Impatient to meet her intended groom and help him grow his general store, mail-order bride Eliza Cantrell sets out on her travels a week early. Although her groom-to-be, Axel, isn't even in town when she arrives, his business partner, William Stanton, lets her help around the store. The sparks that fly between Will and Eliza are hard to ignore, but Eliza is meant for Axel. Soon both Will and Eliza must decide what they're willing to sacrifice to chase their dreams --- or if God has a new dream in store for them both.

Dex is relieved when Rachel agrees to help him write a letter to a mail-order bride, but her lessons leave him wondering if the bride he’s been searching for has been here all along. LOVE BY THE LETTER is a companion novella to A BRIDE FOR KEEPS, Melissa Jagears's full-length debut novel available in October. Included here is an extended sneak peek at A BRIDE FOR KEEPS.