Claire's Escape (Mail-Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow 4)

by Maggie McCloud

  Claire’s Escape

  (Mail Order Brides of Prairie Meadow - Book 4)

  By: Maggie McCloud

  Copyright © 2016 Maggie McCloud

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.

  This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons whether living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, businesses, events, etc. are strictly a product of the author’s imagination.

  If you love reading about Mail Order Brides, you will enjoy the sweet, clean, inspirational romances of Maggie McCloud.

  And they are always FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

  ~~~~~~

  Other Books In This Series

  Kathleen’s Dream: Mail Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow – Book 1

  Betsy’s Hope: Mail Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow – Book 2

  Annie’s Chance: Mail Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow – Book 3

  ~~~~~~

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  A Message From Maggie McCloud

  Other Books By Maggie McCloud

  Chapter 1

  When Claire Adamson applied for the job in a café in King City Kansas, she had only planned to stay long enough to help support her family until her father could get back on his feet.

  John Adamson had suffered a serious accident at work and had a long recovery in front of him. On top of that he had lost his job. His boss was apologetic but he needed someone to do the job and if John couldn’t, he would have to let him go. And that’s exactly what had happened. The paltry sum that the company paid him as compensation for his accident was running out.

  Although Sarah, her mother, took in laundry and did some sewing for several well-to-do women, there was not enough money coming in to pay the rent and put food on the table for the three of them.

  So when Claire saw the ad in the local newspaper, she had written to apply. Her mother had misgivings about her daughter moving away to take the job, but Claire had searched high and low in their tiny town and there was nothing that would pay her nearly enough. The job promised room and board, and enough money to help out her parents.

  But now waiting for her train, with ticket in hand and her mother to see her off, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. If she was honest with herself, the idea of moving away from home, to work in a place where she knew no one, frightened her.

  As the train chugged into the station, mother and daughter exchanged tearful hugs.

  “Claire, you know you don’t have to do this. We can manage,” her mother said, clutching Claire’s hands tightly.

  “We’ve been through all this, Mama. We need the money and there is nothing for me around here,” Claire replied. “Please don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  At the sound of the conductor’s ‘All aboard,’ Claire gave her mother one last hug and hurried over to board the train.

  “I’ll write you as soon as I can,” she called, looking back before climbing aboard.

  As promised, the owner of the café, Randall Gorman, had met her at the station. In fact, there were four girls he was waiting for. Once they had all disembarked and collected their bags, he led them to a fine-looking carriage.

  “Hurry up and climb in,” he said abruptly. “That train was late and I don’t like being kept waiting.”

  “This must be a very big and prosperous café to hire four girls,” Claire whispered to one of the other girls.

  The girl just looked at Claire and smiled tightly. “Oh yes, it’s big and prosperous all right. But it ain’t no café we’re goin’ to be working in.”

  At Claire’s puzzled look, the girl turned her gaze to the window and said, “You’ll see soon enough.”

  Claire spent the ride from the station gazing around in open-mouthed awe. She had never been in a place quite so large. But when the carriage stopped in front of a saloon located on the outskirts of King City, Claire was dismayed.

  After climbing out of the carriage, she approached the man who had met the girls at the station.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Gorman. But there must be some mistake. I applied for a job in a café, not a saloon.”

  He stared down at her. “Well, well, are you going to be giving me trouble even before you start working off your train ticket?”

  Claire paled. “No sir, I’m just confused I guess.”

  “Well, we can’t have that, now can we Miss Adamson?” he said sarcastically. “The Golden Bell serves food, so you can consider it a café if that makes you feel better.”

  “But it says Golden Bell Saloon right there on the sign,” Claire replied.

  “Look Missy, did you really think I’d pay those kind of wages for someone to come and work in a café? The money comes from selling drink, and pretty girls encourage the guests to buy more of them. Serving food is just an extra. I expect you to do both and do it with a smile. If you don’t like it, pay me for your train ticket and go back where you came from.”

  “But, but I don’t have the money to do that,” Claire replied, tears brimming.

  ‘Well then I guess you don’t have much choice do you, Miss Adamson?” Gorman said in a quiet voice. “You owe me for a train ticket and you’ll work for me at least until that’s paid off.”

  He grabbed her arm and squeezed, “Do you understand, Miss Adamson?”

  Wincing, Claire nodded. Gorman looked at her a moment longer and finally let go.

  Turning away from Claire he saw the other girls watching.

  Smiling nastily, he said, “Well, I hope now you all understand what you signed up for.”

  The smile left his face and looking from one to the other, he said, “Good. Now pick up your bags and follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying while you’re working here.”

  He led the girls to a small, run-down bunkhouse located behind the saloon. Throwing open the door, he said, “Find yourself a bunk and get settled. I’ll be back for you in an hour.”

