Bride by Mail

Independent and spirited, Eva lives with her parents in a small, Ohio town in the 1880’s. She yearns for a life that includes a career, excitement, and travel. All are beyond current expectations for women. Approaching spinsterhood, she longs for a man who is unafraid to seek his destiny. Through fateful twists, she begins corresponding with Frank, a stranger who lives in the wilds of Washington Territory. His letters regale her with his earlier adventures in the 1850’s, when he and his brother ran away from their Missouri farm and became outriders for a wagon train headed west.
Frank’s exploits captivate Eva’s imagination, as he describes stampedes, cutthroats, and finding the silent killer of pioneers on early western trails. Unexpectedly, the young men join a cattle herd headed to the California mining camps, where they cross paths with the dangerous and scheming owner of a gold mine. The resulting battle determines who survives.

All the while, Eva's life at home becomes more stressful with a marriage proposal from a local suitor. Her father constantly lectures her about marriage and children, and their clashes become more heated. Her father says, “Damn it, Eva, you’re no longer a spring chicken, nor are you a feather-headed loon! In the next few years, you’ll be an old maid in age and spinsterhood. Then, who’ll have you, when you’re shriveled up like a prune?”

Frank declares that he loves her and asks her to travel west to marry him. Excitedly, she contemplates a different life and wide-ranging experiences. Even so, it is daunting to leave family and friends.

Based on historical events, the backdrop for this tale of adventure and romance is majestic Mount Shasta, Washington State, and the magnificent American frontier.