A Bounty Hunter and the Bride

by Vickie McDonough

Book Overview

Katie Hoffman lost her husband after only four months of marriage. Pregnant and close to losing the farm, she advertises to sell it. When a handsome buyer offers to marry her and let her keep the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1597893889
• ISBN13: 9781597893886
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing
• Length: 170 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Old time Favorite

LOVED IT! McDonough brings true emotion to her characters. Kate and Dusty both widowed and grief-stricken brought back my own feelings of being widowed at a young age. This is a fast-paced and well plotted book. If it were a movie I'd watch it over and over again.

Old-fashioned romance at its best!

Katie Hoffman just can't seem to get a break. Her husband is killed in an accident only four months into their marriage, leaving her pregnant and unable to pay the mortgage on their farm. Unwilling to lose the property, she places an ad in hopes of selling it. But the stranger who shows up on her doorstep is more interested in Katie herself than in the farm, and she soon finds herself engaged again. Marrying Allan King seems like the perfect answer. She'll have a new husband, a father for her unborn child, and she can keep the farm. But before she can say "I do," a pistol-packin' cowboy crashes the wedding, set on hauling her almost-husband off to jail. In the chaos, Katie winds up injured and her house burns to the ground. As if all that isn't enough, she finds herself stuck with the trouble-making cowboy as her escort on the lengthy wagon ride to her uncle's home and family. Dusty McIntyre has been tracking the heinous outlaw responsible for his wife's death for over a year. But putting the slick character behind bars somehow fails to provide the satisfaction he expected - especially when another woman is very nearly killed in the process. Dusty determines to make it up to the young widow whose wedding he brought to a halt, and attaches himself to her in spite of her obvious wish to the contrary. Before long, they're dealing with an unwelcome attraction. But God has lessons to teach - while He helps them tear down the walls of anger and resentment they've each built. Katie's Christian family - along with a series of sometimes thrilling, sometimes dramatic, sometimes heartbreaking moments - plays a major role in Katie and Dusty finding reconciliation with God and new hope in their individual hearts and lives. The Bounty Hunter and the Bride is a fun ride through a past era, liberally sprinkled with humor and tastefully entwined with Christian values. Vickie McDonough's well-rounded characters - from feisty Katie to cuddly baby Joey ... from Nick and Nathan, the twin terrors, to wise Uncle Mason - are warm, real and and completely believable. Combined with realistic action and heart-tugging emotion, it makes for a well-written, enchanting and captivating tale. This one will be a treasured addition to any library of romantic fiction.

Good historical romance

Marshall Dusty McIntyre has Ed Slone in jail, and this time he's going to bring the criminal to justice. But then friends of Ed's set fire to Dusty's house and his wife, Emily, dies in the fire. Dusty resigns from his job and sets out to find Ed Slone and his sidekicks. Katie Hoffman is a widow, pregnant, and determined to save her ranch. When handsome Allen King proposes marriage, she thinks her troubles are over. It's her wedding day and the ceremony is progressing as expected, when the door bursts open and a stranger, holding a pistol, walks in and he's after Katie's groom. Dusty has caught up with Ed Slone, who is calling himself Allen King. Somehow in the resulting ruckus, someone overturns a lamp, setting fire to the ranch house, trapping Katie in the flames. Dusty saves her life and offers to take her to Guthrie where she has family. But can she trust this stranger who broke up her wedding and arrested the man she intended to marry? The Bounty Hunder and the Bride is a rollicking tale about an ex-marshall trying to do what's right and a woman who just can't stay out of trouble. If you like historical romance, this one's for you.

Trials of love and life in the 1900s

Vickie McDonough keeps the action flowing in this historical romance. From beginning to satisfying ending, this book was chock full of conflict, strong characters and snappy dialogue. The setting, Oklahoma in the early 1900s, was realistically depicted. Katie Hoffman couldn't imagine a worse day. First, a man breaks into her house during her wedding, claiming that her fiance, Ed Sloane, is a murderer. A scuffle ensues and Katie's home is burned down. Now the only thing left for Katie is the baby that she carries--her only memory of her first husband. Dusty McIntyre is a bounty hunter who has pursued only one goal for the last eighteen months: catch the man who killed his wife. After capturing Ed Sloane, Dusty doesn't know what to do with his life. He has no home to return to and no family waiting for him. Plus, he feels guilty about burning down the house of that pregnant woman. Still upset, Katie allows Dusty to escort her to her aunt and uncle's home in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Though she hates being a burden to her family, at eight-and-a-half months pregnant, she has no other choice. To her surprise, Dusty helps her regain some of her independence by hiring her to sew him some new clothes. As Katie and Dusty begin to grow closer, they fight an attraction that they can't seem to ignore. After almost making a huge mistake with Sloane, Katie doesn't want to get involved with anyone else. The loss of his first wife still weighs heavy on Dusty, as does his anger with God. Both characters wonder why a loving God could let things go so wrong in their lives. When Katie is kidnapped by Sloane, Dusty realizes the full force of his feelings for her. But can he rescue her in time? And will she return his affections, or reject his love? Although the inspirational message can be seen in almost every chapter, it was delivered simply and without being preachy. Armchair Interviews says: McDonough has written a wonderful novel that is highly recommended.