  Three of the girls just stood there, shocked at what had transpired. The fourth girl, Mary, just threw her things on a lower bunk and sat down. She was the one who had spoken to Claire in the carriage on the way from the station.

  Claire looked over at her and asked, “How did you know this wasn’t what we thought it was?”

  Mary smiled sadly, “My sister worked here for over a year because my parents needed the money. She had an accident and was killed two weeks ago. Gorman came to our house, supposedly to pay his respects. But once he was inside, he told my parents she still owed him money. He threatened them if they didn’t pay up.”

  “What happened?” Claire asked, shocked.

  “My ma and pa didn’t have the money. When he spotted me, he said I could come to work off her debt. So here I am.”

  Mary had tears in her eyes as she said, “I can’t believe my sister owed that man any money. She hardly ever sent anything home. He’s nothin’ but a liar and a swindler.”

  Chapter 2

  In time, Claire got over her shock at working in a saloon. She gritted
her teeth through a smile and tried to avoid the leering stares and wandering hands of the men who frequented the saloon.

  Her letters home never revealed her misery. She faithfully sent money to her parents each week. The rest of her earnings went towards repaying her train ticket. She had no idea how much that ticket had cost, but it seemed to be awfully expensive. When Claire tried to question Mr. Gorman about it, he told her that he was keeping track and to get back to work.

  “I think I’m entitled to see those records, Mr. Gorman. I can’t believe one train ticket would cost so much.”

  “Are you calling me a liar, Miss Adamson?” Gorman replied in a low, dangerous voice.

  “No, of course not Mr. Gorman,” Claire replied nervously. “It’s just that you said once I paid back the cost of the ticket, I could leave. If it’s paid back, then I would be entitled to more cash each week.”

  “I’m paying you what I promised when you signed on, aren’t I?” Gorman asked belligerently. Claire nodded. “Then get back to work and stop pestering me!”

  Claire wasn’t satisfied with his answer, so on her one half-day a week off, she walked over to the train station and inquired about the price of a one-way ticket from King City to her hometown of Markham. She was shocked when she found out how little it really was. She realized that Gorman had been cheating her out of much of her wages for a long time. She intended to figure out how much he owed her and then confront him.

  As she made her way back towards the saloon, she heard a loud, “Humph!” behind her. Stopping, she turned, only to be met with a disdainful sniff from two older ladies who were walking behind her.

  “Women like you are a disgrace. You shouldn’t be allowed to mingle with decent folk. Why don’t you and your kind go back where you came from?”

  This wasn’t the first time, comments like that had been directed towards her as she walked around the downtown area. But they hurt every time nonetheless. Yet she knew it was useless to try to explain her situation and the fact that she wasn’t working in a saloon by choice.

  This time though, the comments made Claire even more determined to get what she was owed and leave. Fortunately, her parents had moved recently, so Gorman wouldn’t be able to harass them if he went looking for her after she left.

  A few days later, Claire asked to speak to Randall Gorman. She was shown into his office after she finished work late one evening. He had a stack of money sitting on his desk and an account book open off to one side.

  Without looking up or asking her to sit down, Gorman asked, “What is it now, Miss Adamson? This is getting tiresome.”

  Claire tossed a piece of paper on the desk in front of him.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “This is an accounting of what you owe me, Mr. Gorman. I went to the train station to find out the cost of a one-way train ticket from Markham to King City. So on the sheet, you will see that I have figured out how many weeks I’ve worked for you, minus what you paid me. Then I’ve subtracted the cost of the ticket as well as room and board from the total. The balance is what I have coming to me. I’d like it now please and then I’m leaving.”

  Gorman looked at the paper and then crumpled it up in his hand.

  “I think there is a mistake in your calculations, Miss Adamson. Now get out of here before I really get angry.”

  Claire stood up straighter and edged closer to the desk. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she refused to let Mr. Gorman see that he intimidated her. “Oh, there is no mistake in my calculations. My only mistake was being too naïve to check on things before this. Now please pay me and I’ll be on my way.”

  Gorman got up slowly, and then quick as lightning, reached across the desk and grabbed Claire by the neck. She struggled to pull his iron fist away, but couldn’t. Everything was starting to go black, when just as suddenly Gorman released his hold. Claire fell to the floor gasping for breath. Gorman came around the desk and grabbed her roughly, pulling her up and shoving her against the desk.

  “I’ve had enough of you, Missy,” he snarled. As he raised his fist, Claire frantically reached behind her to try to get her balance. Her hand found a paperweight. Before Gorman could hit her, she struck him with it. He fell heavily to the ground. Horrified, she crouched down and was relieved to see that he was still breathing.

