by Zoe Matthews
Westward Promises
Orphan Train Romance Series, Book 6
Written by Zoe Matthews
Copyright © 2015
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.
Please go to my website, zoematthews.com, to sign up for a free ebook about The Sorcerers of Xoralia and to receive information
about my other books periodically.
This is the sixth book of the Orphan Train Romance Series. Please go to www.zoematthewsromances.com for information about the rest of the series. You can also sign up for a FREE eBOOK for her new series, Mail-Order Brides of America, and stay updated about all of Zoe Matthew’s other books!
Chapter 1
Hannah sat on the train, watching the scenery speed by her. They had just left a small station, the last stop the train would make before she needed to get off to start her new life with another man she had never met. She looked at the far-off mountains and watched as they slowly started to get closer. As the train moved, she thought of her life of 21 years and started to reminisce about all that had happened to her up to this point.
She never had a real family. She had been abandoned as a baby by her mother who took her to a nearby orphanage located in New York City. There she spent her first nine years. Hannah hadn’t minded living at the orphanage, although it was the only environment she had ever known up to that point. She had become used to sharing everything with other children and she had accumulated few possessions.
She distinctly remembered the morning when Mrs. Young, the director of the orphanage, had called her into her office. Mrs. Young informed her that Hannah would be leaving the orphanage the next day with a group of 18 other children. They would be traveling on a train to Texas where they would be given an opportunity to be placed in a home and have a normal life. Mrs. Young had not given her a choice whether she go or stay, but Hannah had been excited because she was going to get to ride on a train, something she had never done before. That excitement only lasted a few days, however. At first, she had enjoyed looking out of the train window, looking at many new sights and places, but eventually the monotonous days on the train had made it so she had been very glad when she had arrived in Maple Grove, Texas.
The group of children traveled with an older couple named Mr. and Mrs. Carver. This couple did their best to care for all the children during the long trip. They made sure the children had at least two meals a day, usually of bread and butter, although sometimes Mr. Carver had been able to purchase fruit and vegetables from local farmers when the train stopped every so often. One time, they even ate some cheese. Mr. and Mrs. Carver had their hands full with the younger children and, therefore, Hannah had been essentially ignored. Hannah had been a quiet child and did her best not to bring attention to herself. None of her friends from the orphanage had come with her and she had never been able to make friends easily anyway, so she just kept to herself.
The day before they had arrived at Maple Grove, Mrs. Carver had sat next to Hannah to talk to her. She wanted to make sure Hannah understood what was happening the next day. She told Hannah that she would be given the opportunity to go and live with one of the local families, and if she were lucky enough, she would be treated like a member of the family. Mrs. Carver did emphasize that Hannah did not have to go with someone she didn’t feel comfortable with. If this happened, she was to let herself or Mr. Carver know immediately.
Hannah remembered how she met Dr. Wilson, the man who invited her into his home and cared for her throughout the rest of her childhood. Hannah had been sitting on a stage in a huge room along with all the other children who had traveled with her on the train to the Texas town. Mr. Carver stood in front of a large group of people and gave a speech. He explained to the large crowd that had gathered in the room how things were to proceed in the placement of all the children, but Hannah didn’t remember what he had said. She only remembered how she kept her eyes down in her lap, only briefly raising her head every so often to look at all the people that were in the stuffy room. Then she felt as if everyone was looking directly at her, so she lowered her head again.
Names were called and people started to come up onto the stage in order to choose a child. Hannah was sitting on the far end of the stage and so she could easily watch the proceedings. Some people chose a child very quickly, while others walked up to each child and talked to them.
Hannah still remembered what happened next as if it had happened yesterday. Suddenly, she felt someone grabbing her arm and yanked her to her feet.
“Stand up, girl,” an old man ordered. The first thing she noticed about him was that he smelled bad. His teeth were yellow and some were missing. He had ratty hair that needed a cut. His clothes were dirty and unkempt.
“My misses is sickly and in her bed. I need someone to come and clean my house and do dishes. I think you’ll do. Come with me,” the man had ordered again and started to drag her off the stage.
For the first few steps, Hannah had followed him out of fear, but then something clicked inside of her, and she immediately began to fight. “I don’t want to go with you!” she yelled and tried to pull away from him.
“You ain’t got a choice, girl,” the man had growled as he grasped her arm even harder. Suddenly, another man stood in front of them.
“Let her go, Harvey,” he said to the old man. “You can’t take her. You weren’t approved to take any of the children.”
“I have rights just as everyone else in this room!” Harvey yelled at the man. “I need someone to clean my house.” The old man looked at Hannah, sneering down at her. “She’s so scrawny no one will want her anyway. I’m just doing her a favor.”
“Let her go, or I’ll call the sheriff over here.” The man refused to let Harvey intimidate him and after a few agonizing seconds, Harvey released her and stomped away, yelling obscenities as he left the building.
