A Mail-Order Dawn (Miners to Millionaires Book 6)

by Janelle Daniels

  “Mostly corn, but Pa did a little bit of everything. Some cows, pigs, chickens and the like. Sometimes we’d grow wheat or hay, but it was mostly corn.”

  He sat on one of the chairs and watched her wipe out the cast iron as best she could, then dumped the beans in. “Was it just the two of you?”

  Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the beans. “No. Ma is there, and I have five brothers.” She sniffed one last time. “I think these are all right.”

  “I’d hate to die of poisoned beans after all we’ve lived through.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll try to keep that from happening.”

  When she turned to the fire and leaned over to hang the pot on a hook, his gazed traveled over her curved form. She was lush and gorgeous, and he had no idea why she’d needed to leave Ohio for a husband. Especially for someone like Ivan. There had to be men lined up for a mile just to ask to court her. “Why did you leave? Why Ivan?” He didn’t assume it had something to do with Ivan’s money like a lot of the men in town did. He was sure his wealth had factored in for some of the women, but Rosalie didn’t seem the type.

  She nodded at the pot as if she were satisfied with its placement, then straightened and turned back toward him. The front of her was just as appealing as the back. Every inch, from the top of her tawny hair, to her covered toes, was ravishing. No woman had ever appealed to him so strongly, and he wondered briefly if the cold had done something to his mind.

  He'd seen Rosalie around town, but other than brief, passing glances, he hadn’t focused on her or any of the other women. Perhaps it was time to cut back on work a little. Maybe even take on an apprentice. When a man didn’t take notice of someone like Rosalie, there was a problem.

  “Truthfully, I could have stayed, but my brothers… they made it difficult.”

  “How so?” Just the thought of them mistreating her angered him.

  She shook her head and smiled ruefully. “I’m the youngest. Five brothers, then finally a sister. I would like to say they were protective, but it went way beyond that.”

  His whole body relaxed at her explanation. “How so?”

  “Oh, they were terrible. If a boy ever even looked my way, my brothers would glare and block his view.” She chuckled at the memories. “I’d hardly talked to a boy alone until I was an adult. I swear I heard the words That’s my sister more times than I can count.”

  “Sounds like an interesting bunch.”

  “They are. A lot of them are married now and have families. My oldest brother will take over my parents’ farm someday, and the others are starting out on their own.” A glimmer of sadness flashed in her eyes.

  “You miss them.”

  She nodded, but a small smile remained. “I do. Very much. My family was very close.”

  “Then why leave? Why come to Ivan?”

  “I”—she held out her arms—“wanted something else. An adventure. I knew everyone back home, went to school with them. My friends started pairing off, and even though there might’ve been a man or two I was interested in, life there wasn’t for me.”

  He felt a small spark of jealousy, but stamped it out immediately. Slow down. He had no right to be jealous, and although he did feel a little possessive of her, he was sure it had to do with the storm and their tight quarters. This wasn’t a permanent situation. “What kind of adventure?”

  “The going out west kind?” She chuckled at her own ignorance. “I know it seems ridiculous now. You always hear stories about how exciting it is here. The lawlessness, the gold, the Indians. Seemed a lot more exciting than planting, year after year, in the same fields, watching the crops ripen, then harvesting in the fall. I never loved it like my parents or brothers. I wanted a new beginning, like a dawn of a new day, where anything is possible. I thought I could get that with Ivan. I was willing to take a chance on him for it.” She glanced over at him. “You must think I’m silly.”

  That couldn’t be further from the truth. “Not at all. I think you’re brave.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Not really.”

  “You are.”

  “All the others did the same thing.”

  He could see she truly believed what she was saying. “For some reason, I doubt that.” He held up his hand when she tried to interrupt him. “I don’t know why the other women chose to come to Ivan. I’m sure they had a variety of reasons, most of them, probably necessary.”

  He couldn’t imagine a lot of women would choose to become mail-order brides unless it was necessary. When she nodded, confirming his thoughts, he continued, “You’re brave, because you made this choice even though you didn’t have to. You could’ve stayed on the farm in Ohio, married one of the local boys, had a brood of babies, and had your own farm. That would’ve been your life, and it would have been a comfortable one. You chose to come here, to forgo the secure, known future for something else, something that wasn’t guaranteed. If that isn’t brave, I don’t know what is.”

  A smile touched her lips as she turned to stir the contents of the pot, but it didn’t hide the flush of pleasure which touched her skin. He had the almost irresistible urge to rise and kiss those splotches of color.

  “And what about you?” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “How did you end up here? I’m assuming you weren’t born in Promise Creek.”

  He leaned back in his chair, feeling at ease. “No, I wasn’t born here. I’m from upstate New York. I apprenticed there, but there wasn’t as much work as I wanted. I’d heard there was a need for my skills out west, so I ended up here.”

  “What about your family?”

  “Just me and my father. He died not long after I finished training. It was another reason I decided to start somewhere new. No ties.”

  She frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a painful memory.”

