Crane's Bride

Preparing to travel west to begin a new life, Byler Crane has thought of everything. Everything, that is, except a wife.

An impromptu ad placed in the local mercantile brings Maggie Malone--and a whole lot more than he bargained for--into his life. Before the ink on their marriage certificate dries, the feisty new bride has managed to add a foundling girl and a young boy to the "family."

But this family is like no other, with each member full of secrets, surprises, and fears. Will their journey west meld them into a real family? Will the old Bible that Crane's mother entrusted to him help them find healing for their broken pasts?

Heartsong Presents #463, December, 2001.