Shannon's Last Chance

Mail-order Romance, Book 3

In 1891, Shannon O'Brien, unwed and 7 months pregnant, is living on the streets of Sydney, Australia, after immigrating from Ireland as a mail-order bride but being rejected. Desperately hungry, she picks widower Patrick Byrne's pocket as he walks with Sean, his two-year-old son.

Patrick takes pity on Shannon, helps her reluctantly, but finds he can't leave her on the streets when they immigrate to California. He buys her a steamship ticket as his wife, knowing they would need to marry for real when they arrived. Shannon promises to pay him back. The voyage is long, and they share a stateroom, pretending to be husband and wife but not living that way. However, the relationship that began out of need becomes something much stronger as the days pass.

Patrick arrives with a good job and house waiting and a better life than Shannon ever dreamed of, but Shannon remains determined to pay Patrick back as a matter of pride. However, her only skill is sewing, and there are few opportunities for women unless she creates them herself. Can she do that?