Mail Order Bride: JUMBO Mail Order Bride 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  And what would you have done if he weren’t married, Clara? Or have you forgotten that you’re promised to Marcus?

  Oh dear, what a mess this whole situation had turned into. She had barely had more than a pair of short conversations with this man and she was already falling for him, the commitment she had made to Marcus all but forgotten.

  Surely Marcus would not look on another woman now that he agreed to marry me.

  She knew, of course, that men were not at all that way inclined. Knowing that, however, did not erase the guilt she felt. It doesn’t matter, Yiska isn’t a free man.

  Yiska came back into main room of the house a moment later, carrying a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms. Her heart melted at the love that practically radiated from his body as he cradled the baby in his arms.

  “Clara,” he said, shifting so she could see the little baby’s face, “meet Yanaha.”

  Clara felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. Yanaha was adorable. With bright, curious eyes, exactly like her father’s, she stared at Clara, blinking occasionally.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yanaha,” she smiled and the little baby looked back at her with the cutest, mostly toothless smile. “Yanaha is a beautiful name.”

  “It means ‘brave’,” Yiska explained. “She’s my tough little warrior, keeps me going when things get hard.”

  “May I hold her,” Clara stretched out her arms, putting her plate down by her side.

  Yiska froze then. It was the first time she had seen him unsure of himself. Even when she had been exposed in front of him, he was still self-assured. After a moment, he stepped closer to her, so close she could feel the warmth of his body.

  She tried to push the sinful thoughts that filled her head away and focused her attention of Yanaha. She was not a wanton woman and she had never known a man. Despite this, Yiska seemed to make her think of things best left to married women.

  He was so careful handing his baby to Clara, as if he were afraid even the slightest misstep would damage her. It was adorable. He relaxed visibly once Yanaha was safely in Clara’s tight embrace, and even more so when his child stretched out her tiny arms and held onto Clara with all her little might.

  Clara studied little Yanaha almost as carefully as the little girl did her, taking in every detail from the few dark hairs that grew on her head, down to the little birthmark just below her bottom lip. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing Clara had ever seen.

  And then Clara remembered that Yanaha was not hers. This child had a mother. She looked up at Yiska and could see he was at ease now.

  “Where is her mother?” She knew the question was forward and that she probably didn’t know Yiska well enough to ask it, but she forsook propriety for knowledge. She wanted to know who to be jealous of. What about Marcus?

  Yiska tensed a little at the mention of his wife and looked away forlorn. The meaning was all too clear and Clara suddenly felt horrible for reviving such painful memories.

  “She died one year past giving birth to Yanaha.” He answered her anyway, a single tear welling up and rolling down his cheek.

  EIGHT

  A Match Made in Heaven

  Yiska wiped the tear from his face. It wouldn’t do for him to be falling apart before his guest. It was not as if she would want to hear the sad tale that was his story. She would not be interested to know that he had struggled to just wake up in the mornings anymore. The only thing that kept him going was Yanaha.

  He was most impressed with the way his daughter responded to Clara. It had taken weeks for her to adjust to the women on the ranch that cared for her while he worked; she had cried relentlessly throughout the days until his return. And yet, in Clara’s arms, she was yet to make so much as a sound that was not a contented gurgle.

  “She likes you,” he said, forcing his gritted teeth into a smile. “She usually hates being held by anyone other than me.”

  Clara only spared him the briefest of glances, smiling momentarily before her eyes snapped back onto Yanaha. Already, he could see that she cared for his little girl, and that touched his heart more than anything she could say or do.

  For reasons he could not quite understand, Yiska felt close to this woman he had only met a day ago. And, in keeping with that gut feeling, he started opening his heart to her.

  “I don’t know what I would do without her,” he moved across the room, leaving his chair behind to sit beside Clara on the bed, stretching out a hand and stroking Yanaha”s soft cheeks. “She is my everything.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Clara said, looking up at him, her face contorting after a moment into a questioning glare, “but who cares for her while you are out during the day? In fact, I haven’t even asked what you do yet.”

  “I work here, on the ranch. It is owned by James Oak and he is kind enough to let me live on the property so long as I care for his cattle. As for Yanaha, the ranch is large and a few of the other nursing mothers care for her during the day.

  “How about you, Clara Boyd, what were you doing so far from civilization so late last night?”

  He had been wondering this since he saved her from those wretched bandits, but figured it best to wait until a more appropriate time to ask. She had been through a lot and it would not be kind to go prodding fresh wounds before they had a proper chance to heal.

  “I was actually on my way to meet my fiancé, Marcus Brown. He lives in Durango.” She answered after a moment’s hesitation. He could see she was reluctant to give up the information.

  He was disappointed, to say the least. He had not felt the stirrings for anyone besides Yanaha since his wife died. Yet, he could feel the life returning to his broken heart the more he spent time in Clara’s company. He had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the pretty, family picture she was creating, holding his daughter.

