Fool's Iron — Melissa Maygrove

The way to a man's heart is through his ego.The way to a woman's heart is through her child. Debutante Magdalene Rose Meriwether's fall from grace and banishment from Indianapolis society left her shocked and heartbroken-and hellbent on salvaging what was left of her life. Her problems can be solved if she finds a husband in time. But, most important of all, her unborn child won't suffer the life of a bastard. Railroad construction worker Edgar Grimes spent his formative years raising his brother and holding a crumbling family together. He lost his mother to abuse, lost the only woman who'd ever favored him to another man, and lost his simple-minded brother to a life of crime. The same booze that washed his father into ruin is Edgar's means of coping with a life not much worth living-until he finds a well-dressed woman marching through the woods. Edgar poses as Maggie's husband while she searches for a real one. Will she play him for the fool his father always told him he was, or will Edgar be the champion Maggie needs? ***Note about content: Although the moral context of the story is old fashioned, Fool's Iron contains adult themes, graphic imagery, and descriptions of physical intimacy. It is intended for mature readers.