An Unexpected Dilemma Bride
Family of Love Series
Elliee Atkinson
GREENHOUSE PUBLISHING CO.
Contents
Copyright
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A Personal Note From Ellie Atkinson
Dedication
About The Author
AN UNEXPECTED DILEMMA BRIDE
PROLOGUE
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CHAPTER ONE
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CHAPTER TWO
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CHAPTER THREE
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CHAPTER FOUR
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CHAPTER FIVE
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CHAPTER SIX
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CHAPTER SEVEN
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CHAPTER EIGHT
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CHAPTER NINE
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CHAPTER TEN
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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CHAPTER TWELVE
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
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CHAPTER TWENTY
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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
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EPILOGUE
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A SURPRISE FOR YOU
A BONUS NOVELLA
MENDING HEARTS AND FENCES
Book Description
PROLOGUE
*
CHAPTER ONE
*
CHAPTER TWO
*
CHAPTER THREE
*
CHAPTER FOUR
*
CHAPTER FIVE
*
CHAPTER SIX
*
CHAPTER SEVEN
*
CHAPTER EIGHT
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CHAPTER NINE
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CHAPTER TEN
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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CHAPTER TWELVE
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
*
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
*
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
*
CHAPTER NINETEEN
*
CHAPTER TWENTY
*
EPILOGUE
*
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Also By Elliee Atkinson
Acknowledgement
If You Have Enjoyed This Book…
Publisher’s Notes
Copyright © 2016 - 2018 by ELLIEE ATKINSON & GREEN HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Cover designed by Ms Melody Simmons. Author has the copyrights to this cover.
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A PERSONAL NOTE
FROM ELLIEE ATKINSON
To My Dearest Lovely Readers,
Those female characters within my stories are women who displayed strong faith of love, knowing what they want to pursue in the Wild West.
They are constantly seeking and believe the true love really exists as they are often being looked upon as an inferior gender. Because of these social stigma, it motivates them to overcome challenges they may face while waiting for the man of their dreams to appear.
Will these insecurities and stigma encourages them in believing true love despite the differences and challenges in social standing that they will face during this Wild West period?
Read on to find out the answers!
Thank you very much for your strong support to my writing journey!
With Hugs, Kisses and Love…
DEDICATION
“I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart.”
Alice Walker
This Story Is Specially Dedicated To You, My Dearest Reader!
It is with gratefulness and gratitude that I am writing to you this personal dedication.
Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to share with you my creative side of me.
I hope you will enjoy reading this story as much I have enjoyed writing it!
It is with such great support from you that keep us authors writing and writing, presenting to you with great and interesting stories.
Have you checked out my other western historical romance books series?
Click the link below to get started
*** AMAZON USA ***
Do you like what you have read?
I would want to hear from you!
Please do get in touch with me:
https://www.facebook.com/EllieeAtkinsonBooks/
[email protected]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elliee Atkinson is the author of many mail order brides stories and her alternate name is Rosie Attwood. Using Elliee Atkinson as her new pen-name, she spins out American historical western romance stories for readers that appreciate the romance that happened in the Old Wild West.
Elliee loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance “Wild Montana Sky” by Debra Holland was inspired by the story perseverance and determination of the women from the wild west and how they overcome adversaries, fight for the love they deserved and desired.
Many of her stories are based on her knowledge of the old west, although all the names, events, and places that may resemble or are similar to living people are only coincidental and fiction, of course.
Elliee credits her wonderfully supportive partner and friend, Steven and her advance review reviewers for helping her to fine-tune her writing skills and allowing her creativity to explode.
AN UNEXPECTED DILEMMA BRIDE
A WESTERN ROMANCE STORY
by
ELLIEE ATKINSON
and
Green House Publishing Co.
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
Joshua Collins looked through the window at the night sky. It was filled with twinkling stars
.
He was a lifelong bachelor, who had only in recent months begun to think that he might not want to waste his youth. He was smart, or so they had told him at the academy his father had sent him to years ago. However, he didn’t want a job sitting behind a desk. He didn’t want a job where people were hovering over his shoulder, watching his every move. He wanted to be independent.
For that reason, he’d offered his services all over Louisville as a handyman. He did carpentry, built foundations and specialized in all methods of building a house. He was a strong man with a sharp brain. He could find a way around any obstacle. Because of that, his friends started coming to them whenever they had some kind of trouble.
He had a reputation for being a ladies’ man, but it was undeserved. Although the ladies pined for his affections, he was a reserved man who did not appreciate the attention. He was polite, or as polite as he could be. Nevertheless, some women were mighty aggressive. He didn’t want to hurt anyone.
He had been thinking for some time that it was about time for a vacation. He’d been thinking about Wickenburg for a while. His uncle and aunt lived there with their children. They’d offered several times, but he’d always balked. He was determined to make money and gather as much as he could in his accounts so that he could afford to give a woman what she truly deserved.
He thought he could afford a vacation. He’d worked for years without one, rarely taking a day off except for Sundays. Earlier that day, he’d sent a telegram to Wickenburg, to his uncle, asking if he could possibly spend his vacation there, relaxing and enjoying their beautiful home and property. He didn’t expect a reply for a few days, but he was already excited.
That was one of the reasons he was sitting at the window, drinking a cup of herbal tea. He couldn’t sleep. He was going to leave Louisville for a while.
