Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Other Books by Trinity Bellingham
Second Chance Cover
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
LHLHM Cover
Tilte Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
ChapterTen
WAW Cover
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
TMFXmas Cover
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Other Books by Trinity Bellingham
Please Leave a Review for The Mail Order Brides...
About the Author
Contact Me
WYOMING MAIL ORDER BRIDES
BOXED SET
Books 1 - 4
Clean Historical Mail Order Bride Romances
TRINITY BELLINGHAM
This is a work of fiction and all characters are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or organizations, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015, Wyoming Mail Order Brides Boxed Set, Trinity Bellingham. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means - for example, electronic, photocopy, recording - without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
This story is dedicated as always to my loyal and faithful readers, who I sincerely thank for their interest in my work. I also dedicate my stories to the women who had the courage to pioneer new lives in the West, often against unimaginable odds.
Other Books by Trinity Bellingham
Mail Order Brides of Hope Springs (Series)
A Clean Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Series
Book 1: Tillie
Book 2: Millie
Book 3: Abigale - coming soon
Book 4: The Christmas Mail Order Bride - available for pre-order
I've been reading books by Annie Boone and thought you might like them too:
The Christmas Gift
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017GC4VLS
Mail Order Brides of the West – Books 1 – 4
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015T4WPC2
Second Chance
A Clean Historical Mail Order Bride Romance
WYOMING MAIL ORDER BRIDES
~ BOOK 1 ~
TRINITY BELLINGHAM
Chapter One
It was raining, more like pouring and the cemetery had long since emptied of the living, save for a solitary figure standing beside a freshly filled grave. Annie Duvall looked down at the permanent home of the man who had stolen her heart and given her twelve glorious months of love, while her tears mingled with the rain that was pouring down her head and face.
"James, why?" She sobbed silently, oblivious to the lightning and thunder which would otherwise have been frightening. As it was, the twenty two year old dark haired woman did not have time to feel frightened of nature erupting around her; her whole world as she knew it was lying underneath the dirt beneath her feet. Her hazel eyes were clouded with grief and her tall and slender form was bent forward with fatigue. She could not remember the last time she had rested, nor had a proper meal.
Annie could not believe that just two days ago she and James Duvall, her husband of one year, had shared the heart warming news of her pregnancy, and now here he was, dead and buried - and probably already forgotten by most. She shook her head as if to dispel the horrible memories but they were stuck in her mind and she knew that for as long as she lived, that horrible, fateful day would forever be etched in her mind.
James had left for work that morning, promising to return early in the evening so they could celebrate her pregnancy. Annie had stood at the gate of their small two bedroom house in Plymouth, Massachusetts, one hand raised in a wave to her departing husband and the other placed on her womb, as if to tell the new inhabitant they were already loved.
Two hours later the whole town was abuzz with news of an accident at the docks. One of the new loading machines had slipped off its rails and crushed several workers to death. Annie, who was the seamstress for one of the town's fashion designers, listened to the news, dread filling her heart and when her employer saw that her mind was not on the sleeve she was stitching, allowed her to leave.
Annie joined the throng of people who were running towards the docks to find out if family or friends had been injured, or worse, dead. It did not take long for the dead to be identified and Annie collapsed in the arms of a matronly woman when James' name was mentioned among the dead.
Because of the nature of his injuries, the burial had to be done within the shortest time possible, hence her presence in the town's cemetery. Only a handful of people had showed up for James' burial because there were several other burials taking place on the same day in various parts of the city.
"James, why did you have to leave me," Annie dropped to her knees and clutched fistfuls of earth between her numb fingers. "Lord, what am I supposed to do with this baby and with my life? James was my whole life and now I have no one and nothing."
It was indeed true that Annie now had no one. James had rescued her from the horrible fate of becoming a twilight girl when she turned eighteen and the foundling home where she grew up decided that there was no more room for her. One of the workers at the home had deceived her when he told her he would get her a job as a governess, but that was subject to her providing him and his friends with favors that horrified her. She had fled and found herself alone and cold at the railway station where she had sought refuge, thinking about stowing away on one of the trains and leaving Plymouth forever.
James had been returning from visiting his sick aunt in Taunton when he saw her shivering on one of the benches on the platform, and approached her. At first she was terrified that he was just like the foundling home worker, but when he took her to his pastor's house and asked the Reverend Moses Williams and his wife Judith to provide shelter for Annie, she started to believe there were still good people left on earth.
