A Mail-Order Illusion by Janelle Daniels

She chases off suitors faster than she finds them… One by one, Ivan’s brides are leaving the house, and Violet Morgan despairs of ever finding a match. While walking along the river, debating whether to give up and return to her restrictive life and manipulative parents, the ground gives way, plunging her into the icy water…and she can’t swim. He wonders what more there is in life…

Frustrated from a lack of direction in his life, Jimmy Thornton knows he needs something more. But when he rescues the sharp-tongued, and even more sharp-witted, woman from the river, he realizes what he’s been missing. In exchange for etiquette lessons, he agrees to teach her to swim with one catch—the lessons will remain a secret. Sneaking around together, they form a friendship and realize first impressions aren’t always accurate.

But when Violet’s ex-fiancé suddenly appears and threatens to tear them apart, Jimmy and Violet must decide if their relationship is purely platonic, or if love can truly overcome all.