Hannah had stood in the spot where Harvey had let her go, frozen in fear. She started to shiver uncontrollably. What if that old man hadn’t been stopped? Would she have had to go with him? What if he came back?
The man who rescued her stooped down to look in her eyes. “It’s okay. No one is going to make you go with Harvey.” Hannah’s shivering slowly stopped as she looked at him. She immediately noticed that he had kind eyes.
“My name is Dr. Wilson,” the man introduced himself. “I wasn’t planning on taking a child, but I want to offer you a home. You’ll be able to go to school, church, and make friends. I live alone, but my daughter lives nearby. She is a nurse and helps me in my practice. She is at my house quite a bit, so you will be around another woman. Do you want to come live with me?”
At first as the man talked, Hannah hadn’t heard any of his words, but slowly what he was saying started to penetrate into her brain. This man, the man who rescued her from having to live with that awful man, was offering her a home. He was a doctor. He had a daughter who was a nurse. Slowly, Hannah nodded her head. Dr. Wilson stood up with a smile and offered her his hand. Hannah slowly placed her small one in his in acceptance.
Over the next ten years, she had lived with Dr. Wilson. Overall, she had enjoyed her life in Maple Grove. Dr. Wilson had kept his promise and cared for her well. All of her needs were met. She went to school which she loved and made a few friends. Dr. Wilson never really became like a
father to her but he was always kind. His daughter, Nancy, helped care for Hannah until she married a man who was also a doctor and moved away from Maple Grove when Hannah was 16 years old. At that time, Dr. Wilson offered to teach Hannah how to be a nurse, but that idea didn’t work out. Hannah had always been squeamish around sickness and blood, and after almost fainting a few times at the sight of blood, Dr. Wilson gave up on that plan.
Then when Hannah was 19, Dr. Wilson suddenly passed away. Hannah remembered the day very vividly. She had been doing the dinner dishes when she heard a loud cry, then a thud in the next room. She ran to see what happened and found Dr. Wilson on the floor clutching his chest in pain. He was breathing very quickly and heavily. While Hannah sat on the floor next to Dr. Wilson, trying to help him, he grasped her hand and squeezed it as if in farewell. Then he suddenly closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
The next few days were some of the worst Hannah had ever gone through. Nancy and her husband came home for the funeral. The evening after Dr. Wilson had been buried, Nancy informed Hannah that she would need to find other living accommodations. Dr. Wilson had given his practice and his home to Nancy and her husband in his will and they were going to move the family into Dr. Wilson’s house. She gave Hannah a small amount of money to tide her over, but told her there wouldn’t be room in the small house for her. She would need to leave within a month.
Hannah had known that Dr. Wilson was giving his practice to Nancy and her husband after his death, but it wasn’t something she had been concerned about. Dr. Wilson had assured her that Nancy had agreed that Hannah could stay in the home as long as she wished. However, after Dr. Wilson’s death, it was evident that Nancy was not going to honor her father’s final wish. When Hannah asked Nancy why she wasn’t allowing her stay, Nancy explained that her husband did not want Hannah around since she really wasn’t part of the family anyway. This answer had not surprised Hannah since she had known Nancy’s husband had resented Hannah being around since she was an orphan.
Hannah hadn’t been sure what she was going to do. She tried looking for a job in Maple Grove, but wasn’t able to find one. Then she remembered how Anna, one of the orphans that had traveled with her on the train, had become a mail-order bride to a man who lived on a ranch in Montana. After searching the newspapers that were stacked on a table in the general store, she had answered an ad of her own. That was how she met Jack, her first husband. She had made the mistake of believing the lies Jack had written in his ad and then in his first letter, but she felt she had no choice but to accept Jack’s offer of marriage. She knew Nancy and her husband wanted her out of the house as soon as possible.
So Hannah had traveled on a train to a small town in Ohio. She remembered Jack had been waiting for her as she stepped off the train. When she first looked in his eyes, she felt the familiar fear she had felt when Harvey had grabbed her arm as a child, insisting that she go with him. Jack had talked to her pleasantly enough, and had treated her to a nice meal at the hotel, so Hannah had dismissed her qualms as nerves. After the meal, Jack had taken her to the preacher to be married. It was after the marriage had taken place and after they had arrived at his home that his true character had shown up. It was as if he became a different person. He immediately insisted she clean up the rundown farmhouse and cook him a meal. He also started drinking. Later that night he had performed his rights as her husband. It had been an awful experience.
The next year and a half had been hell for Hannah. But now her life with Jack was over. It ended when Jack had been killed during a brawl at the local saloon.
****
The train conductor walked slowly through the passenger car, his blue uniform showing that he was in charge. He kept himself in balance with the rocking of the train with ease, touching the backs of the seats, showing he was used to the bumpy ride of the train. He smiled at each passenger as he passed until he stopped at Hannah’s side in the aisle. She noticed tuffs of gray hair poking out under his cap which added to his charm as he smiled down at her.