They got married after a few weeks of courtship and for Annie it was as though her life was now complete and settled. However, it was not to be, and now with the death of her husband she again had nowhere to go. James' aunt in New Jersey had been his only surviving relative and she had died when they were just two months into their marriage.
"Where will I go Lord?" She said, picking herself up and trudging wearily to the small house where she had lived with her husband. Already the landlord had come to request her to leave the premises because of unpaid rent. She had left such matters to James and it was only after his death that
she realized they were doing poorly indeed. She would hand over all the money she made at her job as a seamstress, and with whatever he was making, she thought they were okay. However, when she approached his supervisor at work to find out if there was any money that would be paid, she was informed that James was deeply in debt and not only did he owe his employer money because of the large advances he'd taken out against his salary, but the savings account in the local bank revealed a zero balance.
~#~#~#~
"There are many ways a woman can pay off her debts," said the large man with thick lips and a heavy mustache as he licked his lips lecherously. Annie felt sick to her stomach. Roger Bright looked formidable and she regretted coming to his house to ask him to reconsider evicting her. She had tried to make a final appeal to her landlord to allow her to stay on in the house and perhaps ask one of the ladies at work to share with her, but he was adamant. She had to pay up almost six months' rental arrears or else be tossed out of the house at that very moment. He had already grabbed whatever possessions Annie and James had possessed because of the outstanding money owed to him, but still he demanded more.
"You are a pretty young thing and that will keep you in my good books for a while." He reached out a hand to touch her and she flinched, stepping hastily backwards. A frown marred his face. "So you think you are better than the rest of us?" He took a step forward and she retreated again but he crowded her and soon pressed her up against the wall, his evil intentions abundantly clear. Annie opened her mouth to scream but he clamped a huge palm over it and she almost fainted from loss of air.
"Oh Jesus, please help me," she begged, her eyes huge with terror, but the man was bent on sating his desires and Annie almost gave in, but then thought of her unborn child. No way was she going to allow this evil man to get the better of her and she fought him like a ferocious cat. He was forced to step back when she kicked him hard in the shin.
"Why, you..." he snarled at her, then took another threatening step towards her but this time she was ready. In the previous struggle her hand had reached out to the side and closed over a thick piece of wood which she now raised and brought down with all her might. It caught the man off guard and there was a surprised look on his face before he grunted and went down like a sack of potatoes, blood oozing from a deep wound on his head. Annie dropped the piece of wood and fled, quite sure that she had killed the man and knowing that no one would believe her side of the story. She was a murderess and could no longer stay in Taunton because the police would soon find out she was the last person to see Roger Bright alive.
Annie did not even return home to pick up anything. She had all she needed with her and got onto a buggy that was leaving Plymouth for Boston. Boston was large enough and she could hide there for a while, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before the law caught up with her. She was now a fugitive and had to find a way out of Massachusetts if necessary and as she thought on these things she happened to catch a glimpse of an advertisement in the newspaper that the man next to her was reading.
"Pioneer Farmer in Nebraska seeks wife from the East," the advert read. When the man saw how interested she was he plucked the page out and silently handed it to her then went back to reading the rest of the paper, brushing aside her gratitude.
Annie perused through the almost fifty adverts and an idea began to form in her mind. She had very little money left and was on the run, but she would take time to respond to the advertisements and see which of the men would write back to her.
~#~#~#~
Annie could not believe she was finally stepping onto the train that would take her away from her past life and into an unknown future. It all seemed surreal and as though it had just happened yesterday, but two months had passed since she fled Plymouth for Boston. Finding work as a cleaning lady was not too difficult because she was a hard worker, and she hid her pregnancy well.
In that time she had communicated with more than ten of the men who had placed adverts for Mail Order Brides, and each time she was sure to mention her condition. "If a man is really serious then he will take me with my baby. I won't lie," she had told herself and for days she had waited anxiously for a response. Only one of the men responded, and he was from Wyoming.
He actually responded by sending her fifty dollars for her train fare and without a further thought, she had obtained her ticket and was now on her way to Tipton, Wyoming. She had boarded the train in Boston and apart from a brief changeover in Chicago the train would take her right to Tipton. As she settled back in her seat, which thankfully was next to the window she turned her head and hoped that no one would try to make conversation with her. She had to be very careful, even though she had read the newspapers daily to see if she was still being sought by the police.
