His Christmas Mail-Order Bride — Margery Scott

This is a sweet historical western romance short story.

Albert Cooke is lonely. Right down to his bones lonely. His beloved wife has been gone for more than a year, and he can't stand the thought of spending another winter alone. But loving another woman? That would never happen, but surely there had to be a woman somewhere out there who'd be content with only companionship and security.

With the South destroyed and no marriage prospects in her future, Leona Bentley heeds her mother's wishes and becomes a mail-order bride to a Colorado farmer in hopes that eventually, she can find husbands for her two sisters as well.

It doesn't take long for Leona to start falling in love with Albert, but how can she compete with the woman still in Albert's heart?

As Christmas approaches, Albert finds himself growing closer to Leona and thinking about the family he withdrew from after his wife's death. He misses them, and starts to wonder if it's possible for him to build a new life with Leona, the woman he's coming to care about more than he wants to.

Can the magic of Christmas and Albert's large family be what Albert needs to bring about a new beginning for them both?