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Christine Sterling

A woman stronger than she realizes, the man who underestimates her love, and the adventure of a lifetime that waits for them on the trail.

Ingrid Aland is heartbroken when she hears Weston Chapman has decided to join a wagon train headed west. All her dreams of marriage, children, and living surrounded by family are about to die in an instant unless she steps out in faith and lets Wes know her feelings, and follows him into the great unknown.

Weston Chapman has heard the stories of extreme hardship on the trail. Subjecting a fragile Ingrid to those is the last thing he wants to do. It doesn't matter that he is leaving his heart behind in Boston. He promised to send for her as soon as he settles, but Ingrid has other plans. When Weston discovers Ingrid and her best friend hidden away in the back of his wagon, will he send her home or keep her with him forever?

When a secret is revealed on the journey, will it rip apart friendships? Will the Chapmans be able to stay on the train? Will the Christmas season bring hope and healing to two young couples trying desperately to fulfill their dreams?

Come spend some time in Flat River, Nebraska. A small town filled with the strong men and women that settled the wild west of the Nebraska Plains from 1860 to 1880. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

Derek Dysart

Barr26 Publishing, LLC

First Families of Flat River

First Christmas at Flat River

All that widow Regina Graham wants to do is provide a home for her children. After being separated from their wagon train, they managed to go unnoticed along the banks of a nearby small creek. With harsh winter weather looming over them, she isn’t sure how much longer they can survive. The last thing she expects is to be accused of trespassing by a large mountain man who scares her more than any winter storm ever could! With nowhere to go, and no way to survive, she can't imagine why a stranger would help her or her children or what he possibly wants in return.

Fur-trapper Joseph Moore can't believe someone has been stealing his traps, but he intends to get to the bottom of it one way or another. When the smell of roasted rabbit draws him to an abandoned line shack on the edge of his property, the last thing he expects to find is a terrified woman and her two small children hiding. Hungry and cold, Joseph knows they won't survive the approaching winter storm even if he allows them to stay. Left with no other choice, he takes them to his cabin to wait out the storm, with the intention of delivering them to the marshal in Flat River as soon as the weather clears. With Christmas fast approaching, Regina’s two children prepare for the holiday and Joseph finds himself caught up in the excitement.

Determined to bring a bit of joy to a family who has lost so much, dare Joseph to hope for his own miracle. Can he make Regina His Christmas Bride?

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming holiday story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Come spend time in Flat River, Nebraska. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

His Christmas Bride

Owen Chapman has dreams as big as the Nebraska sky. What happens when a body turns up on the Chapman ranch and the dead man’s bride comes calling demanding answers?

Owen Chapman’s plans of starting his own horse ranch are finally coming true. With his brothers as his business partners, he knows there is no way to fail. What he didn’t expect was a southern belle to arrive and resurrect a ten-year feud that he thought was finally in the past.

Elenore ‘Ellie’ Brooks longs for marriage, children, adventure and a life out West. When her plans change, she answers an advertisement for a mail order bride. But when she arrives in Flat River, Nebraska nothing is as she imagined and she finds herself pushed off on a local family until she can return home. What she didn’t count on was the broody oldest brother and the way he made her question her choices in life.

Can Ellie convince Owen not to send her back home on the next stage leaving town? Will Owen be able to let her go when the dead man's brother comes calling, hoping for Ellie’s hand in marriage?

This book was originally titled OWEN and released as part of the series called The Chapmans. It has been retitled and incorporated into the First Families of Flat River so the series may be expanded and include many new stories for you to enjoy, not just limiting it to one family. Nothing else has changed from when it was originally published.

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Come spend time in Flat River, Nebraska. A small town filled with the strong men and women that settled the wild west of the Nebraska Plains from 1860 to 1880. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

Not His Mail Order Bride

Oliver Chapman is living his best life; he has everything he needs, with no intention of getting married. That is, until a mysterious woman shows up on his ranch. Can a marriage of convenience lead to Oliver losing his heart?

A battered woman is the last thing Oliver Chapman expected to see when he was scouting on the range. He knew he had no choice but to take her home to his ranch to allow her to heal. But getting close to Willow is proving more difficult than the horses that run wild on the prairie.

Willow Stephens doesn’t trust men. She was used in payment by her brother for a gambling debt, and the man who owns that debt is one of the meanest she has ever known. When she kills a man in Flat River, Nebraska, she knows she must run. What she doesn’t count on is being rescued by a tall handsome cowboy, nor his family who will protect her with everything they have.

When the law comes looking for Willow, will Oliver make the ultimate sacrifice to protect her? Will he lose his heart and freedom in the process? Will Willow learn to trust Oliver enough to give him her heart? Can love conquer all things and let the truth set them free?

This book was originally titled OLIVER and released as part of the series called The Chapmans. It has been retitled and incorporated into the First Families of Flat River so the series may be expanded and include many new stories for you to enjoy, not just limiting it to one family. Nothing else has changed from when it was originally published.

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Come spend time in Flat River, Nebraska. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

Cherishing His Rescued Bride

A man yearning for forgiveness. A woman fulfilling a promise; the danger that brings them together.

Caleb Chapman has never recovered from his brother’s death. He blames himself and vows to spend his remaining days protecting his family. The chance for adventure calls when he leads a cattle drive from Texas to Nebraska. What he doesn’t expect is to find a beautiful woman with no memory of who she is or how she got there.

