by Natalie Dean
With Daniel's arm around her neck, Cecilia could do nothing. She tried to pull his arm away, but he was too strong. Stronger than she expected and the more she tugged at his arm, the tighter his hold. He dragged her into the street. His other hand was brandishing a gun.
"Get me a horse. I'll let her go once no one follows me. Don't try to be brave. I'll choke her, and she'll be dead for good this time."
"Don't be foolish, Langton. You won't get away with this. Just let her go. Take me," Lance said as he went face to face with Daniel.
"There'll be no negotiating, Sheriff. Now get me my horse. Don't even think about taking a shot at me. I'll snap her neck like a twig before the bullet even leaves the gun."
Cecilia and the Sheriff locked eyes. Cecilia closed her eyes, and as she did, she dug her elbow into Daniel's stomach, winding him and causing him to drop his guard. Sheriff Lance shot the gun from Daniel's hand, and he automatically grabbed his wounded hand releasing Cecilia who then ran away from him.
Hank, the Deputy, grabbed at Daniel as Lance went to Cecilia.
"We're a great team, Cecilia," he said as he hugged her.
"I knew you'd understand. Too much rough housing with Hamish as children. I knew how to get out of a chokehold," she said as she put her hand to her neck.
"What will happen now?" she asked as she watched Daniel being marched into the jail house.
"As we have the magistrate, we'll have a trial today. Johnny Eagle can go home."
"Lance, there's something I have to tell you. I found a locket with some other bits of jewelry. It might be your wife's."
"It would heal my heart if I could put her killer behind bars. You're shivering," he said as he lifted her into his arms. He took her to Doc's place to make sure she was okay. Lottie came running out.
"You're alive. Don't ever leave me out of the loop again, Cecilia. You put the fear into me. I prayed that you would be safe." Lottie hugged her dear friend.
"Okay, give her some air. Too much love can smother a person," Hamish said as he shooed Lance and Lottie out of the examination room.
"I see you used the old punch and run routine. Daniel Langton will be feeling that for a while," Doc rubbed his stomach and winced as though remembering their childhood.
"Did you ever think we'd be free, Hamish? With the fathers we had. We were the only bright spots in each other's lives," Cecilia was sad. "Think of the life your child will have. They will grow up surrounded by love. That's important."
As her adrenaline was ebbing, Cecilia began to cry. She had been through so much.
"Cec, don't cry. Look at what you have. The Sheriff is the type of man you need. John showed you that you could be loved for you, but he didn't have the strength you need. You need someone who will challenge and respect you at the same time. You've been lonely, Cec. You deserve happiness," Hamish said as he wrapped a blanket around Cecilia.
"But don't you get it. I don't think I'm capable of love. Lance has known love before. What if I don't measure up? I want what you and Lottie have, but I don't know if I can." Cecilia sat up.
"You have to decide to let your guard down. I don't think the sheriff is going anywhere. Hank told me that he rushed out after you and I'm not talking about today. He knew you'd figured something out, and he wanted to make sure you were safe."
"But Hamish, there's something you don't know. He said I look like his wife. How will I know I'm not just some imitation for him?"
"Cecilia, Uncle made you so distrusting of men, didn't he? I thought being with me and John softened you a little. There's a trial starting, and Sheriff Lance is sitting in my waiting room to make sure you are okay. You're no stand-in. You never could be. I'd say it says more about Lance liking to be challenged too." Cecilia playfully hit her cousin's shoulder. He was right. There was a man outside the door who wanted to love her.
"You're fine. You need to rest, and I think I speak for Lottie when I say that you'll stay with us until you feel better."
Hamish opened the door, and Lance came running in to check on her and took her hand. Lottie came in too, but Hamish gently took his wife's hand. "Let's give them some privacy," he smiled as he kissed her hand. Lottie nodded and smiled too.
