At the Altar

Savannah is tired of the dating scene, even though she wants to get married and have a family. She knows her mother will never move on with her own life as long as Savannah is single. Savannah goes to see a matchmaker, specializing in setting up couples who meet at the altar. At first, she thinks Scott is a dream come true, but his blundering soon makes her crazy. Scott, a Montana bison rancher, doesn't have time to find a wife. His work is all-encompassing. Besides, he tends to have a hard time getting women to go out with him more than once. When he runs into a matchmaker he's known all his life, he tells her about the problems he's had to see if she can help him. When he meets Savannah at the altar, his heart stops for a moment. She's exactly what he's looking for. Will their diverse backgrounds keep them apart? Or will they be able to work through their differences to make their marriage a loving relationship?

After the most recent in a stream of horrific blind dates, Addie's roommate suggests she see a professional matchmaker to try to find love, instead of allowing people who are less qualified to set her up. When she doesn't agree, her friend sets up a meeting without her knowledge. After meeting the woman, Addie decides to let her try to find someone for her, but she doesn't hold out much hope.Jake watched his best friend find love through the services of Matchrimony, but doesn't consider it himself. He's persuaded to contact matchmaker, Dr. Lachele, by his friend and his wife. When he meets his new bride, he's thrilled with the match. Will they be able to get past his obsession with his work to find love? Or will they give up too quickly?

Cindy Lambert thought she was done with the small town of Blevins, Wisconsin, but here she is, back in her home town, managing a bed and breakfast and following her grandmother's dream. The problem is, she's tired of being alone, and there are no single men for miles that she's interested in. Plus, with her busy schedule, she has no time to date anyway. When her best friend coerces her into contacting a matchmaker, she decides to make it work for her. Trey Zayne, a web designer from Texas is sick of his sister constantly trying to set him up with women he has no interest in. When he's contracted to do a website for a company called Matchrimony, he finds himself fascinated by the concept. A relational psychologist will interview him and find him a match. The only catch? They will meet at the altar. Can a techie from Texas fit in with a small town girl from Wisconsin? Will they find more than companionship and move straight to love?

Cissie Rivers finds herself jealous of her best friend, Cindy, for the first time in her life. Cissie's always been smart, pretty, and a wonderful singer, but Cindy has found love, and Cissie is still alone. She isn't sure how much longer she can wait for matchmaker, Lachele, to find her perfect man. Patience has never been one of her virtues. Deputy Sheriff, Bob Anderson, takes one look at Cissie Rivers and knows she's the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. The only problem is, he can't seem to approach her. Every time he even thinks about it, his tongue swells in his mouth so he's certain he'll start stammering. When he finds out that Cissie is waiting to be matched by Lachele, he contacts Matchrimony immediately. Will Cissie be able to forgive him when she realizes he's engineered the match? Or will she opt out of their marriage after the first year is up?

Samara Royal feels like life is passing her by. A bookworm who prefers to spend her free-time curled up with a good novel, she doesn't have a lot of opportunities to meet men. Watching her boss, Dr. Lachele, match up happy couple after happy couple only makes matters worse, so she goes to Lachele and puts her love life into the good doctor's hands. Henry Crider has a five year plan, but inheriting his brother's four year old twin daughters throws the plan all out of whack. He needs a nanny, housekeeper and cook all in one, so he approaches Matchrimony about finding him a bride. He can't fall in love for at least five years, so he needs to harden his heart. Surely his bride will be happy to be exempt from bedroom duties. When he sees Samara walking down the aisle toward him, he knows that she is what his heart needs. Will he be able to keep his vow of celibacy? Or will they fall for each other despite his plans?

Michaela Hunter is at a crossroads in her life. Having just graduated from college, she's about to lose her internship, which is her only job. When she's asked by friend and matchmaker, Lachele Simpson, to agree to marry a man chosen for her, sight unseen, she's hesitant. After a bit of convincing, Michaela agrees to the plan, though she has her doubts about how it will work out. Pastor Jon Larson has watched a couple matched by Matchrimony for eight months, and he's impressed with how well the couple does together. Frustrated with the single women in town chasing him, he gives Dr. Lachele a call, hoping she can find him a match like she found for his friend. As soon as he sees Michaela, he knows she's the woman for him. Will they survive the honeymoon? Or will the pressures of everyday life keep them from having the love they deserve?