"Good morning," a soft gentle voice hailed her and Annie turned and saw a young woman her own age with the greenest eyes she had ever seen. She had carrot red hair and was plump. There was a friendly twinkle in her eyes and Annie found herself warming to the newcomer. "Is this seat taken?" she motioned to the place opposite Annie.
"No."
"Oh good," the lady put down a carpetbag at her feet. "I was hoping that I would get a window seat." Annie merely smiled. "My name is Cora O'Malley," she held out her hand.
"I am Annie Smith." If Cora thought Annie was hiding something she kept it to herself.
"Where are you traveling to?" Cora grinned and Annie had to smile at the happiness radiating from her companion's face. "I'm sorry. My mother said my curiosity will one day get me into trouble. I'm on my way to Granger in Wyoming. You see, I am a mail order bride and my soon to be husband sent me money for my ticket."
"I am also a mail order bride," Annie said shyly. The concept was still new to her, that men from the West would place advertisements in the newspapers with hopes of finding themselves brides who would leave all that was dear to them, and venture out to the Wild West to settle down there. Well, the ladies were probably as desperate as she was or else they would never leave the comforts of their homes for the unknown.
"Where is your husband from?" For a moment Annie almost told Cora about James but then she remembered that the lady was referring to her intended.
"Jeremy Paine is from Tipton. He is twenty five years old and a farmer."
"Oh," Cora's eyes glittered. "I read something about Wyoming. Tipton is not that far from Granger and we can probably meet once in a while."
"I would like that very much," Annie said with sincerity, happy she had a companion for the long journey.
~#~#~#~
Chapter Two
Richard West kept glancing down the tracks, as if his looking would make the expected train suddenly appear. The station master had told him the train would be arriving shortly after ten a.m. that Tuesday morning, and from his pocket watch it was approaching eleven and the train was not yet here.
He sighed, wondering what lay in store for him and he asked himself for the umpteenth time if he was a fool to go along with Jeremy's plan. His life was alright according to him and he was set in his bachelor ways, not intending to marry for a while yet. He twisted his lips wryly as he thought about his life.
Born twenty eight years ago to a miner in Montana and his docile wife, Richard had been the only child of his parents. They had died within hours of each other when he was only ten years old. Peter and Joanna West had contracted influenza, and before the doctor could be summoned, his father and then his mother were both dead.
Richard lived like a scavenger in the mining fields, following miners from place to place and running errands for them in order to earn a little money for his food. He slept in open fields or trenches and when he turned eighteen and heard about the Homestead Act, he quickly decided that he could change his life by getting his own farm and making a home for himself. It was not until he turned twenty two that he finally got his own farm in Tipton, Wyoming.
Richard was a hard worker and in a short time he had put up his own f
our roomed sod house of which he was very proud. This was finally his home, a place to call his own and meant no more sleeping out in the fields or in the trenches ever again. His sole determination was to make it as a dairy farmer and supply milk to families living in Tipton. He also wanted to start a poultry farm but because he was very busy with his five cows, he did not have time for his new idea.
Jeremy Paine was his best friend and the two men were very close, even though Richard was older. They had adjoining farms and helped each other out from time to time, and it was Jeremy who had told him that he had invited a woman to come from the East to be his wife.
"I was looking forward to making Annie Duvall my wife, but," Jeremy had shaken his head, "My mother would never welcome a woman who is carrying another man's child. I tried to explain to her that Annie is not a wayward woman, but the unfortunate death of her husband left her pregnant and alone, but my ma will have none of it."
"So why are you telling me all this?"
"Richard, you have vowed you will never marry because according to you, you can never father any children."
"That's right. I had an unfortunate accident when I was about fifteen and the doctor said that though I am a normal man, I can never have children. Most women want children and I can't tie down a woman for the rest of her life if I am sterile. It would cause her too much unhappiness."
"This is your chance to be a father then," Jeremy had said. "Besides, there is no one to make your bride's life difficult. Think about it."
And now here he was, waiting for a woman who was expecting to be met by the man who had sent her fare, but instead it was someone else who would be receiving her. He heard the loud engines of the train even before it appeared and his hands began to sweat. He was actually nervous. What if the woman took one look at him and did not like what she saw? Would he be obliged to give her the fare to return back to Boston?
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