As she looked at the new couple, she knew that very soon a wedding was going to take place. Cecilia had met her match, and Lottie knew Sheriff Lance wasn't going to let her go.
THE END
SARAH: Brides of Bannack Book 3
SARAH
Brides of Bannack Book 3
A Western Romance Short Story
Book Description
Take a journey with this mail order bride as she turns a life of loneliness and despair into one of joy and triumph...
Sarah had a difficult life. Losing her mother at a young age, the only person she had left in her life was her sweet older sister Katie. As fate would have it, her sister died giving birth to a set of beautiful twins. Because Sarah was too young to care for them on her own, the twins were taken away. Not knowing their whereabouts, Sarah can only dream of being reunited with the twins again one day. Now, with no family to help her, she finds herself miserable working for a boarding house, whose owner and employees mistreat her at every chance they get.
Determined to leave her depressing and abusive life behind, Sarah takes matters into her own hands by taking a job out west. Fate brings her to the home of twins who have just lost their beloved mother.
Carson Edwards has lost the love of his life. Tending to the ranch and caring for the twins - while still grieving the loss of his wife - is overwhelming to say the least. Then he's completely caught off guard when Sarah shows up to help. He can't have another woman coming into his house so soon!
Sarah is flooded with memories from her past when she sees the twins suffering the loss of their mother. Is this her chance to finally make a difference in someone's life? And can she open Carson's heart back up to love, or did his wife take his heart with her when she died?
Join this heartwarming tale to see how an amazing twist of fate unfolds...
Copyright 2017 by Kenzo Publishing - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document by either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue: One Year Later
Chapter One
The women looked at each other, not quite sure what to do. They had been trying to birth Katie Bracken's baby for the last six hours. It wasn’t progressing. The baby was stuck inside, and Katie Bracken was exhausted.
"Sarah, run and get Dr. Loman. Quickly," Mrs. Murphy yelled at Sarah Smith. Fifteen-year-old Sarah listened to her sister's cries, but she knew the voice was getting weaker. She could hear the hushed voices of Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Massey, their neighbors on either side, who knew something was wrong but didn't know what to do.
Sarah lived with her sister and her husband, Leo Bracken. It was Katie's first pregnancy. Katie and Sarah had been excited at the prospect of a new baby, but now that it seemed the baby was coming, Katie felt afraid.
"Sarah, at least I have you to help me," Katie said as she began to feel her contractions coming on. "You'll stay with me, won't you, when the baby is being born. I need you with me."
Their mother had died in childbirth, and Katie was feeling afraid. Sarah had remembered the screams of her beloved mother, then the quietness. "Let's say a prayer that the Lord will help me." The sisters prayed for a safe delivery.
The tears streamed down Sarah's face as sh
e ran to Dr. Loman. Her mother's death was the reason she and Katie had come to America. It was a fresh start, their father had said on that last day in Ireland. It was two years ago. Sarah missed him immensely.
She banged on the doctor's door. As he opened it, she told him, "Come quick, Doctor. Mrs. Murphy said you've got to come now." She watched the doctor grab his bag, and he gestured at her to lead the way.
Sarah was relieved to hear a baby's cries as she entered the building they shared with so many other families. But as she entered her home full of hope, the women weren't joyous, and Katie was still in pain. Father Larkin was there. It wasn't a good sign. Sarah watched as the priest prayed over her sister.
"Hot water now, Mrs. Murphy," the doctor said.
"There's another baby. Come on, Mrs. Bracken. You've got to push. Muster that strength now, good girl. It's nearly over now."
Sarah looked at the baby that had been left in an old tea chest. The old tea chest had passed from woman to woman that gave birth in their tenement. Which meant it was always in use.
"Sarah, go to Nancy Brown. She's had a baby and should have some milk. That baby needs some to drink," Mrs. Massey directed. Sarah knew they were sending her out of the way. As she knocked on the Brown's door, she heard a wail. It was how her mother departed this world. Another baby's cry was heard. But something inside Sarah's heart knew Katie was dead.
