Debbie Macomber - Brides for brothers

Dearest Reader,

Welcome to the town of Hard Luck, Alaska! I hope you'll join me there to meet the Midnight Sons, their families, friends and wives-to-be.

The people I want to credit with the idea for this project are, in fact, fictionalthey're Valerie, Stephanie and Norah, the three sisters I wrote about in my trilogy. I loved writing those books; I loved the characters and the town and, last but definitely not least, I loved the way readers responded to the stories.

So when my publisher suggested this six-book project I was thrilled. Soon after that, the town of Hard Luck, the O'Halloran brothers and Midnight Sons all came to life. Never have I worked harder on a project, nor have I enjoyed my research more. In the summer of 1994, my husband and I travelled to Alaska, and I fell in love with the stateits sheer magnificence, the warmth of its people, the excitement of life on the last frontier.

Now I invite you to sit back, put your feet up and allow me to introduce you to some proud, stubborn, wonderful menAlaskan menand show you what happens when they meet their real matches. Women with the courage to change their lives and take risks for love. Women a lot like you and me!

Love,

Debbie

Debbie Macomber is one of the most popular romance authors writing today. She's written more than seventy romances and several bestselling 'mainstream' women's fiction novels. Not surprisingly, Debbie has won a number of awards for her books. She lives in Washington State with her husband, Wayne, and their dog, Peterkins. They have four grown childrenand they've recently become grandparents! Debbie's thrilled with her granddaughter, Jazmine Lynn.

Debbie loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at: P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, Washington 98366, USA.

Recent titles by the same author:

FIRST COMES MARRIAGE

MY HERO

DEBBIE MACOMBER

Brides for Brothers

MILLS & BOON

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All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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Debbie Macomber 1995 ISBN 0 263 79794 5

Set in Times Roman 10 on I2pt

02-9609-48718 C

Made and printed in Great Britain

The History of Hard Luck, Alaska

Hard Luck, situated fifty miles north of the Arctic Circle, near the Brooks Range, was founded by Adam O'Halloran and his wife, Anna, in 1931. Adam came to Alaska to make his fortune, but never found the gold strike he sought. Nevertheless, the O'Hallorans and their two young sons, Charles and David, stayed onin part because of a tragedy that befell the family a few years later.

Other prospectors and adventurers began to move to Hard Luck, some of them bringing wives and children. The town became a stopping-off place for mail, equipment and supplies. The Fletcher family arrived in 1938 to open a dry goods store.

When World War II began, Hard Luck's population was fifty or sixty people, all told. Some of the young men, including the O'Halloran sons, joined the armed services; Charles left for Europe in 1942, David in 1944 at the age of eighteen. Charles died during the fighting. Only David came homewith a young English war bride, Ellen Sawyer (despite the feet that he'd become engaged to Catherine Fletcher shortly before going overseas).

After the war, David qualified as a bush pilot. He then built s ome small cabins to attract the sport fisherman and hunters who were starting to come to Alaska; he also worked as a guide. Eventually, in the early seventies, he built a lodge to replace the cabins a lodge that later burned to the ground.

David and Ellen had three sons, born fairly late in their marriageCharles (named after David's brother) was born in 1960, Sawyer in 1963 and Christian in 1965.

Hard Luck had been growing slowly all this time, and by 1970 it was home to just over a hundred people. These were the years of the oil boom, when the school and community center were built by the state. After Vietnam, ex-serviceman Ben Hamilton joined the community and opened the Hard Luck Cafe, which became the social focus for the town.

In the late 1980s, the three O'Halloran brothers formed a partnership, creating Midnight Sons, a charter plane operation. They were awarded the mail contract, and also deliver fuel and other necessities to the interior. In addition, they serve as a small commuter airline, flying passengers to and from Fairbanks and within the North Arctic.

At the time these stories start, there are approximately 150 people living in Hard Lucka preponderance of them male....

PROLOGUE

What you really need are women.

Sawyer O'Halloran made a show of choking on his coffee. Women! We've got enough problems!

Ben Hamiltonthe Hard Luck Cafe's owner, cook and just about everything elseset the coffeepot down on the counter. Didn't you just tell me Phil Duncan's decided to move back to Fairbanks?

Phil was the best pilot Sawyer had. He wasn't the first one Midnight Sons had lost to the big city, either. Every time a pilot resigned, it was a setback for the Arctic flight service.

Yes, but Phil's not leaving because of a woman, Sawyer muttered.

Sure he is, Duke Porter piped up. Still clutching his mug, he slipped onto the stool next to Sawyer. Phil quit because he couldn't see his girlfriend as much as he wanted, and everyone knows it. He might've given you some phony excuse when he handed in his notice, but you know as well as I do why he decided to quit.

Joe and Harlan left because of women, too. Because they couldn't meet any living here! It was Ben again. The ex-Navy 'stew burner'as the O'Halloran brothers called himobviously had strong opinions on this issue. Sawyer often shared his opinion, but not this time. He had half a mind to suggest Ben keep his nose out of this, but that wouldn't be fair.

One of the problems with living in a small town was that you'd known most of the people all your life, Sawyer reflected. Everyone knew your damn business.

He might as well set up the Midnight Sons office right here in the middle of the cafe. His pilots routinely ate breakfast at Ben's, and the cook was as familiar with the air charter's troubles as the brothers were themselves.

Christian, the youngest O'Halloran, cupped his mug with both hands. All right, if you won't say it, I will, he began, looking pointedly at Sawyer. Ben's right. Bringing a few women to Hard Luck would keep the crew happy.