  Of course, he should have expected that such a beautiful woman would be claimed by someone else.

  Had he been such a fool to think she was drawn to him? A lowly ranch hand. But he had thought he’d seen a spark, just for a moment. Foolish thoughts.

  She was white and he was an Indian. Such relationships were frowned upon. At the thought, his heart clenched. He was surprise at how painful the realization was. He clenched his fists and shook his head. No good would come of this chain of thought. He took a deep breath. She was waiting for his reaction.

  “I see,” he said and did his best to keep his expression unreadable, “well Durango is not far from here, I’ll take you there as soon as your wounds are healed.”

  ***

  Clara did not completely understand why his assurance that he would deliver her to Marcus caused her so much pain. Maybe she had been secretly hoping that he would object and declare his undying love for her. Are you really so foolish as to think that, Clara?

  Did she really think he had fallen for her in less than a day? But she had fallen for him and felt herself no better than a love-struck girl of fifteen. He had already shown himself to be a level-headed man, she could not truly have hoped he would feel the same way about her.

  But, why shouldn’t he? Their conversations were relaxed and communication flowed between them with remarkable ease. Did he have that chemistry with everyone? She doubted it. No, there was something between them and not just gratitude. So what if there is Clara? You’re on your way to marry Marcus and Yiska said he’ll see you there safely. Stop dreaming.

  And so she pushed such thoughts and fantasies to the back of her mind and focused her attention of Yanaha and simple conversations with Yiska. They talked late into the night, until Yanaha was fast asleep in her arms and theirs was the only house on the ranch still awake. All the while, her heart ached and she longed to collapse into his arms and never let him go.

  Finally, he excused himself to put Yanaha to bed. He then bade her goodnight and went outside to sleep amongst the stars. Clara did not go to sleep so easily. Her mind was in turmoil. She had come out West certain that love was not for her. Cert
ain she could settle for convenience and be content. Never had she imaged a man would literally sweep her of her feet, with his courage, determination and love for his daughter. Now that she had a glimpse of what could have been, how was she going to live the rest of her life with so much less?

  NINE

  Saying Goodbye

  Yiska woke her the next morning with a gentle tap on her shoulder.

  “Come,” he said, “I have something to show you.”

  Her face lit up when she saw him and she almost forgot she was wearing her bedclothes.

  “Oh, can it wait until I am changed?”

  Yiska burst out laughing and nodded.

  “Of course! I nearly forgot that you would need to ready yourself.”

  With that, he ducked through the front door and closed it behind him, leaving her to change. Yanaha was not in her room and Clara presumed he had already taken her to the ranch to be cared for. It saddened her, she had hoped to spend the day with the infant.

  When she was properly dressed, she stepped outside to see Yiska tending to a pair of horses. Both were saddled and ready to ride. She looked down at her dress and frowned, hoping he didn’t expect her to get on one of those animals.

  “Mister Oak has granted me the day off so I can take you to Durango.” His eyes questioned her more than his tone of voice did and she wondered if he wanted her to say no. She admonished herself, she had to stop daydreaming. It was all in her mind and besides Marcus was waiting for her.

  “Oh, well yes, thank you.”

  A frown seemed to flicker across his face, but she was sure she imagined it. He looked down at her dress and shoes and said, “Although you might want to change your attire to something more suitable to riding.”

  “Ah, yes, I will do that.”

  She was not sure why she said that. She did not have anything to wear that was more suitable to riding. Never in her life had she ridden a horse but she went back inside the house anyway and went about checking her bags to make sure her things were in order.

  She couldn’t believe she was finally leaving. Why were things so complicated? But she was not left to dwell on it as Yiska poked his head through the door and asked if she was ready to go.

  “Almost, I’ll be right out,” she answered and, true to her word, she picked up her bags and walked them outside.

  Yiska was immediately by her side, taking the bags from her and strapping them to his horse’s saddle. He worked with a stiffness to his limbs that belied his usual, light-hearted demeanor.

  “Have you ridden before?” he asked and she shook her head. He laughed softly, but it seemed forced.

  “Well, it’s quite simply. I’ll lead, you only have to sit in the saddle and hold onto the reins. Do you think you can do that?”

  She looked into his eyes, but he broke the contact almost immediately. Had she hurt him? What had happened to change him so? Confused she just nodded and he helped her into the saddle.

  He proceeded to climb onto his own horse and head off towards the road, leading her horse behind his. The air was quiet between them. Clara didn’t know what to say and Yiska, it seemed, did not either.

  After half an hour had passed in awkward silence, Clara spoke up.

  “No matter what happens, I want to thank you for saving my life.”

  “You already did.”

  “I know, I just…I don’t know. I really mean it; I just want to make sure you are aware of that. Not many people would have done what you did.”

  “Any decent person should have. What about your future husband? Where was he?”

  There was a slight edge to his voice. He was mad. Why should he be mad? Maybe she had done something.