  She knew she had to get away before he regained consciousness. But she wasn’t going to leave without the money she was owed. Quickly, she went through the bills scattered on the desktop and grabbed the exact amount she was owed. Then she opened the door and walked out, closing it securely behind her. Turning left, she exited through the back door rather than chance walking back through the saloon.

  Once outside, she ran as far from the saloon as she could, until out of breath she had to stop. She hadn’t want to risk going back to retrieve any of her meager belongings from the bunkhouse. Anything she had could be replaced. Getting away was far more important because she knew that once Gorman woke up, he would be furious. She had no desire to be on the other end of that fury.

  In a panic, Claire spent the next few hours walking around King City, eventually ending up at the stagecoach depot early the next morning. She paid cash for a ticket on the first stagecoach leaving town and climbed aboard. She held her breath and crossed her fingers until the stagecoach left the depot and was on the open road. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She was the only passenger on the stagecoach so she finally allowed herself to relax. As Claire looked out the window, she wondered where it was headed. When she had bought her ticket, it didn’t seem important. Pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders, she closed her eyes and dropped off to sleep, exhausted from her ordeal.

  An hour or so later, the stagecoach made its first stop in the tiny hamlet of Morris. As Claire got out to stretch her legs, she watched with interest as two new passengers got ready to board the stagecoach. One was an elderly gentleman. The girl was about her age, Claire noted. She was getting a tearful send-off from her parents. She had a huge trunk, which the driver struggled to hoist onto the top of the stage. Once it was secured, the driver told the family it was time for the stage to leave.

  The girl waved and waved until her parents disappeared from sight, then took out a hanky to wipe her eyes.

  “I guess you think I’m being silly,” she said, still clutching the hanky in her hand. “But I’m moving to Prairie Meadow, Kansas to get married. It’s the first time I’ve ever been away from home and I’m going to miss my parents so much.”

  “Oh no, I don’t think it’s silly,” said Claire. “I think it’s only natural to feel like that.”

  The elderly man who had introduced himself as James, quickly dropped off to sleep, lulled by the motion of the coach.

  Suzanne and Claire chatted easily with each other as the journey progressed. Suzanne said her fondest dream was to get married and have a family. There were no possible suitors in Morris, so she had taken a chance and contacted a mail order bride agency.

  Over the past few months, she had been exchanging letters with a man who owned the mercantile store in Prairie Meadow. Although excited, she was nervous about meeting him for the first time. She was hoping he was as nice as he’d sounded in his letters. She chatted on and on about Thomas, his store and the town.

  “My goodness, I’ve done nothing but talk about myself. Where are you headed, Claire?” Suzanne asked.

  Claire had been so wrapped up in Suzanne’s story that the question startled her. She realized that she no idea where she was going.

  She made an instant decision. “Why, I’m going to Prairie Meadow too, at least for awhile,” she said. “You’ve made it sound so inviting, I can’t resist stopping there.”

  “Oh,” said Suzanne excitedly, “That’s wonderful.”

  Even though the two girls had just met, there was a real connection between them. Claire hoped she would be able to find a job in Prairie Meadow. She had enough money to last her for some time, but she still wanted
to be able to send money home to her parents.

  Through the course of the next few days, the stagecoach stopped in many different places. It serviced a route that included tiny villages and towns where train travel was not available. Passengers got off and on frequently, including James, their original traveling companion, until finally there was only the two girls left aboard.

  The final day of the journey began with pounding rain and heavy winds, making for slow going. It was midday when the stage approached the edge of a stream.

  “Hang on tight,” he called to the girls. “It could get rough.”

  As the driver carefully picked his way across, a huge torrent of water came flooding down the far embankment, totally engulfing the stagecoach. The horses lost their footing and the stage was swept away. The screaming of the girls was the last sound the driver heard before he was ripped off his seat. The stage tumbled around and around in the water, until finally coming to rest against a tree that had been uprooted. Water rushed inside, threatening to completely engulf the coach.

  The stage didn’t arrive in Prairie Meadow that day, which wasn’t surprising given the poor weather. But the storm passed overnight, so when the stagecoach hadn’t shown up by noon, Thomas approached the sheriff.

  “Sheriff, I’ve got my bride supposed to be coming on that stage. I’m going to go looking. Will you come with me?”

  “Yup, let’s move. I’ll get Steven to follow with a wagon in case the stage is damaged.”

  They quickly saddled up and rode off. When they reached the stream, the water was high but there was no sign of the stagecoach. Following the flow of the water, they rode along beside the stream for only a few minutes before they spotted the body of the driver on the shore. Just a little further on was the stagecoach, jammed against the shore. There was no sign of the horses. They gently lifted an unconscious girl out, put her into the wagon and drove back to town.