A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick

A steamy Gothic romance, and the story of the loneliness of winter, loss, and unresolved family relationships. A reviewer for the Washington Post calls it a story of "loneliness, lust, and the Mail Order Bride." The phrase "these things happen" recurs; but it ends on a note of reconciliation and hope for the future. Very readable; I got it on Kindle, and read it in Pasadena. I don't remember who recommended it to me, but I seem to be on a course of big first novels.