Mail Order Bride: Ultimate Mail Order Bride Collection: 6-Book Bundle ~ Clean Historical Romance (Shades of Romance Series)

by Jill Maguire

  He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a small object, then clearing his throat he spoke softly.

  “Felicity, along with the rings we have exchanged today, I want to give you this additional token of my love and devotion.” He held up a thin burgundy ribbon with a small engraved heart centered on it.

  Felicity ran her fingers gently along the soft silk. “My burgundy ribbon,” she said softly. “I thought I’d lost it.”

  “I’ve kept it since the day we met…since the day you wore it in your hair for me. Now I want you to wear it so you’ll always know how much I love you.”

  Felicity fought back the tears as she read the engraved words on the tiny heart.

  “Always My Burgundy Bride” it said.

  Then, as the man she loved placed it around her neck, she let the tears flow.

  ~~~

  The End

  Coming Soon to Kindle:

  Love By Mail: The Whistle Stop Brides Series

  Meet 10 couples in the quaint railroad town of Whistle Stop, Wyoming. Each has endured triumph and tragedy on their way to the altar. Can love really conquer all?

  “A captivating new series by Jill Maguire & Kalyn Keyes.”

  His Burgundy Bride

  Copyright 2015 © Jill Maguire & Kalyn Keyes

  Prairie Wind Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted by any means - electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise without written permission from the author/publisher.

  His Turquoise Bride

  Copyright 2015 © Jill Maguire & Kalyn Keyes

  Prairie Wind Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted by any means - electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise without written permission from the author/publisher.

  Cover Design by Renee Barratt @ www.thecovercounts.com

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Exclusive Offer

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  A Note from Jill & Kalyn

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Cranberry Bay, Maine 1879

  The sand sifted between Elizabeth’s bare toes as she ran toward the water’s edge. She could already see him, crouched close to the sand, searching. His dark blue trousers were yanked up over his knees and the sleeves of his wrinkled white shirt were rolled to his elbows. They would find treasure today, she was sure of it.

  The salty spray from the ocean tickled her nose and made her sneeze as she ran, but nothing was going to stop her from joining Noah on the beach. Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder and giggled at the parade of footprints embedded in the sand behind her, following her like a lost dog.

  “Noah!” she hollered above the sound of crashing waves and the caw of eager seagulls overhead. She waved her hands excitedly, swinging her small wooden bucket back and forth above her head.

  The boy, whom she had known for the whole 12 years of her life, looked up briefly and squinted at her. He didn’t call back or even wave; he simply returned to the sand and continued his search amongst the seashells. Noah Cartwright was the world’s best treasure hunter – and he had the most glorious seashell collection to prove it.

  “Hi Noah,” she said as she squatted down next to the boy and gathered her skirt around her knees. “Find anything yet?”

  “Hi Eli,” Noah responded, using the nickname he had called her since they were toddlers. Elizabeth sometimes wished that Noah would use a more feminine name for her, like Beth or Liz, but he had always called her Eli. “Nah, I just got here,” he mumbled, his eyes fixated on the tide washing over their toes.

  “I brought a bucket,” Elizabeth chirped. “I just know we’re going to find something special today.”

  “Nothing good yet. Only one conch shell and a rock with a fossil on the side.”

  Elizabeth dug her fingertips into the sand, making a well in the dark thick mud. She quickly scanned the hole for a glimmer of treasure before the tide filled it with its bubbly froth. Finding nothing but sand, Elizabeth scooped out another hole and brought her chin to her knees, peering, wishing.

  “Did you see Kirby Decker at church this morning?” Elizabeth whispered, not wanting to break Noah’s concentration.

  “Yeah, that was pretty gross. Why would he pick his nose and wipe it on the back of his mother’s dress? I think the whole congregation saw him do it. Mrs. Decker had no idea but I bet she’ll have his hide when she finds out.”

  Elizabeth lifted her chin and peeked at Noah when he smiled. His wavy blond hair was tousled by the sea breeze and his tanned face looked copper against the setting sun. His eyes were the purest blue she had ever seen and when they twinkled, it reminded her of the sun reflecting off the ocean waves.

  “I wouldn’t want to be Kirby when his father finds out,” Elizabeth told Noah. “Dorothy Leary said Mr. Decker has 10 different belts that he uses to tan Kirby when he’s bad.” She shook her head, thankful that her father was a gentle man who did not resort to violent forms of punishment. “Have you ever gotten the belt at home?”

  “I’ve had my share,” Noah admitted. “Not as many as Jed though. He gets it almost every day. My father says he teaches me bad things, but…….” Noah didn’t finish his thought.

  “At least you have a big brother. I’ve always wanted one, or a sister.”

  “It’s not as great as you think. You get less dinner and Jed’s snoring keeps me awake at night.” Noah frowned and continued digging in the sand.

  “I guess that’s true. Maybe it’s better to only have friends. Best friends. Like you.” Elizabeth smiled coyly at Noah. “You know you’re my best friend, right?”

  Noah peered into the sand, completely ignoring Elizabeth’s question. “Look,” he squealed and plucked a small blue-green pebble from the beneath the waves. He held it to the sun and studied it like a gem. “Sea glass!”