"Stay here, Sarah. Watch the bairns, and I'll go check on Katie," Nancy said. She and Katie were the same age, having turned twenty recently. Nancy had two children already with another on the way. Their husbands worked in the mill together. The men were due back from their shift any time now.
Sarah left the door ajar. She couldn't see what was happening but heard Nancy cry out.
"What's to become of them?" Nancy asked. Everyone helped each other out around here, but to take on twins was too much. Then Sarah heard Leo, and Nancy's husband, Frank, returning. She peeked out to see Leo's face all happy at seeing the women at his door, a sign the baby was born, but then his face fell as they told him what had transpired. He had twins, a girl and a boy, but his wife was dead.
Life changed very quickly for Sarah. Leo went to work and left her minding the twins. But she couldn't manage two babies. One, perhaps, but two was impossible for her.
"Sarah, here's some milk for the babies. It's not much, but it's all we can manage," Nancy said as she handed over the bottle to Sarah. The women were good to Sarah. They shared what meager rations they had with her.
Leo had become distraught. He had taken to going to the pub before and after work. Money was tighter than before. The walls were paper thin, and Sarah had heard Frank Brown telling Nancy that Leo hadn't shown up for work. That evening when he finally came home, Sarah pleaded with him, "Please Leo, I need some money for food."But all he did was break down and cry.
When the babies cried, and it was usually at the same time, he'd scream at Sarah to shut them up. They had killed his beloved Katie as far as he was concerned and he wanted nothing to do with them.
It wasn't right, the women whispered. Sarah was barely out of childhood. It wasn't proper for her to live there with him. Father Larkin came to visit. He didn't like what he saw and questioned the neighbors about the situation with the Bracken babies and Sarah. Soon the authorities were alerted. No one spoke to Sarah. She only overheard the conversations. The twins were to be taken immediately. The very severely dressed women looked at Sarah.
"Mrs. Percival needs a new scullery maid. We'll put her there. She looks healthy enough. Come here, girl," the sour woman ordered. She made Sarah open her mouth, and she turned her around to look at her. "Yes, she'll do. Gather your belongings, child. You're coming with us."
"What about the babies? I need to look after them," Sarah asked, but she was told to keep her mouth shut and not talk back to her elders.
As Sarah gathered her few bits, she took off the necklace that had belonged to Katie. Leo had given it to Sarah on the day of Katie's funeral. It had belonged to their mother, and Katie never took it off. Sarah put it with the baby girl. It was hers now.
Sarah cried herself to sleep every night that first month of her new life. Mrs. Percival's was a horrible place. Her bed was a blanket on the floor in the kitchen. But it was warm, and she had food, but those were the only positive aspects of living here. The cook hit her every time she did something wrong and sometimes without reason. She called Sarah derogatory names for being Irish. The cook was English, and Sarah knew the bad blood that existed between the English and the Irish.
In the last two years, as the maids left, they weren't replaced. Sarah was given increasingly more work to do. She was tired of this life. She had this notion that she would marry and find the twins. They needed to be with family. But Sarah had no opportunity to meet anyone. She was invisible to the outside world, and within the walls of the house, she was subject to the moods of the cook and Mrs. Percival. Despite the latter being a paragon of virtue to the outside world.
Sarah was supposed to have an afternoon off every two weeks. It didn't always happen, but this time she managed to escape the house for a few hours. She wanted to go to the orphanage where the twins had been placed, but Sarah never felt courageous enough to go there until now. The gates of the imposing building were locked. Sarah could hear children and wondered if perhaps her niece and nephew were still there.
A nun came to the gate but dismissed her questions. She had no right to inquire about the children, she was told.
"Please Sister, I only want to know what happened to them. They were born on the 2nd of July and came here in early August. It was three years ago. A girl and boy by the name of Bracken."
