His Brother's Bride — Susannah Calloway

Abigail makes a life-altering mistake when she's twenty years old. She elopes with Derreck Anderson who promises her marriage, but instead abandons her in New York City after he learns she's expecting his child. Worse than that-he pawns her off to a gang leader named Otto as payment for his gambling bets. During the ensuing five years, Abigail lives in hellish circumstances. Her only respite is her son Robert and the church-which is the only place Otto allows her to go freely. When her friend, Reverend Francis, answers a matrimonial ad in her place and urges her to escape, she makes her run for freedom.Richard Anderson is a hardworking, dedicated, and honorable gentleman who works tirelessly on his farm. After his parents' sudden death, he lives there alone with Aunt Maud. At a friend's urging, Richard posts an advert looking for a wife-but little does he know that the woman who answers his advert is the one whose life had been ruined by his very own troublemaking younger brother, Derreck.But Derreck isn't home, and Abigail doesn't like to talk about her past, so neither of them learn the truth of their volatile situation until it is too late...