Courtships and Carriages — Janet Syas Nitsick

Courtships and Carriages, a sweet Christian romance, returns readers to the Midwest in 1893, where men who drove fancy carriages like debonair Nolan Brandford could make ladies' hearts flutter, such as Gwen Ward's. Her heart raced every time she saw him, especially when these rides included secret rendezvous, pretty flowers and stolen kisses. ... Her decision could be an easy one if only her dear-childhood friend, Russ Knudson, a kindhearted, humble man, a man who works with his hands -- a farmer -- was not also vying for her hand. He may not be as refined as Nolan, but his feelings were just as sincere and Gwen's love for him ran deep. And, if only Nolan was not the son of the corrupt mayor and her father, the publisher of a local paper, was not investigating that corruption. The answer is in her court in Courtships and Carriages which includes intrigue and suspense when a trunkful of mayoral electoral ballots comes up missing.