by Danni Roan
“Hello,” she said, blinking into the light. “Is this Texas?”
Olive shot a glance toward Amanda but greeted the girl warmly.
“Olga, you’re next,” the old man’s voice was harsh as he beckoned another girl, this one blonde and plump, from the stage. “Stop messing with your dress,” he barked. “No one cares what you look like after a long ride.”
“But Papa,” Olga said, smoothing her fashionable, but hideous pea green dress, “what if my new husband sees me. I want to make a good impression.”
Phineas rolled his eyes but took his daughter by the hand, helping her down the step shaking his head as he took in the horrid color of her dress, which clashed severely with her fair complexion and pale eyes.
“Fanny. Fanny!” the man shouted. “We’re here.”
“Oh,” a disembodied voice echoed from the shadowy depths of the stage. “Take these.”
A small hamper appeared, followed by a stack of bound books.
“I don’t want that beast,” Mr. Fortuna said as the hamper began to hiss and growl. “You know it hates everyone, but you.”
A slip of a girl finally immerged from the darkness within, her light brown hair neatly tucked into a knitted snood. “Papa, you know that Midas is a dear and an excellent mouser to boot. Please don’t be rude.”
Olive covered her mouth with her hand, too flabbergasted to speak.
“I didn’t expect you tonight?” Orville came around the side of the boarding house, driving a fresh team of stage horses. Rather late, you know.”
“I’ll be staying the night,” the driver called down, reaching for a trunk strapped to the coach.
“Oh, do be careful!” the third daughter called. “My clothing is in there and you wouldn’t want to damage anything. I’ve copied all of the latest fashions from Paris.”
Phineas Fortuna ran a hand over his face, he looked weary and at his wit's end.
“Well, here they are,” he sighed, looking at Olive. “What do you want to do with them?”
Olive gaped, looking at the young women lined up outside her door as Orville turned his snorting team back toward the livery stable.
“Amanda?” Teddy’s voice echoed onto the porch as Orville turned his team around, and the stage driver handed down boxes, bags, and trunks.
“I’m here, Theo,” Amanda grinned. “You didn’t have to come for me. I was on my way home.”
Teddy stepped down from his horse, hitching him to the rail as the stage driver clicked to his tired team, turning them in the street. “Dan sent me for some things, so I thought we could ride home together.” The young man gazed at the group of people standing awkwardly on the boardwalk. “Who are these folks?”
“These are the Fortunas,” Amanda grinned, casting her eyes between the girls and Olive. “They’re the new brides of Needful.”
Olive shook herself, sprinting into action and hustling the family into the house. There was work to be done. “I’ll see you in church,” she called, following the girls inside. “Mr. Fortuna, I’ll show you all to your rooms, my boys will be out to collect the bags.”
Teddy rubbed the back of his neck as the family of five disappeared into the Hampton House. “Who was that man with the girls?”
“That’s their father,” Amanda tittered, finding the situation suddenly funny. “It appears that he feels they all need husbands.” She looked up, smoothing the skirt of her simple blue and green plaid dress.
Teddy wrapped an arm around Amanda, pulling her tight. “I’m sure relieved that I met you before they arrived, he grinned. Not one of them girls can hold a candle to you.”
Amanda snuggled into Teddy’s warm embrace. She liked it when he talked sweet. “You were mighty lucky,” she grinned. “After all, it isn’t every day a young woman arrives in Needful and falls into your arms.”
Teddy grinned, his ears flushing pink. “You know I love you, right?”
“I do,” Amanda said, gazing into his bright eyes. “I love you too, but I never get tired of hearing you say it.”
“I hope I show it to,” Teddy grinned.
Amanda blushed, then smoothed Theo’s shirt. “You have been trying hard,” she admitted. “You even made me that lovely press for my clothing.”
Teddy peered around him and then dropped his lips to hers. “Let’s go home, wife,” he grinned, taking her work-roughened hand in his. “I’d take you to supper at the boarding house, but I think the Hamptons will have their hands full for quite a while.”
Amanda’s bright laugh echoed down the street as together, she and Theodore raced out of Needful, full of love, hope, and determination to find their own way.