Brenda Holt is certain she'll never find love. At the urging of her friend Michaela, she contacts a matchmaker, hoping the woman will work magic and find her a man she can spend her life with. The only catch is, they will be introduced at the altar. When she first meets Daniel Axford, she's convinced that Matchrimony has made its first mistake. After a rough childhood, Daniel establishes an online dating site, running the business as its CEO. When using his own company doesn't work well for him, he hires a matchmaker to find a suitable bride. Not expecting to feel more than a passing affection for his new bride, he's startled when he sees her, afraid if he gets too close, he'll lose his heart. Can he spend the rest of his life with this woman without falling in love? Or will she break through the wall he's built around himself to find the man within?

Michelle Strempel firmly believes that she isn't worthy of being loved. After her fiancé of almost three years tells her he's got to break off their engagement, she decides to take matters into her own hands. With all the hours she's spent planning a wedding, she's going to have one on the day she's planned. So she contacts Dr. Lachele Simpson from Matchrimony. Seth Henderson has no time to find a bride, but when he sees how happy his best friend, Daniel Axford, is with his new wife, he wants the same thing. He asks for a sweet little thing just like his friend received for a bride. When he meets Michelle, he can tell she's got an inner strength that surprises him. Will he be able to get past her fears that she's unlovable? Or will they spend the rest of their lives in a loveless marriage?

Nurse Heidi Hart feels life is passing her by. All her close friends from school have married and have children, and she wants what they have. Her job keeps her from dating because she works so many hours, and she's not interested in the bar scene anyway. When her cousin emails her, excited about how wonderful her marriage is, she asks about the company that matched them. Heidi makes the decision to contact the matchmaker to find the right man for her.Slade Henderson has spent his whole life with one goal in mind: Becoming a doctor and starting his own medical practice. Now that he's accomplished that goal, he's ready to move into the next phase of life, marriage and children. He goes on a series of bad dates with women he's matched up with online and decides it's time for him to do something radical. He calls the matchmaker his twin brother used, going through the testing involved. When he spots Heidi walking down the aisle toward him, he knows she's the woman for him. Will he be able to break through her hatred of doctors? Or will they not be able to make their marriage work?

Jenni Thompson felt like life was passing her by. She was happy with her job as an RN, but she wanted more. Having lived her life under her mother's exacting thumb, she is afraid to date someone, knowing he'll never live up to her parents' expectations. So she contacts a matchmaking service who agrees to introduce her to a man who is right for her at the altar.Tony Jarrett sees everything in black and white. When his friend tells him about Matchrimony, he scoffs at first, but decides to give the idea a chance. When he's told he needs to marry on a cruise ship, he has no idea why, but he goes along with it. Marrying the beautiful girl who caught his eye in line is no hardship. Can the two of them make it past their differences to live peacefully? Or will they each be destined to a life of loneliness?

Erin Krol lost the love of her life, and she knows she'll never love again. Because of her desire for children, she contacts the owner of Matchrimony Dr. Lachele Simpson. When Erin realizes she's been matched to her very own chocolate maker, she isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. A honeymoon in Switzerland sounds just perfect-and spending a week touring chocolate factories a dream come true. Al Frank has spent his entire adult life being responsible. The owner of his own business, he works far more hours than he cares to admit. He has no time for love or romance, but he wants children to carry on his name. When he sees Erin for the first time, he realizes he's in over his head. Will the beautiful school teacher end up being what he needs? Or will his propensity for working too much come between them?