Who knew? If he liked it enough, he just might stay. He’d had enough of the constant bickering between the ladies he’d refused. They bickered with him and each other. Then they would bicker about each other to him. It was a never-ending cycle. A clean break was just what he needed.
He turned to go back to bed, sliding under the sheets and pulling them up to his chest. He stared at the ceiling, wondering when he would fall asleep. He closed his eyes and fell asleep moments later.
CHAPTER ONE
JOSHUA ARRIVES
JOSHUA ARRIVES
Alice cleaned the house in preparation for Joshua’s arrival. She moved around the room quickly, running a cloth over dusty counters and shelves. She wanted to impress him. He was an impressive young man and she was excited to see him. He would be arriving later in the afternoon. He was a crime solver and loved his profession, but he was also a handsome man and quite sure of himself.
Joshua was from Louisville, close enough to Wickenburg for Adam and Alice to keep up with his accomplishments. Joshua was a smart man and he’d made a lot of friends in Louisville. It was a larger town and he knew practically everyone. He had a good reputation with everyone. In fact, she couldn’t think of anyone who had ever had anything bad to say about him.
He also attracted a lot of women. Alice thought about that for a moment, running a cloth over the mantle. He seemed so shy to her. He always had. He walked with his head down, his shoulders slumped and a sad demeanor. Was she the only one who saw that?
She couldn’t be.
Adam hadn’t noticed. If he had, he never mentioned it. She knew he was proud of Joshua. No matter what her nephew did, she knew Adam would be proud of him in some way. They had been close when the boy was young. He would visit almost every summer and spend hours on end riding horses, learning to train horses, feeding them and taking care of them. They’d had a splendid time together.
That was fifteen years ago, and Joshua was still a bachelor. He hadn’t been back since she became Adam’s wife. She hadn’t met him yet. His last trip to Wickenburg was for Adam’s wedding to his first wife, Holly.
He had made a lot of friends over the years, most of them based in Louisville, but some who had sought his advice in figuring out difficult situations even as far away as Texas.
Adam and Alice were happy and excited that Joshua had chosen to come to Wickenburg out of the blue to see them. It made Adam a bit suspicious too.
While she was dusting Alice thought about a conversation they’d had.
It’s kind of strange that Joshua would want to come to Wickenburg.”
“I don’t think so,” Alice had responded. “What makes you think that?”
Adam shrugged. ”Don’t you think it’s strange? He hasn’t been here in so long. It doesn’t make sense.
Alice grinned. “I think he’s been living his own life and misses the past. He wants to vacation where he did as a young boy. That’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Adam looked away, lost in thought. “I guess so. I just have a strange feeling.”
“He does tend to bring excitement wherever he goes.”
“Attention from the ladies is the first thing that comes to my mind.”
Alice giggled. “I know. I think it amusing to hear about. I get the ladies’ perspective, you see, and my goodness, he is a heartbreaker.”
“He doesn’t mean to be.”
“I know. I’m aware of that.”
“I’m anxious for him to get here. It’s been nearly fifteen years. He’s got to have aged. Uh oh, I suppose I have, too. Won’t this be fun.”
Alice giggled. “You’re as handsome as you ever were, my love.”
He’ll be here soon, won’t he?”
Adam nodded. “Shouldn’t take too long to get here from the Inn.”
“Is he staying at the Inn? He didn’t ride here on his own horse?”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna stay there. He wanted to check out the scene before coming here. He’s like that, you know. Likes to be alone. That’s why none of those women have captured him yet.”
“And it’s been how long since you’ve seen him?”
“I told you it’s been fifteen years, woman. Don’t you listen to me?”
Alice laughed. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I know it’s been fifteen years. But you’ve been in touch with him through letters all this time.”
“Yeah. That’s nothing like being face to face. I’ve missed him. I don’t think I knew how much till now. He’s a really good guy. I can’t wait to see him again.”
“I am looking forward to meeting him.” She looked out at the wagon as it approached their house, squinting to get a more focused view of the man sitting next to the driver. He had one hand wrapped around a large bag in his lap and the other holding his hat on his head. He looked almost as delighted as his uncle. The wagon was barely at a stop when he jumped down and lifted his hat up in the air.
“Uncle Adam!” he cried out, his smile as wide as his face. “Aunt Alice!” He took a few long strides before running up the last step and grabbing them both in a big hug. One look at him and Alice could see why all the ladies swooned over him. He was tall and handsome, with curly brown hair and glinting green eyes. His smile was wide and one of the friendliest smiles she’d ever seen. “I am so glad to see you.”
Joshua put his hands on each of Alice’s shoulders and looked her up and down. “You are lovely, Aunt Alice. It is so good to meet you.”
“It has been too long, Joshua,” Adam said. “Come on in and get a drink. We have a lot of time for you to tell us about your adventures. I want to hear about them all. Do you know I have letters from friends in Louisville who have told me how much you’ve helped them?”
Joshua nodded. “I do, Uncle. I… I get around in that town. I don’t mind helping out whenever I can.”
“They tell me you have a brilliant mind for solving puzzles of all kinds. Just various inconveniences in life where you think of some brilliant way to get around it, from what I understand. Frankly, it amazes me. I’d like to hear about it from the man himself.”
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