“The next stop is Pine Valley,” the conductor informed her. “Do you require help with your belongings?”
Hannah automatically shook her head. “No thank you. I just have this bag. I’ll be fine.” She indicated the small carpetbag that she had kept tucked next to her side throughout the entire weeklong trip from Ohio.
The conductor tipped his hat and moved on to offer his services to some older ladies. Hannah sighed with relief. She hoped she didn’t seem rude, but she was used to doing things for herself, especially since her wedding to Jack, and even more since his death. Her marriage to Jack had taught her to never expect help from men.
The train started to slow and she turned to look out the grimy window. She could see the great Montana mountains close by and the forested hills. She had almost arrived to what was to be her new home, Pine Valley, Montana. She instantly felt an intense fear beat in her chest and she did her best to push it away. It would not be good to show her fear, something else Jack had taught her early on in their marriage.
The train whistle blew long and hard and Hannah could hear the squealing of the brakes. It was late afternoon and she leaned forward again to catch her first glimpse of her new home. She saw a few log homes, with wooden fences surrounding them. As the train pulled into the station, she noticed what looked like a general store, a few other weathered buildings, and a small church with a steeple at the end of the street. Pine Valley was a little larger than Cedarbrooke, Ohio, the town she had left a week earlier and had lived in for the last two years.
I hope I haven’t made a mistake, she thought as she put her hand in her dress pocket to make sure the letter was still there. The letter contained a written marriage proposal from Chase Atkins. After Jack’s death, she had placed an advertisement in an Ohio newspaper for a husband. Chase had been the only one that had answered it. They had exchanged a few letters, and then he offered her marriage and sent a train ticket, so she could come to this small Montana town. She had boarded the train the day after his letter had arrived. She was a widow with nowhere else to go and no family. She didn’t have a choice. The small farm where she had lived with Jack had been repossessed by the bank a few days after his funeral, although the banker had allowed her a month to find another place to live. She had very little money and there were no jobs to be had in the Ohio town, at least jobs that were available for decent women.
As the train slowed to a stop, she grabbed the seat in front of her to steady herself. She tried not to wonder what Chase would be like as she had worried and fretted all the way from Ohio. What kind of man would be willing to propose to a woman he had never met? She figured he must have been desperate. He needed a woman to cook and clean for him. Why else would a man go to such lengths as Chase had to answer an ad of a pregnant widow?
She stood and gathered her bag and then forced her feet to walk towards the passenger door. The conductor had opened it and was standing on the ground to help the passengers step down to the boardwalk.
“Good luck with your new life, miss,” he told her as he guided her safely to the ground. The way he said those words made Hannah wonder if he knew she was a mail-order bride. She turned to look in his eyes and thank him, but he had already moved on to help the next passenger. She shrugged and moved out of the way so others could leave the train.
Hannah looked around the train platform, but could not see a man who might be waiting for her, so she quickly walked towards the train station with the plan to stand against its walls for protection from the icy wind. As she waited, she again tried to stuff the fear she felt away. What if he was cruel? What if he was lazy? All she could think about were the terrible things Chase could be like and she knew she would have her questions answered shortly.
It started to snow lightly as she stood next to the building. A man bumped into her as he hurried by, not offering an apology or even acknowledging her presence. She almost dropped her bag when he bumped into her. She leaned further against the buil
ding and clutched her bag with both hands. Where was Chase? Every time a man walked by, she searched his face wondering if he was who she was waiting for, but they each walked by and did not pay her any attention. She watched as one man greeted a woman and her child as they got off the train. Another time a short bald-headed man walked straight towards her. She held her breath as the fear she had been trying to ignore came up in full force. His dark eyes were not kind and one of his hands was balled into a fist as if he always kept it that way. She breathed a sigh of relief as he walked right by her and entered the building.
“Hannah?” a smooth deep voice spoke in front of her and she looked up, way up. This must be Chase since he was the only one who knew her name. As she heard his voice and looked into his eyes, she tried not to feel hope that maybe her luck had changed. One thing she had learned early in her life was that a person’s eyes were like a window to their soul. She could always guess correctly whether a person was kind or not by looking directly at their eyes. Eyes never lied. He was looking down at her kindly with a small half smile on his face.
“Mr. Atkins?” Hannah tried to keep her voice steady. It wouldn’t be good to show any type of weakness at this first meeting. She instantly noticed that he was a large burly man, someone who used his muscles daily, which made sense since he ran his own blacksmith and livery business in Pine Valley. She knew that if she wanted to change her mind about marrying him, it would have to be now.
“Let me take your bag,” Chase offered as he reached out to take the bulky bag in his large hand. There was kindness in his voice and Hannah started to feel encouraged. Chase had a cowboy hat tucked beneath his arm. Hannah could see his jet-black hair was flat against his head as if he usually kept his hat on most of the time. His blue-gray eyes sparked with amusement.