Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3)

by Charity Phillips

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  Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand

  Stewart House Brides

  Charity Phillips

  Copyright © 2018 by Charity Phillips

  www.hopemeadowpublishing.com

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, with the exception of brief quoted passages left in an online review. This book is a fictional story. All characters, names, and situations are of the author’s creation. Any resemblances to actual situations or to persons who are alive or dead are purely coincidental.

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only; this copy is not available for resale or to give to another reader aside from any transaction through Amazon’s e-book lending program.

  **This is the third story of the Stewart House Brides series. Each installment is a standalone and may be read in any order.

  Book 1: Mail Order Bride Carrie

  Book 2: Beverly: The Butcher’s Bride

  Book 3: Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand

  Book 4: Coming March 2018

  A Message From Charity Phillips

  THANK YOU!

  Thank you so much for downloading the third installment of the Stewart House Brides series, Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand. I’m beyond grateful to have the support of readers like you!

  If you haven’t read our stories before, I’d like to give you the opportunity to enjoy even more of what we write here at Hope Meadow, so as a token of my gratitude, I've included a collection of representative bonus stories in this book—at no extra cost. I hope you find it to be of great value!

  My Sincere Thanks,

  Table Of Contents

  Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Bonus: A Collection Of Sweet Historical Western Romances From Charity Phillips and Faith-Ann Smith

  Preview of Mail Order Bride Carrie, Book 1 of the Stewart House Brides Series by Charity Phillips

  Preview of Beverly: The Butcher’s Bride, Book 2 of the Stewart House Brides Series by Charity Phillips

  Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand

  Wallace, Kansas – 1890

  Chapter 1

  “All of these girls seem to be man-obsessed. I’m grateful that I at least have you here. You’d never run off and get married so quickly, Annie.” Rita stood tall and solemn in the bedroom doorway, watching as Annie O’Brien smoothed her cinnamon brown hair with her brush and tied it back with the regulation white ribbon. She looked up at Rita and smiled. It may not have been entirely true, but she fully intended to make her friend and supervisor happy.

  Rita left the doorway soon after, to go and wake up some of the other girls, who were likely still sleeping. Annie sighed a bit and looked over at the empty bed in her room. It’d been vacated only the other day. Admittedly, Beverly hadn’t been around as much as Carrie was, but still it was nice to have a friend as a roommate. Mr. Stewart would likely be bringing in several new waiter-girls soon, but for now Annie was bunking in a room by herself.

  The quiet, shy girl didn’t really mind having the space and time to herself when she wasn’t working, however. It would be a nice little break from the dramatic situations that usually came with having a roommate – drama that was typically, as Rita opined, man-related in nature. She would be able to sleep better after a long day at work in the restaurant if she didn’t have to drift off with someone else’s worries keeping her awake at night.

  It wasn’t easy being empathetic.

  As soon as Annie was dressed and ready to start the new day, she made her way down the stairs and out the door of the dormitory. She walked over to the restaurant next door and met with all of the other sleepy-eyed girls as they waited in a cluster for the front doors to open and the breakfast crowd to rush in. Annie didn’t mind a busy day at work, especially now when it would help keep her from feeling lonely once she’d stopped relishing her alone time and started missing having someone to talk to and laugh with.

  “Is this going to be another full train of hungry people?” she asked.

  “When is it not, these days?” Mary, one of the other waitresses, answered.

  Annie smirked at her. She was happy to hear that. A full train meant lots of work to be done. Above all else, she wanted Rita and Mr. Stewart to notice all of the effort she was putting in for them. I didn’t come all the way to Kansas for no good reason, she thought. I wanted to really work and make a good living for myself.

  Of course, she hadn’t really come all the way to Kansas just to work in the restaurant; that was merely something she told herself now. The real reason just left her feeling rather heartbroken. She’d never mentioned it to anyone before, but she’d come all the way from Massachusetts to marry a man in the west. He was supposed to meet her there at the station in Wallace and then proceed on the railway with her from there. They had made plans to meet each other halfway. However, when she arrived, she waited and waited and he never appeared.

  Broken-hearted, she discovered the Stewart House right up the road and the rest was history. Annie had sworn off romance and was married to her work there from that day forward.

  When the double doors of the restaurant were opened by Rita, the waiter-girls poured into the eating house in order to greet all of the guests and direct them to tables. “Good morning!” Annie happily chirped to everyone she came upon. “Good morning. I hope you have enjoyed your travels thus far.”

  A lot of the other girls didn’t like it when there was a large crowd in the restaurant, but Annie lived for the moments when she had a whole bunch of tables to greet and serve. She supposed it was why she was one of the waitresses that had worked there the longest amount of time. Many of the girls moved out west to try and find a handsome rancher husband; Annie had moved out west to find a job and a purpose, as far as she was concerned.