  “Really?” Elizabeth shrieked with excitement. It was the first time they had ever found a real treasure. “Is it really?” she asked again.

  But Noah was speechless. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth hung open, admiring the prize he had just recovered from the sea. In all of his 12 years, he had never seen anything quite as beautiful – except for maybe Elizabeth Ridgeway.

  Out of the corner of his eye he could see her smiling and eagerly wringing her hands together. He loved it when she smiled. Her teeth were as white as the clouds and the rosy color of her lips reminded him of the pink gumballs Jed hid under his bed. She spun happily in circles as Noah stole a glance at her through the translucent glass.

  “I wonder what shipwreck it’s from.” Elizabeth inched her way closer to Noah and his treasure. She loved the romantic idea of glass washing ashore from a sunken vessel deep beneath the sea.

  Noah felt his pulse quicken as Elizabeth stood next to him. She was so close that the frills on the shoulder of her dress brushed against his bare arm. He nervously pulled away.

  “Hey! I wanted to take a closer look,” she said disappointedly.

  “I found it. It’s mine,” Noah snarled back at her.

  “I know it’s yours. I wasn’t trying to take it from you; I just wanted to see it a little closer is all.” Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and stomped back to whe
re her bucket lay on its side, stuck in the sand. “I don’t care about a stupid ‘ol piece of broken glass anyway,” she huffed.

  “Eli, wait.”

  Elizabeth could hear Noah’s bare feet slapping along the beach as he ran to catch up to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Here, you can have it.”

  She spun around to Noah’s outstretched hand, offering her the smooth piece of turquoise colored glass. She didn’t know what to say. “I don’t need to keep it Noah; I just wanted to see it.”

  Noah took two more steps toward her and held out the piece of glass for her to take. “Please, Eli. I want you to have it. You can remember me when you look at it.”

  “What do you mean ‘remember you’? I’ll see you tomorrow at school, silly.”

  “No you won’t. We’re leaving at daybreak. My father wants to go west to search for gold. Real gold, in California.” Noah’s voice was filled with excitement but heavy with sadness at the same time.

  Again, Elizabeth was at a loss for words. Noah couldn’t leave, he was her best friend. Who would tell her about the shipwrecks at sea while she searched for riches along the beach? Who would walk her to school every day? And who would tell Joshua Jones to beat it when he put a frog in her lunchbox? He simply couldn’t leave.

  “You’re really leaving?” Elizabeth’s voice cracked with the sorrow and she felt a dull ache in her chest.

  “I’ll definitely write you and tell you about the gold we find. And don’t worry, I told Joshua Jones this morning that he best leave you alone or I’ll march right back here and blacken his eye.”

  Elizabeth sniffled. She couldn’t believe Noah was really leaving. “I’m sure going to miss you Noah Cartwright. I kinda thought we’d be married some day.” Her chin trembled as the words fluttered out of her mouth.

  Noah smiled back at her. “You’re going to marry someone who can spoil you with riches, Eli. Now here, take this.” He held out the piece of glass and Elizabeth slowly took it from him. As she looked at the smoothed glass through teary eyes, she noticed it was heart shaped. It was fitting that the first boy to steal her heart was giving her a glass one in return.

  “See ya, Eli,” Noah said quietly, clumsily landing a shy boyhood kiss on Elizabeth’s cheek.

  “Bye Noah.”

  With that, he was gone. Her dearest friend had disappeared into the sunset leaving her with nothing but a heavy heart, an empty bucket and the most beautiful piece of sea glass she had ever seen.

  Chapter One

  Elizabeth 10 years later……..

  Cranberry Bay, Maine 1889

  The porch swing creaked as Elizabeth moved it back and forth with the push of her toes. She pulled the ivory wool blanket over her knees and took a deep breath of the early morning sea air. She loved how the ocean smelled first thing in the morning, so fresh and invigorating.

  She undid the twist holding her long blond hair and shook her head from side to side. She loved to feel the warm summer breeze blow across her neck. The sun was creeping over the covered porch and Elizabeth could tell it was going to be another hot day.

  “Elizabeth, dear,” her father said softly through the screen porch door. “Could you come inside for a moment?”

  “Of course, father.”

  Elizabeth laid the blanket over the back of the swing and tiptoed across the wide planks of the porch to meet her father. He was sitting at the small table in the kitchen, his glasses tipped low on his nose, reading a letter. His hand shook slightly as he held it showing the sign of his age.

  “What is it, father?”

  William Ridgeway looked up from the letter and motioned for his daughter to take a seat. The lines around his eyes, the ones that crinkled when he smiled, were deep and pensive and the smile that was so familiar to Elizabeth was pursed with concern.

  “Father,” Elizabeth asked again. “What is it?” Fearing the worst, Elizabeth slid into the chair beside the elderly man and lovingly placed her hand on his shoulder. “Tell me.”

  “Elizabeth,” he started, swiveling in his chair to face the youngest of his seven children. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  “Then start at the beginning,” she teased, trying to lighten her father’s somber mood.