The End
Books In This Series
Brides of Needful, Texas
Mail-order Brides are just what Needful, Texas needs the most and Olive Hampton is determined to see the town tamed, one woman at a time.
Join her adventures in the burgeoning cowtown and see if everything goes to plan.
Daliah
Orphan Daliah Owens has been working for the Smithfield bank for two years without a problem at least until the new manager arrives and her drawer suddenly comes up short. Dismissed from her job and disgraced by a crime she didn't commit, Daliah seeks a second chance with an elderly couple heading to Texas on a wagon train. Facing the hardships of the trail with bravery, compassion, and faith Daliah quickly endears herself to not only her employer but many of the other members of the band as well. Invaluable in her knowledge of herbs for healing and nutrition she is soon recognized as an indispensable helper to all.
Spencer Gaines, still bitter after the loss of his wife is a hard man to talk to, but his five-year-old son Chad, and greatest treasure is more trouble than he can handle. Determined to finally settle down near his brother in Texas Spencer signs on as a chief scout for the wagon train but his duties often lead him far afield leaving Chad to get into so many scrapes they could both well be dismissed.
Will a devastating accident leave Spencer empty and alone forever or will he not only learn to trust God but also give Daliah his heart?
Prim
The loss of her father has left Primrose Perkins in need of a way to provide not only for herself but also for her mother and sister. With a new and wonderful sense of freedom to discover who she can be, her decisions could be the answer to all of their troubles. Will she be able to find a way to ensure that her family will be cared for by answering an ad for a mail-order bride, or will deception lead her astray?
Needful Texas is a growing town with growing troubles. Rowdy cowhands, drunken parties, and wealthy ranchers who don’t think they need to become a part of the community.
How can Prim, find a home and the help she needs in a town with more men than is good for it?
Peri
Periwinkle Perkins is determined to become an independent woman. After the death of her father and departure of her sister Prim, Peri knows that she can’t live off the generosity of her aunt forever. Tasked with caring for her invalid mother while her older sister tries to establish a new home for them as a mail-order bride, Peri sets out to find the money her recently deceased father has hidden. If she can only find Pa’s stash Periwinkle can take her mother to Needful Texas to join her sister and set up a home of her own. Always a hopeless romantic before Peri now wishes only for the security of a steady income to provide for her mother, but will she find the funds she needs or be stranded while her sister seeks a man who is willing to accept a fully formed family? Desperate times called for desperate measure and Peri know she is up to the task.
Beth
Elizabeth Beechen only wishes to leave the pain and sorrow of loss behind and find a new life in Needful, Texas. Prepared to be a mail-order bride, she sets out on her journey only to find that the situation in the tiny town has changed and she needs to adjust quickly. Mustering a positive attitude and determined to love her new home, despite its growing pains, she finds friendship in the course of adversity.
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sp; Can she learn to trust God enough to believe that the man He has waiting for her won't suffer from the same vices her father did, leaving her alone and lonely for the rest of her life?
Ruth
Ruth Warthan is tired of her sedentary life. She longs for adventure, excitement, and most of all love, but her overly protective parents are content for her to stay with them forever, shunning even a hint of romance. Will an advertisement for a mail-order bride in faraway Texas be the answer to her prayers, or will she find that her parents were right, and she isn’t suited for marriage or life outside their cloistered home?
Rosa
Another Needful Bride!
Rosa Rodriguez is independent for the first time in her life. She has a job she enjoys, and a way to provide for herself and her daughter. Surrounded by friends, she battles the sorrow, anger, and shame of the past, uncertain of what her future could bring.
Will her misconceptions, doubts, and lack of trust steal her chance at love?
Dan Gaines has been focused on building his ranch, providing for his men, and caring for the town of Needful. As the reluctant mayor of the tiny cow town, he is determined to meet the needs of all who live there, but one particularly stubborn woman won’t let him help. As his frustration turns to infatuation, his feelings of personal guilt over his friend’s death keeps him from seeing what is right before his eyes. Will circumstances, misunderstandings, and danger separate him from the one who owns his heart?