Jean Winters is a hard-working twenty-first century stock broker, spending all her time building wealth for others. She's worked sixty hour weeks since graduating from college, and she's realizing that life is passing her by. After attending her college roommate's wedding in Wyoming, she decides that she wants to employ the services of Matchrimony, the same service her roommate used, to find herself a husband. Skipping the whole dating mess and meeting at the altar sounds perfect for a busy professional. Dillon Jeffries has always known that he would inherit a great deal of money someday, and he's worked hard to create a business he'd be happy to sink that money into. His enterprise of restoring old homes to their former glory keeps him as busy as he could ever want to be. When he hears the terms of his great-uncle's will, he's flabbergasted. The man had never married, but the terms of his will insist that Dillon marry within three months of his uncle's death to receive his inheritance. Will Dillon be happy married to the woman Dr. Lachele chooses for him? Or will he spend his life wishing for something that would never be there?

Beverly Snow lived a charmed life until a car accident when she was eighteen. She lost her father and sister, and her mother became a quadriplegic all in one night. After giving up her own life for twenty years to care for her mother, she's at loose ends in the midst of her grief with her mother's passing. When her last promise to her mother turned into her agreeing to an arranged marriage to a stranger and moving to Alaska, she's not sure what to think. Colin Geller has spent his entire adult life knowing two things. He loved being a park ranger at Denali National Park in Alaska, and he didn't want children. He requests that Dr. Lachele send him a woman who was comfortable with not having children. When he sees Beverly for the first time, he knows that all his dreams have come true. When something happens to make him rethink his life choices, he's devastated. Will he be able to deal with his new wife's choices? Or will her insistence on something he opposes keep them apart forever?

Willa Griffin has always known that one day it would be her responsibility to run her grandfather's ranch-it's all she's trained for or ever wanted. When her grandfather dies, and his will says she will lose the ranch if she doesn't marry within a month, she finds a matchmaker through a Google search and immediately calls her. Willa thinks carefully and decides she wants a city-slicker for a husband-a man who will have no ability and no desire to run a ranch. After selling his share of his public relations firm, Ryder Pearce is at loose ends. He wants to go west, but he doesn't know what he'll do there. He has the money to do many things, but he has no real purpose. After a phone call from his client, Dr. Lachele, he decides to take the plunge and marry the woman she has in mind for him. It sounds like the perfect solution to him. When he meets Willa, he doesn't know how they're going to make things work. The attraction is there, but she's so stubborn about everything. Will this unlikely pair be able to figure out how to make their marriage work? Or will they be Dr. Lachele's first failed match?

When Emily Murphy discovers she is inheriting a nephew she didn't know existed, she realizes she can't handle him on her own. Someone who has drifted from job to job as she has, doesn't have the staying power to be a mom to a tween boy. Realizing she needs a husband fast, Emily contacts Dr. Lachele from Matchrimony, hoping she can make a miracle happen.Brodie Callahan witnesses one of Dr. Lachele's matches first hand when his employer marries someone who seems totally unsuited to her. A year later, they have a happy marriage and a baby. Instead of continuing to watch enviously, he decides to contact the same matchmaker who set up his friends. When he sees Emily, he realizes she's everything he needs in life. Together they move with her nephew Alec to a horse farm in Tennessee to raise horses. When they see the house, they worry they've bitten off more than they can chew. Can they work together to make a happy marriage? Or will Emily continue to run when she sees trouble?

Becca Jones is certain she is an old maid at twenty-nine. Life seems to be passing her by, but her extreme shyness makes it difficult for her to be around others. When a good friend suggests she call Dr. Lachele at Matchrimony, she agrees, determined to make some changes in her life. Archer Hayes is sick of his mother throwing young debutantes at his feet. He isn't interested in marrying someone ten years younger than he is. He wants someone of substance who can stand up to his difficult family. After contacting Dr. Lachele, he tells her exactly what he wants, and he knows immediately after meeting Becca that the matchmaker has done a wonderful job. But will Becca be able to deal with his workaholic ways? Or will their marriage be over before it really starts?