  He was right, however; Marcus had not come to her rescue. As far as she knew he hadn’t even so much as lifted a finger when she hadn’t arrived on schedule.

  But why was he mad? She was the one likely abandoned. She paused. Could he be sad to see her go? She had dismissed such a notion as merely the desire of her own heart.

  They had known each other two days! It didn’t make sense. Love doesn’t make sense.

  The words still rang in her ears as they rode into town. Durango was small. Very small. A handful of buildings composed the town, most notably the saloon in the center of it all. Yiska led her horse to the front and helped her dismount before tying their horses to the hitching mount.

  As if on cue, Marcus came bursting out the saloon and ran to her side.

  “Clara? Thank goodness you’re okay. I feared you had changed your mind and never left Indiana. What happened?”

  He looked at the bruise on her cheek, and his eyes jumped over to Yiska.

  “Hey! Did you do this?” He stormed over to Yiska, coming to a stop right in front of him.

  Marcus stood a half head taller than Yiska, his large, muscular frame dwarfing the Indian cowboy. He jabbed a finger into Yiska”s chest, pushing him back a step.

  “Answer me, redskin. Did you hurt my Clara?”

  “Stop!” Clara screamed and ran between them, pushing them apart. Well, they relented under her touch, she did not have the strength to move them if they refused. “He didn’t hurt me, Marcus. Yiska saved me.”

  “Saved you? From what?” Marcus” face shifted from rage to concern. “What happened?”

  “Bandits, they attacked us on the way here. Yiska fought them off and saved my life.”

  She could see the frustration on Marcus’ face. He wanted to be angry at Yiska, it was easier than standing down and acknowledging he was wrong. He grunted an apology under his breath and thanked Yiska for looking after her. Was it really so hard for him to admit he was wrong?

  “Come Clara, let’s take you home.” Marcus said, lifting her bags off the horse and carrying them to the saloon.

  “Just a moment.” She said and turned to Yiska. “Thank you, for everything.”

  “Of course, Clara. I hope you’ll come visit me one day.” She could see the anguish in his eyes, the window to his honest soul could not be closed.

  “I hope so too.”

  “In another lifetime, I would not have let you go so easily Clara Boyd. You are worth fighting for.” With those final words he turned around and left.

  She smiled one last, sad smile and turned to the saloon, her heart falling to pieces with every step she took away. She had given her word to Marcus.

  She been afraid of taking risks her entire life and yet, in the last six months, she had done more and travelled further than she ever had before. And now she faced a life with this man she barely knew while the man she loved was walking away. You’ve been afraid of taking risks your entire life, Clara, but this is a risk worth taking. Don’t let it slip away.

  “Marcus?” his name slipped from her tongue before she was even aware of it.

  “Yes, Clara?” he said, turning around to face her.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “I can’t marry you. I choose not to be unhappy for the rest of my life.” She didn’t wait for his response. She didn’t want to. She just grabbed her bags out of his hands, turned around and ran.

  Panic stricken she huddled in a corner as she watched him stride towards his horse. Her feelings in turmoil, she envisioned life without this wonderful cowboy.

  Then it dawned on her. She loved him…enough to give up anything for him.

  Yiska was already riding away, a trail of dust leading out of town.

  “Yiska!” she cried out at the top of her lungs as she started running. “Yiska!”

  And just when she thought he hadn’t heard her, she saw his head turn and their eyes met.

  EPILOGUE

  Forever Yours

  Clara sat outside of Yiska’s small house.

  Their small house, she corrected herself.

  She rocked back and forth in the wooden chair he had made her as a wedding present, watching him play with Yanaha in the grass. She was three now, and she already looked so much li
ke her father. Her hair was long and dark, framing the same gorgeous face that Clara had first fallen in love with.

  She folded her arms over her swollen belly. She was due in a few weeks. She couldn’t believe how fast the past two years had gone. The wedding, her moving onto the ranch with Yiska. Life was simpler now, and it was perfect.

  Her dream had come true; she was looking after a family that she loved. And soon, she would add to it; a child of her very own. They both hoped it was a boy, though Yanaha wanted a sister.

  “Boys are disgusting,” she had said at dinner when they told her she was going to have a baby brother or sister.

  She would love a daughter just the same as a son, but they had already chosen a name, Niyol, if it were a boy. And it was such a wonderful name. She said a silent prayer, thanking God for all that he had blessed her with.

  She had thought true love only existed in stories, that you couldn’t waste your whole life waiting for it. But she had found true love in Yiska and little Yanaha. She couldn’t be happier.

  True love was out there, and it waited for me.

  The End

  10. The Lonely Pioneer and the Cripple Bride – Lilly

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ONE

  Gable Farm

  Pennsylvania

  Lilly Gable’s hands worked fast and in perfect synchronization as they pulled at the cow’s udders. It was peaceful in the cowshed with just herself and the three cows. The two cows that she had already milked chewed contently on their fodder; the only sound to be heard was the rustle of their tongues on the hay.