  “It was a long time ago.” He’d had a good relationship with his father, and though Tom missed him, it wasn’t something he thought about everyday. Things were just too darn busy for him to feel lonely. However, this conversation, and the time he was spending with Rosalie, was showing him how much he was missing. “How do the beans look?”

  She lifted the spoon to her rosy lips and tested the food. She didn’t grimace, but there was a definite frown on her face.

  “That good, huh?” he joked.

  “It’s edible, but I can’t say much else.”

  “Edible sounds great at the moment. When we get back, I’ll take you to Sally’s for a feast.”

  Her eyes twinkled. “I’ll take you up on that. I may look thin, but I do like to eat.”

  He let his gaze wander over her again. She sucked in a breath, but held still, so he could look his fill. He would never describe her as thin. Thin meant weak and frail and undesirable. She was strong, supple, and had curves in all the places he liked. She was wholesome and sweet-cheeked, and he wanted to devour her in one gulp.

  Her eyes were wider when he met them again. “A healthy appetite is a quality I admire in a woman.”

  She bit her bottom lip, holding back a smile, before turning and lifting the pot from the fire. She carried the heavy burden to the table and held out a spoon. “Luckily, there were two spoons, but there aren’t any plates or bowls. We’ll need to eat out of the pot.”

  “That’s all right. We can rough it for a few days.”

  She took the other seat and scooped a spoonful of beans. “Do you think we’ll be able to leave then?”

  He quickly swallowed a large bite of the hot meal, ignoring the bland taste. “If the storm lets up soon, yes.” And he prayed it would. He was concerned over how much snow had already dropped, but if it continued, they would be snowed in a lot longer.

  They ate several more spoonfuls in silence, neither of them particularly enjoying the meal, but neither did they complain. At least they had something, other than the jerky and oat cakes in his saddle pack.

  Her spoon paused. “Will we need to—”

  The door banged open suddenl
y, and she screamed as a torrent of snow rushed in. The temperature plummeted in the room, and Tom rushed to the opening.

  He pushed the door closed and held it in place with his shoulder, noticing the cloth loop which had held the door shut had snapped under the wind’s strength. “We need to find something else to tie it closed.”

  Rosalie rushed to the blanket box. “I found a broken harness in here. We could use the leather.”

  “That’s perfect.”

  She gathered the broken harness and his knife, then handed them to him.

  “Thank you.”

  The wind battered the door, and it was a constant battle to keep it closed, but he made quick work of the leather, cutting and tying the strap to match the broken fabric loop. He added a piece of the metal, hoping it would lend even more strength to the latch. When he finally hooked the new loop on the door, securing it to the frame, he eased away to see if it would hold.

  After a moment, Rosalie’s shoulders relaxed, and he too felt confident it would stay. “Well, that was exciting.”

  Rosalie let out a shaky laugh. “When I said I wanted adventure, I had no idea what I was talking about. All those exciting stories about robbers and Indians and gold rush towns had to have been greatly exaggerated. This isn’t fun. It’s downright scary.”

  “Hey.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “It’s going to be all right.”

  Before he could say anything else, she stepped into his arms and hugged him tightly, her face pressed against his chest.

  He held completely still, not sure if he should pull her closer but refused to push her away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled in the fabric. “I know we don’t know each other well.” She looked up at him. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  When he didn’t instantly reply, her eyes widened and she reared back a little. “Good heavens! You’re not married or engaged, are you?”

  She looked so horrified at the thought of touching him under such circumstances, he let out a strong laugh. The action released a lot of the pent-up pressure in him. “No. I’m not married or engaged, or even courting anyone.”

  She relaxed in his hold with a small smile. “Well good. I would have hated myself if you were. I wouldn’t want any man I was involved with to embrace another, regardless of the circumstance.”

  “You mean, you wouldn’t allow another woman to launch herself at me for comfort during a stressful situation?” he teased.

  “No.” She looked so serious.

  “Not even a little hug?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  He wrapped his arms tightly around her, securing her to his body. He could feel the warmth of her seep through his clothes, and his heart beat harder at having her against him. “I’m going to keep you safe, Rosalie. I promise.”

  “I know.”

  She licked her lips, and his gazed dropped to the action, though it didn’t seem as though she’d done it to be provocative. She was afraid, and he would hold her if that’s what she needed, but he wouldn’t take advantage of her.

  He moved his hands, rubbing slow circles on her back, hoping it would help soothe her. He didn’t have extensive knowledge about women, and although he would never make the comparison aloud, this had always soothed horses when they were skittish. He hoped it had the same effect on Rosalie.

  She sighed, laying her head on his chest, and he simply held her in his arms and enjoyed the feel of her against him.

  Chapter 3

  Rosalie finished cleaning the spoons and the pan she’d cooked the beans in. They would need them for the next meal, and with any luck, they would find more food soon.

  Please don’t let us starve to death.

  She glanced back at Tom as he rummaged through the contents of the cabin, and she felt another prick of embarrassment over throwing herself in his arms for comfort. It was so unlike her. She’d always been the strong one, able to take care of herself no matter what came along.