Alexis Casey has finally achieved everything she has worked for all her life. She has a successful life-coaching practice, and she is ready to move on to the next stage. She wants to be married and have children. The problem is that she can't seem to meet a man she wants to have a second date with, let alone one she wants to marry. So she contacts her old mentor, Dr. Lachele Simpson, who agrees to match her with someone...at the altar. Dirk Blanton has always been serious-minded, spending his spare time working on his research. Now that he's in his thirties, he's ready to have a family. He has no idea how to meet someone, though, so he contacts a company a colleague did some work for. The company promises to find his perfect match and introduce them at the altar. When he meets Alexis, she seems too pretty and flamboyant for him. Will they be able to see beyond their differences? Or will they live together as partners with no love between them?

Sydney Harris is addicted to mail-order bride romances. She loves to read the book and watch the romance unfold with the couple already being married. So when she gets the opportunity to have a modern-day mail-order bride romance of her own, she jumps on it. She only asks that her new husband come to her, because she is a national park ranger, and she can't relocate.Jackson Pine has lost the only woman he's ever loved to a hit-and-run accident. Even though it's been two years since her death, he is living his life alone. He has no prospects of love and never expects to find it again. A chance meeting with a wacky purple-haired matchmaker has him considering that maybe love could be in his future. Before letting himself think about it too much, he commits to meeting someone at the altar. Can he ever get over his lost love and see the beautiful woman standing before him? Or will the possibilities life can bring him pass him by?

Emma Saxton is a single mother whose life is going nowhere. All her time is spent earning enough money to put food on the table, and she feels as though that will never change. After speaking with a friend, she calls Dr. Lachele at Matchrimony and agrees to meet a man at the altar and marry him immediately. She's lonely, but her main concern is her daughter, Josie, who is her entire world. Tired of spending all his time working and knowing he needs a wife if he doesn't want his house to crumble down around him, Beau Bainbridge agrees to be introduced to his future bride at the altar. When he sees Emma walking toward him, he is immediately attracted. For him, little Josie is just a bonus. Will the formerly single mother be able to adjust to life as the wife of a man of wealth? Or will she continue to be afraid every day that something will go wrong and she'll once again be left alone?

When Marissa discovers that her fiancé has not only died, but he died with the woman he was cheating on her with, she decided she needs to completely change her life. She contacts Matchrimony to find a man to marry, sight unseen and no questions asked. When she sees her future husband as she walks down the aisle, she is mesmerized by him, desperately hoping he won't be a player. Dr. Aaron Christiansen is a professor of history at a small college in Minnesota. After his department head tells him that he will not be able to achieve tenure with all the female students stalking him and waiting outside his office to talk to him, he decides to marry, but he isn't sure how to find someone. When he hears about Matchrimony, he immediately contacts Dr. Lachele to have her find him a bride. He plans on putting his new wife on a shelf and only getting her down when he needs her. Taking time to spend with her and not study simply cannot be part of his plan. Will Marissa be able to deal with her new husband, the quintessential absent-minded professor? Will the two of them be able to see past their differences to find love?

Melanie Carter has run her own business since she was eighteen years old. She works seventy house weeks and finds she has no time for life, much less dating. When her best friend suggests she contact Dr. Lachele Simpson and Matchrimony, she jumps at the chance, feeling that if she is matched with someone and they meet at the altar, perhaps her life will change for the better.Lucas Barnett has lost the love of his life. For two years, he's walked around New York, seeing the places they went on their dates and the memories are constantly flooding back. He makes the decision to see a counselor and start planning to start over. When he goes to see Dr. Lachele, she suggests he use Matchrimony to find a wife and start his new life.Everything goes well when Melanie and Lucas meet at the altar. The only problem is that Melanie is still so wrapped up in her business she has no time for a husband.Will the two of them find a way to compromise so they can live and work together? Or will they separate after their year contract is up?