Lydia Whitcomb has no memory of why she’s on the run or protecting a seven-year-old boy. She just knows that something terrible has happened and she is now on a cattle drive to Nebraska. What she doesn’t expect is a handsome cowboy to watch over her until her memory can return.

What is the secret Lydia has been hiding? Will Lydia be able to hide her feelings for Caleb as easily as she hides her memories? Once her secret comes to light, will it tear the couple apart, or finally be the reckoning they need?

This book was originally titled CALEB and released as part of the series called The Chapmans. It has been retitled and incorporated into the First Families of Flat River so the series may be expanded and include many new stories for you to enjoy, not just limiting it to one family. Nothing else has changed from when it was originally published.

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Come spend time in Flat River, Nebraska. A small town filled with the strong men and women that settled the wild west of the Nebraska Plains from 1860 to 1880. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

Sheltering Her Courageous Heart

She wants the adventure of a lifetime; he needs to heal old family wounds. If they are going to help each other, they cannot fall in love along the way.

Polly Phillips is headed west to help her best friend get married. She dreams of leaving the confines of the city behind and embracing cowboys, horses, and a sky bluer than anything she had ever seen. Why she even might try to snag a husband for herself! How lucky that she runs into a group of cowboys when her stage breaks down at the edge of Flat River. What she didn't count on was her first introduction to Everett Chapman being wrapped in his arms as he carried her to town.

Everett has no time for a city slicker, especially one trespassing through his property and issuing commands like a general. It doesn't matter how pretty she is, or how he would like to keep her quiet by kissing her lips. As the youngest son, he is the last hope in healing a family conflict going back nearly thirty years. When he is being pushed to marry his neighbor's daughter, Annamae Hartman, how can he concentrate on courtship, when every thought is consumed with the pretty blonde from the south?

When Annamae goes to Polly for help catching a husband, is Polly delivering the other woman into the arms of the man Polly loves? Can the attraction between Polly and Everett be pushed aside to help the Chapman family heal? Will Polly find the adventure she wants, even if it isn't the one she was seeking?

This book was originally titled EVERETT and released as part of the series called The Chapmans. It has been retitled and incorporated into the First Families of Flat River so the series may be expanded and include many new stories for you to enjoy, not just limiting it to one family. Nothing else has changed from when it was originally published.

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

A Sweet Cure for the Grumpy Brother

Tired of four older brothers scaring off every suitor, Alice decides to take matters into her own hands. What she didn’t expect was for the family’s childhood friend to notice how grown-up she was, and vow to protect her, even if it is from her own family.

Alice Chapman ran away from home to be with a man she thought would love, honor, and cherish her. When her dreams turned into nightmares she is finally rescued and brought back home to Flat River, Nebraska. Now she has no prospects of ever getting married because most men consider her damaged goods. What she didn't expect was her best friend's older brother noticing her. She would love an opportunity to get to know Chat Hartman again, but her pesky older brothers stand in the way!

Chat Hartman has other things on his mind than starting a romance with anyone. He must deal with the death of the man he thought was his father and the realization that his real father lived right next door. Then why is he so drawn to the shy Alice Chapman? He knows she lived through a terrible ordeal, and it crushed her outgoing personality. It doesn't help that he has a long-standing feud with her older brothers, which intensifies due to a misunderstanding in town.

Can Chat fight the attraction he has for Alice? When he proposes a marriage of convenience, will he be able to solve both of their problems? Will Alice ever feel safe in the dark again; and is her heart in danger once more from the handsome man determined to rescue her from her past?

This book was originally titled ALICE and released as part of the series called The Chapmans. It has been retitled and incorporated into the First Families of Flat River so the series may be expanded and include many new stories for you to enjoy, not just limiting it to one family. Nothing else has changed from when it was originally published.

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Loving an Honorable Man

Annamae Hartman shouldn’t be alive. After nearly dying from a fever that addled her brain, she doesn’t take anything for granted and has found joy again in the simple things. No matter how much Sawyer Mills brings her joy, he is not simple! When she refuses to see him after a botched proposal, the last thing she expected was to be quarantined with him, alone, with the same fever that nearly claimed her life. When the minister insists, Annamae marries Sawyer for proprietary’s sake. She does it reluctantly and ends up half-married to a man who has no recollection of the wedding!

Sawyer Mills is quite content with his life. His job is physically demanding, and he relishes every minute of it. What he doesn’t expect is to be stricken with a deadly fever in the middle of summer, and to be taken care of by the very woman that turned down his proposal just months before! He knows he messed up but plans on using every moment they have together to court Annamae the way he intended.

As Annamae nurses him back to health, can he convince her to take a second chance on his proposal? When Sawyer realizes that Annamae has lied to him about marriage, will he find it in his heart to forgive her? What happens when Sawyer decides that maybe his feelings and their half-marriage are too real to ignore?

★★ Get lost in this heartwarming story with a touch of humor and faith. ★★

Come spend time in Flat River, Nebraska. A small town filled with the strong men and women that settled the wild west of the Nebraska Plains from 1860 to 1880. Flat River is home to unique characters, strong heroines, swoony heroes, and stories that will stand the test of time. All these wholesome stories can be read by readers of all ages. They are filled with family values, romance, humor, and a sprinkle of faith.

First Families of Flat River - The book series

First Families of Flat River - The book series

First Families of Flat River books in order

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