  She approached one of the tables, where a lanky, sandy-haired gentleman was sitting, seemingly dwarfing everything in his vicinity – chair, table, the meal itself all seemed much smaller when compared to him. Annie ignored his immense height and simply smiled up at him. “How are you doing this morning, sir? May I refill that orange juice for you?”

  The gentleman had a light brown cowboy hat resting in the seat that was next to him. He must be another one of those boys heading out yonder to California or Oregon to try to make it big, Annie thought without judgment or prejudice. She knew that a lot of men and boys had dreams of striking it rich in the west. If it wasn’t for that exodus, she likely wouldn’t have her job, so how could she judge him?

  He looked up from his nearly empty plate of eggs and grits and smiled at her. It was the whitest smile Annie thought she’d ever seen. It was at least the nicest smile she’d seen from a rancher or cowpoke out here. As such, she beamed back at him.

  “As a matter of fact, I would,” he said to her. “Thank you, Ma’am.” Annie detected the hints
of a New York accent in his voice, which didn’t surprise her in the least. “May I also please get some more of your grits? They’re mighty fine.”

  She nodded. “Of course. Right away.” She flashed another smile at him as she collected up his glass and plate. As she walked away back to the kitchen, she could feel his eyes on her. She was getting about as much attention as she was giving him, she supposed. He likely noticed me paying attention to everything, so he’s returning the favor now. She hoped that her apron and bow were still straight.

  “Fresh order of grits!” she called to the cooks as soon as she was in the kitchen. She set the used plate down in the sink basin to be cleaned. There was still some food on it, but at Stewart House the dishes were either pristine or full of fresh helpings of food. There was no in between for very long.

  While the cooks were at work refreshing the customer’s grits for her, Annie retrieved the bottle of orange juice and poured another generous glass. The restaurant received box loads of fresh oranges daily and then it was left up to the team of cooks to squeeze them into juice. Nearly everything was delivered via train, not just the oranges or the customers. Mr. Stewart had really taken advantage of the railway lines, which Annie was excited by. The Stewart House seemed to be growing ever more popular, and the new technology meant that they were on the cutting edge whereas a lot of the other businesses out west were a shade behind them.

  Annie grabbed a silver tray and placed the glass of orange juice onto it along with the refilled plate of grits and a fresh, new napkin. Smiling, she left the kitchen and made her way back out to the handsome young traveler who was sitting at a center table all alone, apart from his hat. “Here you go, sir,” she said to him brightly. “If there’s anything else I can get for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  With that, she left to tend to her other tables so he could eat to his heart’s content. She noticed with some curiosity that the breakfast rush consisted of more men than any other day since she had worked there. Hardly any women had come along for breakfast. I reckon that’s because most of these gents are off to start their futures, or to get back to them as the case may be. Likely, some of these young men had gone home to visit their families. That was another wonderful perk of the railway system.

  Annie had been living in Kansas for almost a year now. She came from a suburb of Boston. Growing up in a large family with Irish immigrant parents, she’d had to work from a pretty young age, most often helping with her younger siblings by doing chores around the farm when she was old enough to help out. I’m grateful that I was able to just get out and work instead of always sitting at home, waiting for a wealthy suitor to come along and offer to marry me. She rolled her pretty brown eyes at such foolishness. Cinderella was a fairytale. In life, she’d found, hard work earned you useful skills and strength that one didn’t get from just running off and getting married straight out of school.

  That was a big part of why Mr. Stewart’s stipulation that his waiter-girls remain single for at least a year wasn’t a problem for her at all. Annie was devoted to her job and anyone who knew her would easily vouch for that. As a reward for her efforts, she seemed to be Rita’s shining star, which left her absolutely tickled. She gladly supported her friends as they ran off and got married, but she knew that with every new wedding announcement, she became stronger and more worthy in the eyes of both Rita and Mr. Stewart.

  Perhaps at the end of the year, I shall get a raise, she thought happily as she refilled some glasses of water at a table. It’s never been mentioned before, but I think that has more to do with the fact that hardly anyone else has lasted this long.

  As she worked that morning, she continued to feel the eyes of that young farmer on her. He’d taken a keen interest in her and she didn’t know why. Several times she passed by him and asked him if he would like a refill or another helping of his breakfast, but he always shook his head with a smile.

  “No ma’am,” he said at last when she asked. “As a matter of fact, I believe I’m ready for the bill if you’re ready to give it to me.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I hope you didn’t think I was trying to rush you out of here! Please take your time.” Annie looked at the grandfather clock near the front of the restaurant, checking on the time to see when they travelers would have to head out in order to get back on the train.

