Theodosia by Caroline Clemmons

She barely escapes death…
He is angry he has been jilted…
They must defend themselves against mysterious assailants.

Theodosia “Theo” Jordan has lived with the harsh aunt and uncle who are her guardians since her parents’ death eight years ago. In three weeks she will turn twenty-one and inherit the estate now controlled by her uncle. When she overhears her aunt and uncle planning her death, she immediately escapes Atlanta by becoming a proxy bride and heading for a small town in Texas.
Houston Kingsley yearns for a happy family like he had before his wife’s death earlier that year. A fraudulent mail-order bride who jilts him and keeps the money he sent her discourages him. Is he destined to raise his children alone? His brother convinces him to try for a proxy bride. The process sounds simple enough—if he can scrape up the cash for a second fare and travel expenses.
But unknown forces create danger for Theo and Houston. Can they discover and defeat the guilty to achieve the happy home each desires?