Alexis Paxton's entire world changes overnight when she receives a phone call telling her that her father has died. Not the father she's always known, but another she's never even heard of. When she flies to Colorado to hear the reading of the will, she realizes that she can never go back to being the person she's always been.Kyle Stifter has always worked on a ranch, and he's watched his boss become happy when he married a woman whom he'd met at the altar. Wanting to be married himself, he meets with the same matchmaker, hoping to find wedded bliss.Alexis and Kyle have an instant attraction, each of them wanting to make their marriage work. But when she fails to give him some very important news, it makes him question their bond.Will they be able to work it out? Or is their marriage destined to fail?

This book was previously published in a charity anthology. Please make sure you don't already have a copy before purchasing. Socialite Emily Simpson feels out of place. So, when Emily consults her aunt, Lachele suggests she use Matchrimony to find a husband. Farmer Derrick Bobo hopes an arranged marriage will give him a better chance of gaining custody of his autistic nephew, Zach. Can Emily adjust to a farm wife's lifestyle? And more importantly, how will she deal with a boy on the spectrum?

Wooing in Wyoming: Erin Krol contacts Matchrimony's owner, Dr. Lachele Simpson, in hopes of finding love and starting a family. She is matched with a chocolate maker and plans a honeymoon in Switzerland to tour chocolate factories. Al Frank, who values work over love, also wants children. When he meets Erin, he realizes he may have met his match.Anxious in Atlanta: Jean Winters is a hard-working stock broker, but she realizes life is passing her by. After attending her college roommate's wedding and seeing the success of Matchrimony, she decides to use their services to find a husband without the hassle of dating. Dillon Jeffries has worked hard to create his business, but is surprised when he learns he must get married within three months to receive his inheritance.Anchored in Alaska: Beverly Snow's life changed drastically after a car accident at eighteen. She cared for her quadriplegic mother for twenty years, but now she's lost and grieving after her passing. An arranged marriage to a stranger in Alaska adds to her confusion. Colin Geller is a park ranger who never wanted children, but when he meets Beverly, he feels like his dreams have come true.Sweethearts in South Dakota: Willa Griffin has always known she'd inherit her grandfather's ranch. When he dies and his will requires her to marry within a month to keep it, she hires a matchmaker. Ryder Pearce, bored with retirement, agrees to the arranged marriage. When they meet, they're unsure how they'll make it work, but their attraction is strong.Treasured in Tennessee: Emily Murphy discovers she is inheriting a nephew and can't handle him alone. She contacts Dr. Lachele from Matchrimony in hopes of finding a husband fast. Brodie Callahan, who witnessed his employer's successful match through the same service, decides to try it for himself. They move to a horse farm in Tennessee with Emily's nephew and face challenges while trying to make their marriage work.Nesting in North Carolina: Becca Jones is a shy twenty-nine year old who feels like an old maid. A friend suggests she call Dr. Lachele at Matchrimony, and she agrees in hopes of making changes in her life. Archer Hayes is tired of his mother setting him up with young debutantes and wants someone with substance who can handle his difficult family. After contacting Dr. Lachele, he meets Becca and knows the matchmaker did a great job.Always in Albuquerque: After achieving all her goals, Alexis Casey wants to settle down and start a family. She turns to her mentor, Dr. Lachele Simpson, who promises to find her a match at the altar. Dirk Blanton, a serious researcher looking for love, also seeks help from a company.Maybe in Moab: Sydney Harris is hooked on mail-order bride romances. She can't wait to read the books and watch the couples' love stories unfold. When she gets the chance to have her own modern-day version, she jumps at it. Her only request: her new husband has to come to her since she's a national park ranger who can't relocate. Jackson Pine lost his true love two years ago in a hit-and-run accident. He never expects to find love again, until he meets a quirky matchmaker who convinces him to give it a try.Charmed in Charleston: Single mom Emma calls Dr. Lachele at Matchrimony, agreeing to marry a man she's never met at the altar. Wealthy Beau needs a wife and finds Emma immediately attractive.Matched in Minnesota: After her fiancé's infidelity, Marissa seeks a drastic change and turns to Matchrimony for a sight-unseen marriage. On the other hand, Dr. Aaron Christiansen, a professor in Minnesota, uses the service to find a wife in hopes of achieving tenure without distractions.