  William took her hand and held it in his. Elizabeth could feel the weathered skin of his palm, rough and aged against hers. “You know I love having you here with me Elizabeth, please never doubt that. But I also want more for you, sweet child. I want you to find love, start a family, and share your zest for life with the world.”

  Elizabeth’s brow furrowed at her father’s admission. “And I will have all of those things in good time father. What is this all about?”

  “This letter came for me today. Actually it came to us, from one of my oldest friends and dearest colleagues. It appears he is practicing medicine in the Carolina’s now.” William tapped his hand proudly on the folded letter. “He has requested something of me – and of you, if you agree.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand. What could your physician friend possibly have requested of us?”

  “He has a son, Elizabeth. His name is Henry. Henry Blackwood. It appears he has followed in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. He’s currently providing services to the prospectors in the west and has made a very comfortable life for himself in California.”

  William finally began to smile, enough that Elizabeth should have felt relieved. But instead she was becoming more confused. “I’m not sure what any of this has to do with you or I father.”

  “Well, my colleague states in his letter that his son is missing one very important thing. One thing he is rather desperate for.” William picked up the letter and began reading it to Elizabeth.

  My son has enough clients to keep him busy and is making a healthy wage. He is respected and admired in his community and has become a very prominent part of society. His large home is well-built, fully furnished and he has secured enough land that he can expand his homestead if he sees fit.

  The only thing that Henry cannot seem to find is the acquaintance of a refined young lady who is of means, loving disposition and able to bear children. Women of this stature are not easily found in the west, Mr. Ridgeway. It is for this reason that I propose the marriage of my son to your youngest daughter, Elizabeth.

  “Father!” Elizabeth snatched the letter from her father’s hand and studied it, her thoughts too jumbled to say anything more.

  “I know this is a surprise Elizabeth, but please promise me you’ll think about it. It may be your best chance to leave here and make a life for yourself.”

  “But father…….,” Elizabeth stuttered. “I love it here, with you, in Cranberry Bay. I can’t imagine ever leaving.”

  William’s soft smile turned rigid as he pushed his back into the chair and sat as straight as an arrow. “Don’t be foolish, child. You can’t expect to live here forever,” he scoffed, pounding his fist gently on the table to make his point.

  “But you’ll be alone if I leave father,” Elizabeth blurted, trying to prevent her father from becoming more angry.

  William avoided his daughter’s reply and stared out the window. He knew his youngest child, the one with whom he shared the closest bond, would be hesitant to leave him alone.

  He remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity before returning his eyes to Elizabeth and offering a compromise. “What if I went with you, Elizabeth? I could escort you on the train and see to it that you and Dr. Blackwood were settled before I returned home.”

  Elizabeth studied the words on the paper again. Healthy wage, respected, admired, prominent, large home, fully furnished, land, children. The more she read, the more she realized that this decision was going to be an epic battle – a hard-fought, ugly war between her heart and her head.

  “What do you say sweetheart? Up for an adventure?” William tapped his hand encouragingly on her knee and grinned. “I’ll pack some of my homemade salt water taffy for the trip. I know you can’t re
sist my taffy,” he grinned.

  Elizabeth tried not to smile, but her father’s infectious positivity always had a way of making her feel better. “Let me sleep on it,” she offered, a tiny smirk lifting the corners of her mouth.

  “That’s my girl.” William stood and waved for his daughter to stand. He hugged her tight and the two walked arm-in-arm out to the porch to enjoy some sunshine on the beach.

  ****

  Night fell far too soon for Elizabeth’s liking. The midnight blue sky and subtle hush of the waves meant she could no longer put off thinking about the promise she had made to her father. Tonight, she would fall asleep thinking about how she could possibly marry a man she had never met.

  She strolled to the window, accidentally bumping her nightstand. “Ouch,” she whispered, rubbing the quickly bruising skin on her thigh. As she glanced at the distressed wooden table, now shifted slightly away from the wall, a metallic glimmer on the floor caught her eye.

  Elizabeth squatted down to see what it was and caught her breath at the sight of it. She scooped up the small necklace and stroked it with her fingertips. “So, that’s where you’ve been hiding,” she said. “I wondered where you had gone.”

  Her eyes fell to the small turquoise pendant hanging delicately at the end of the chain. Her father, knowing how much she loved the tiny piece of sea glass, had made it into a charm and bought her a necklace to wear it on. She rubbed her fingers over the smooth stone and instantly the memories of her childhood flooded her mind – running on the beach, building sandcastles, and the salty mist on her skin. Pure innocence.

  Elizabeth recounted the day she and Noah had found the piece of sea glass in the sand. She couldn’t remember much about that day, other than it was the same day Noah had moved away and how heartbroken she was over him leaving. At the time, her adolescent heart was convinced he was the only boy she would ever love, and yet, standing here 10 years later, she could barely remember what he looked like. “Funny how memories fade,” she said quietly as a feeling of sadness washed over her.