved the noise of another person. Everyone knew women talked a lot, so a wife was guaranteed to end his loneliness.Only, he wants one without encumbrances. A woman who has never been married would suit him best. He is working hard to establish his ranch. He did not intend for stepchildren to inherit it. No, it would not be like what happened when Pa left his store to his stepson Ike instead of to Butch.When he risks being caught in a snowstorm to collect his Christmas bride, he is in for a shock. The woman arrives with a baby she says is hers.Will Butch honor the promise he made when he signed the proxy form or will he lose out on future happiness because of past hurt?