Every month Sarah found her way to the orphanage and every month she left knowing nothing. Until one day, a younger nun replaced the grouchy old nun.
"Stay here, and I'll see what I can find out. Bracken, early August, three years ago, boy and girl.” The younger nun wasn't any more welcoming than the older nun, and Sarah seemed to be waiting for what seemed like an eternity for her return. So much so, she wondered if the nun was ever coming back.
"I found them. The twins didn't stay with us very long. The good news is they got a home together. They were lucky the couple wanted more than one child," the nun said in a very matter of fact way.
"Are they still in New York?" Sarah asked, a dream of perhaps seeing them crossing her mind.
"I'm not supposed to tell you," the nun said.
"Please, Sister. My sister died having them. Their dad was too enveloped in his grief, and I was too young to be of much use."
"The couple came from Buffalo, New York. That's all I know. Let them be. They have a life now. You get on with yours," was the last thing the nun said as she walked away.
"Thank you, Lord, for keeping them together. At least they have each other," Sarah prayed. What the nun had said was true. She needed to get on with her life and being a punching bag for a lunatic cook wasn't what she wanted. The trouble was she didn't know what other options she had. There were no young maids in the house to form friendships with, and Sarah had no outlet at all.
She sat in the park, dreading the thought of going back to the house. Sarah was wondering what the twins looked like. She wasn't sure what size children of that age were. Two young women sat on the bench beside her. They were quite giddy.
"Agnes, he proposed today. I'm going to Wyoming. Imagine it. In two weeks, I'll be married and living in Wyoming!"
The other woman wished her friend well.
"I'm not sure I know where Wyoming is, but it's far away from here. Do you think your fiancé has any nice friends? You won't forget about me when you get there, Lucy. You promise me," Agnes said to her friend.
"But Agnes, you don't need me to set you up. Look at the classified advertisements or the Matrimonial Times. There are loads of men desperate for God-fearing women to help them on their farms. You'd be working for yourself, not some old biddy who thinks she's younger and thinner than she real
ly is. Did I tell you about Mrs. Weston's corset?" Lucy stopped speaking and stared over at Sarah who was looking at them. "Eavesdropping are you?" Lucy barked at Sarah.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I only…" Lucy and Agnes stood up and walked away.
Sarah had to buy a newspaper and see what they were talking about. She couldn’t believe it. Men were actually advertising for women to come out west and marry them. Was this the Lord's work? Was this His way of giving her a chance to escape?
Chapter Two
"Are you sure we should get two?" Carson Edwards asked his wife, Maggie. Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head as she looked at the twins who were snuggled together. Her strong maternal desire of having a family was finally coming true.
"They're perfect. Carson, we'll have a boy and girl, at last," Maggie said.
The nun standing with them broke the moment of happiness. "Are you quite sure you want these two? The girl has a mark on her forehead. You don't have to take them."
"What's their background? Do you know?" Carson asked. He and Maggie had prayed for a family of their own, but poor Maggie didn't seem to be able to carry a baby for very long. She wanted to adopt, but Carson wasn't so sure.
"From our notes, it seems the mother died in childbirth," the nun looked with disdain at Maggie's cry of such a dreadful event and then continued, "the father couldn't cope, and it was thought best to bring them here. We have had them a month now."
"Can I hold them?" Maggie asked, and the nun nodded. The baby boy woke and cried as Maggie put her hand on him but as she lifted him up to cuddle him, his crying stopped, and Maggie beamed with pride.
"Take the little girl, Carson. She's missing her brother," Maggie encouraged her husband, but he looked petrified. He looked down at the baby girl who looked at him with her big blue eyes. As he lifted her, he was afraid his beard would frighten her but she didn't take much notice. Her tiny hand became free, and she grabbed his little finger as he went to stroke her face. She had captured his heart already, and Carson knew he wasn't going to be able to leave her behind. He began to cry, and he snuggled her into his chest. He made a vow that he'd never let anything bad happen to her or her brother.