  The young man smiled at her ever more. “I didn’t think you were rushing me,” he replied. “But I know you’re busy, and I suspect I’d best be heading out soon.”

  Annie went into the back room to tally up the total for his meal, returned and placed the check down gently in front of him. The man squinted a bit at the hastily penciled in numbers and words that she had written there.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked him, smile fading a little in her concern. “Do the numbers not add up? I’m afraid I’m not the best at arithmetic, even at my age.” She giggled a little in order to try and diffuse the tension.

  The young man looked up at her and gave a forlorn sort of sigh. “Nah, that’s not the cast at all. I’m willing to bet that your math is just fine. I can’t read very well, is all.”

  Annie gave a start, and then smiled at him. Of course! she thought. How silly of me. That’s fairly common out here. “I see,” she said. “That’s no trouble at all.”

  She picked up the bill and proceeded to read it off to him, careful to review her itemized list as slowly as he seemed to need so that he’d understand and follow her.

  “Thank you very much,” the gentleman said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a fairly ratty leather wallet. “Here y’are.” He handed over the amount of money that she’d taken down as the total.

  Annie graciously took the money from him. “You’re more than welcome, sir. It’s been my pleasure to assist you this morning. If you’re ever in Wallace again, please be sure to stop in to the Stewart House so I can say hello.”

  With another bright smile, she turned and made her way to the back room so she could safely hand off the money to Mr. Stewart. Annie beamed, knowing that she was bound to get a decent cut as a tip for the good job that she’d done this morning.

  Chapter 2

  The rest of the morning and afternoon were not quite so interesting for Annie. It really wasn’t every day that a customer paid so much attention to her, or reacted so happily towards her service. It made her job worth doing, in her opinion, to see such a big smile – and the extra bit of pay that came as a result didn’t hurt either.

  Annie was excited to take her break after the lunch rush had winded down. She went into the dormitory and changed out of her work uniform so it would remain pristine, putting on a simple blue dress before heading down to the small kitchen area that was afforded to the girls there. Not finding much in the pantries there, she brought out some bread and some strawberry jam. It certainly wasn’t the most exciting lunch, but it was better than nothing.

  It was in these quiet moments of downtime that she most missed her friends. I suppose I can go next door and visit with Beverly, she thought. She might be on break now, too! Quickly, she wrapped up her sandwich in some paper napkins and carried it out of the dormitory. She walked a little ways down the dirt road and turned into the open doorway of the butcher shop.

  Beverly was standing behind the counter, packaging up some meat for a delivery later on. She lifted her head and saw Annie there, and beamed. “Well, hello!”

  Annie smiled a bit shyly back at her friend. “Hello again,” she said, stepping fully into the shop. “I’m not sure if you’re busy at the moment, but it occurred to me that while I was on my break I might stop in and see how things are going here for you?”

  “That’s so sweet of you,” Beverly said to her. “Please, won’t you sit a moment?” She gestured to a table nearby with two chairs, something Annie hadn’t seen there in the shop before. This was surely Beverly’s suggestion. She was well aware that her ambitious friend had big visions for her new husband’s place of business.
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br />   Annie went over and sat at the small table as directed, smile growing bigger as Beverly came around the counter and joined her in the chair opposite. “So, you must have news,” she said to her.

  “Not so much,” Annie said with a little laugh. “I mostly missed you, is all. I thought you wouldn’t mind a visit while I eat my lunch.” She placed her carefully-wrapped sandwich onto the tabletop and Beverly looked at it in surprised amusement.

  “I’ve got something that’ll fill you up better than that,” she said, getting back up at once and going into the back room. Annie proceeded to eat her jam sandwich while Beverly was gone. When she came back to the table and returned to her seat, she was holding a few delicious looking slices of perfectly seared steak wrapped loosely in paper as well.

  “I wouldn’t normally share this with someone who’d just popped into the shop, but you’re basically family at this point,” she said with a smile. She placed the juicy meat in the middle of the table so that Annie could partake in some.

  Annie balled up the paper that had once contained her sandwich and gratefully dug into the generous meal that Beverly had offered. “Mmm, this is lovely. Thank you. Have you been enjoying your new life here? It certainly seems like it.”

  Beverly giggled a little and nodded her head. “Of course!” she declared. “This has always been what I wanted out of life… I obviously didn’t know before that I wanted to be a butcher’s wife and all of that, but I adore Wilfred and I’ve been really enjoying the handling of the business while he works on making his meats.”

  Annie listened to her friend, smiling and nodding along with her. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted out of life, but she was glad that Beverly had found the happiness that she’d clearly been aching for when they worked together at the restaurant. “I know you were always restless and not quite content before, so it’s really marvelous to see you so happy now.”