A Quirky Bride to Treasure

When Mina Fischer boards what is dubbed the Bridal Train to Kansas, she is well aware of her duties to her soon-to-be husband. Though being a quiet girl raised in the country, she knows better how to talk to sheep and horses than men. Still, she must try to be engaging and helpful to her new husband—whoever he may be. Her only hope is that the Espousal Alliance Office will find her a match who does not mind her simple ways. And if he enjoys animals as much as she does, all the better. George Lawrence is not entirely prepared to be married, but who ever is? His fellow directors of the railroad he's invested in are encouraging him to take a wife, so as to appear more stable, helping them receive the government land grant they need. Somehow he finds himself with a shy little bride, wondering how to get on with her when he is so social and she seems to have come from another world. While Mina flounders with her new duties, which are nothing like farm chores back in Virginia, George is taken for a wild ride with his lovely wife who is so full of strange and amusing ideas, including the number of animals that should be allowed to sleep in their bed. She worries over whether or not she pleases George, but unfolding events reveal how resourceful she is—but will she help or hinder him?