by Cassie Hayes
Emmy was in a daze as she paid her bill and left the hotel. Mr. Portnoy handled her account personally, and sent a porter to help with her trunk, but his words of encouragement were lost in a buzz of apprehension.
Walking along Broad Street’s boardwalk to the stagecoach station was like being inside a magic lantern show, all vapor and illusion. Every step seemed to push the platform farther away and the people streaming past and around her were mere phantoms. Her heart raced as she tried to speed up, but never seemed to get any closer. Then, before she realized it, she was there.
Two men were standing on the platform, looking in the opposite direction, waiting for the coach. One was tall and lanky, neatly dressed in crisp canvas trousers, a tan long-sleeved shirt and handsome leather vest. The other man towered over the first man, and was dressed in the same worn britches, blue flannel shirt and black leather vest he’d worn the day before. In an instant, she knew it was Sheriff Wilder, which meant the other man had to be Roy.
She never knew her heart could beat so fast. It felt like it might pound right out of her chest at any moment. And as much as she tried, she couldn’t will her feet to move another inch. She was a statue, simply watching the men waiting for her coach.
Roy — or the man she presumed to be Roy — leaned over and said something to the sheriff, who looked down and broke into a grin. He slapped Roy on the back a couple times and resumed his wait.
She couldn’t see Roy’s face, but Sheriff Wilder’s smile filled her with warmth. As rude as he was, there was no doubt in her mind that he was a good man. It occurred to her that somewhere along the line, she’d forgiven him for his churlish treatment of her — though after a good night’s sleep, she wondered if perhaps she hadn’t deserved it.
The fear that he might say something uncomplimentary about her to Roy got her feet moving again and, when she was a few steps away from the men, she cleared her throat loudly. Both men turned and both men’s eyes widened as they stared at her. She wasn’t sure how to proceed.
“Roy?” she squeaked softly.
The man continued to stare mutely at her, his mouth hanging open under a bushy mustache. Overall, he was a handsome man. Perhaps a little more weathered than she’d imagined, but it suited him. His blue eyes blazed out from his tanned skin like beacons, beckoning her to him.
Sheriff Wilder broke the spell by slapping the man on the back again, a grim smile on his lips. “Go on, man. Don’t leave the lady hanging!”
Roy lurched forward and shoved his hand out at her. “Roy Kirby. You’re…Emmy?”
The quaver in his voice was endearing, and much of the tension she’d been feeling all morning whooshed out of her in a great sigh.
“Yes,” she said, rushing up to take his hand. “I arrived a day early. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Yes, I mean, no, I mean…wait. You were on yesterday’s stagecoach?” He looked at the sheriff and back to her. “The one that was robbed?!”
She blushed and ducked her head. Sheriff Wilder stepped up and put a hand on Roy’s shoulder.
“Simmer down, she’s fine.”
“Are you? Were you hurt?” His concern was touching. Other than her father, she’d never had anyone really care about her well-being. Her new life, with this kind man as her husband, was about to begin. The fear that had plagued her for months started to fade.
“Honestly, I’m quite well,” she said, focusing on his mesmerizing eyes. If her gaze wavered, she might see Sheriff Wilder, and his presence was making her more and more uncomfortable.
They fell into an awkward silence for a moment before the sheriff gave Roy a small shove. “Well, whatchya waiting for?”
Roy hooked his arm out and Emmy gratefully snaked hers through it. As they walked away, she looked back at the sheriff, grateful that he hadn’t reported her bad behavior to Roy. He seemed sad, so she gave him a bright smile, hoping to cheer him up. It didn’t seem to, though. He just turned back around, rude as ever.
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Don’t miss the Dalton Brides series, three connected western historical romances brought to you by Cassie Hayes, Kirsten Osbourne and Kit Morgan!
The Rancher’s Mail-Order Bride
by Kirsten Osbourne
Through no fault of her own, Gwen Blue found herself embroiled in a scandal that would set Beckham, Massachusetts on its ear, and get her locked in her room for two months. When she found herself betrothed to a man she found loathsome, she wanted nothing more than to disappear. When her sisters liberated her from her room and proposed a journey to Texas to visit an old school friend, she didn't have to be asked twice.
Walton Dalton always had a plan for his life. He'd spent years learning everything he needed to know about ranching, and he had a large parcel of land adjacent to his two brothers' land. Between the three of them, they were going to build a Texas ranching empire. For his empire, he needed a bride.
Without his brothers’ knowledge, Walt sends off for three mail order brides from a matchmaker in Beckham. He knows from the moment he sees ‘Gorgeous Gwen’ that she's meant to be his. Will she agree to the marriage? If she does, will she be able to get over her self-centered attitude and be a good wife?
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The Cowboy’s Mail-Order Bride
by Kit Morgan
Libby Blue lived in the shadow of her sister’s accomplishments. Bonnie, the oldest, excelled at all things domestic and was the smartest of the three. Gwen, the middle sister, excelled at … well, Gwen was beautiful, so she didn’t have to excel at much else to get what she wanted. Libby tried as hard as she could to live up to both, but always seemed to fall short. But when Gwen is caught up in a major scandal, their father decides to marry Libby and her sisters off to the most un-eligible bachelors in Beckham to save the family’s reputation. Bonnie quickly devises a plan to escape their father’s wrath and sets it in motion. Libby might yet have a chance to prove herself! As a Mail-Order Bride!
Walton Dalton had a dream to build an empire. Or in this case, a ranch where he and his two brothers could work hard and love hard. Determined to see his dream come true, he sends for his brothers and they soon join him in Texas to claim the land and begin building. That took care of the ‘work’ part. But Walton fails to tell his brothers that he already sent for mail-order brides in order to take care of the ‘loving’ part. Will Nate Dalton become Libby’s road to happiness? Or a slow path to misery because she still can’t measure up?
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The Drifter’s Mail-Order Bride
by Cassie Hayes
He was a drifter, through and through. Could he give up his wanderlust for a mail-order bride he didn’t know was coming?
Having grown up in the shadow of two beautiful sisters, ‘Scrawny Bonnie’ Blue knows she doesn’t stand a chance at landing a good man in Beckham, Massachusetts. The only way she’ll find a husband is by leaving her family behind to become a mail order bride. But when all three Blue sisters are swept up in a scandal, she has no choice to but to take ‘Gorgeous Gwen’ and ‘Lovely Libby’ with her…kicking and screaming, if she must.
Bart Dalton would be happy riding the range forever, but his brothers need his help to start a ranch in north Texas. He figures he’ll last a year or so before his feet get itchy again, which his brothers understand. As triplets, they can almost read each others’ minds. Except when his oldest brother orders three brides for them all. It would have been nice to have a little warning about that!
When Bart is late to meet the train carrying the Blue sisters, his brothers get first dibs, leaving Bonnie standing alone and dejected once again. It only gets worse when her ‘intended’ finally shows up and balks at the idea of marrying her. The only thing Bonnie has going for her are her wits, and she puts them to good use by proposing a business arrangement that Bart can’t refuse.
Will Bart go back to his drifter ways, or is the elusive thing he’s been searching for all his life sleeping in th
e next room?
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About the Author
Cassie Hayes grew up pretending she was Laura Ingalls (before that pesky Almonzo arrived on the scene) in the middle of Oregon farm country. She lives with her husband and cat on the Pacific Ocean and loves to hear from her readers. Connect with her at:
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Copyright 2014 Cassie Hayes
www.CassieHayes.com
All rights reserved.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are a work of fiction or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
The cover art for this book makes use of licensed stock photography. All photography is for illustrative purposes only and all persons depicted are models.