  But after their situation, and talking about her family with Tom, she realized now how many other things her brothers and parents had sheltered her from, besides men. They’d always eased her path, and she would have figured that out the moment she’d come to Promise Creek, if all the women hadn’t been given Ivan’s house and mine. The town had taken care of them, and she’d remained blind to how hard life could actually be.

  This situation could’ve been a lot worse had she been alone, and she recognized that Tom made it bearable. She could never express how grateful she was.

  She put away the pot and spoons where she’d found them, and with nothing else to be done, she couldn’t put off her needs any longer. She dreaded having to ask Tom for help.

  “Tom?” He turned toward her, and she wanted to die on the spot. “I, um, need to go outside.”

  His brows furrowed. “Trust me, you don’t want to go out there.”

  She was about one minute away from dancing in place if she didn’t get outside quickly. She shouldn’t have waited so long. “Unfortunately, I need to.”

  “What?” Understanding finally dawned on his face. “Oh! I should’ve thought of that.” His face turned serious. “You’ll need to bundle up tight. I’d have you wrap an extra blanket around yourself, but we need those to stay dry.”

  Rosalie thought he was sweet to be so concerned about her. “I’ll be all right. You didn’t have one when you went out for wood.”

  His lips twitched. “No. But it was so cold I wished I had.”

  She put her coat on and chuckled. “Come on.”

  They walked to the door, but he paused before opening it. “Don’t wander far. Just go past one tree. I’ll go on the opposite side of the cabin and won’t intrude.”

  She looked away, embarrassed about talking of such things with a man. He seemed to read her well.

  “Don’t be shy. It’s a normal bodily function, one which we’re going to need to take care of often while we’re together. What happens at the cabin, stays at the cabin, and after we get back to town, we’ll both forget all about it. Deal?”

  He seemed to know exactly what to say to make her feel better. “All right.”

  He nodded grimly, then opened the door.

  Cold air sucked the breath out of Rosalie, and she gasped. The storm still battered the mountain in gusts, and she thought of what would’ve happened had he not found her. But he did find me, she scolded herself, and we’re both very much still alive.

  He gestured toward a group of trees and nodded, indicating she should go there. She headed in that direction, glancing back just in time to see him turn the corner of the cabin like he said he would.

  She made her way into the trees as quickly as possible. The snow was almost up to her knees at points, and she realized they’d have to take their clothes off again to dry.

  They were unclothed together more than any married couple she knew. She snorted at the thought. If her brothers ever heard about this…

  She finally made it to the trees and moved her skirts out of the way. Her teeth chattered from the cold again, and she wished she’d taken the blanket now. But at least it would still be dry once they were back inside.

  She finished as quickly as possible, then left the trees once she was finished. She heard a sound from her left and her steps faltered. Was that the wind? She strained to hear it again, which she did, but couldn’t make out what it was. She took another couple steps, but stopped abruptly when a low growl sounded from the same direction, though much closer this time.

  Hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, as she remained frozen in place. She hadn’t imagined that.

  A twig snapped, and her instincts kicked in. She leaped into a run, kicking up snow. “Tom!” she screamed when something followed her. “Tom!”

  He rounded the corner at a run, his shotgun up. His weapon kicked back with the shot, and she screamed again when a howl of pain and fury came from behind her, but she didn’t stop. As soon as she drew close enough to Tom, he gra
bbed her hand and whipped her inside the cabin, before quickly securing the door.

  They both breathed heavily, and his wide eyes met hers. “Are you all right? Did it hurt you?”

  She swallowed hard, trying to slow her breathing. Her heart pounded, and she worried she might faint. “It scared me, but I’m not hurt.” Deep breath. “What was it?”

  “A wolf.”

  Her eyes bugged out. “A wolf! Like a wolf in a pack?”

  He nodded grimly.

  “Oh lord.” She sunk slowly to a chair. “Did you kill it?”

  “No. I think I grazed it.”

  “Do you think it’ll come back?” She wanted him to tell her they would never see it again, but she also didn’t want him to lie to her.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s possible I did more damage and he could die, but I don’t know. We’re lucky though.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he was alone. If he’d been with a pack, things could’ve turned out differently.”

  Dread pooled in her gut. He was right. Things could have been a lot worse. “Is it possible he’ll be scared off and not come back?”

  He moved toward the fire, and she realized his pant legs were wet from the snow. “Anything is possible, but I don’t think he’ll leave us alone. While there’s still some game around, it’s getting scarce.”

  She lowered her face to her hands. This whole situation terrified her. She’d had enough emotional highs and lows in the last several hours to last a lifetime, and it didn’t look like it would change anytime soon. “What can we do? We can’t stay in here forever. What about food, or when we need to relieve ourselves again? What then?” She wasn’t shy anymore. With this new threat looming, she didn’t have the luxury to be embarrassed.

  “We’re going to have to be careful—very, very careful. Unfortunately, there won’t be much privacy either. You can’t go out alone.”

  “And what about you? You’re going to go out there by yourself?” She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him either.