by Lydia Olson
A Sweet Mail-Order Bride for the Distant Rancher
STAND-ALONE NOVEL
A Western Historical Romance Novel
by
Lydia Olson
Copyright© 2021 by Lydia Olson
All Rights Reserved.
This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher
Table of Contents
A Sweet Mail-Order Bride for the Distant Rancher
Table of Contents
Let’s connect!
Letter from Lydia Olson
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Epilogue
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Blurb
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Your Honest Review
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Letter from Lydia Olson
“There is no better place to heal a broken heart than on the back of a horse”
This is my moto; this is how I grew up.
My name is Lydia and when I am not baking cookies with my daughter or riding the bike with my son, I am a Western Historical Romance writer. It is my passion, my hobby and my career.
After I received my BA in Psychology I realized that this would help me create believable characters. Characters that are based on real people. I want my readers to feel as if they have lived themselves in the West.
Growing up myself in a ranch I have a lot of tales to share. Stories that will help you not escape reality, but rather navigate you through reality. You will feel what it would feel to go through situations that make your heart pound and your palms sweat. You will access the depths of someone else’s mind; you will open yourselves to new experiences and different point of views.
What do you say? Do you want to take a vacation with me?
Lots of hugs,
Blurb
Her only choice to escape was to become a mail-order bride. He was a man who was rejecting romance. How can they fight those who want them apart when loving someone is just so challenging?
Jane has always been a dutiful daughter living with her stepfamily. When her father decides to marry her off to an older man that she knows nothing about, Jane flees. Once more, she feels their neglect. Her only option is to be a mail-order bride in the West. But, she soon realizes that her husband carries demons of his own, and ranch life is demanding. Can she make him open up and show him that love is the only way to heal wounds?
Milton is a man that finds solace in his animals. When his mother abandoned him, and his father passed away, he realized that people always leave. Now, Milton needs a bride to expand his business plan and help him with his beloved ranch. A marriage of convenience is what he needs, and romance is not what he is looking for. When Milton meets Jane, and everything will change when she starts to bring down his walls. How can he trust again and fall in love?
Jane and Milton will have to confront and overcome their deep-rooted fears to be together. When Jane’s wealthy suitor comes back to claim her, everything starts falling apart. Can they face their common enemy as one, or will they drift apart from each other?
Prologue
Jane’s mama had told her that they were going on an adventure, which was alright by Jane because she loved adventure. She had brought her favorite book, which she’d clung to on the carriage ride from Texas to their new home in New Mexico. It was a book of fairytales that her mother read to her, and she held it tightly. It brought her comfort.
Her mama had promised Jane that she’d like it in New Mexico. Jane was sure she would. Not only would she be getting a new pa, and a sister, but she would no longer have to see her mama cry so much when she thought Jane wasn’t looking.
Jane’s pa had perished nearly two years ago, and Jane could barely remember what he looked like, as she was only three at the time. Sometimes she dreamed of him; he always smelled like pipe tobacco.
Her ma had wept every day since his passing. She tried to hide it from Jane, but she knew. She could always see the tear streaks and redness in her mama’s eyes after she’d been through a spell. She hadn’t been very good at hiding it.
“You remember to behave, Janie,” her mama reminded her. The carriage had finally come to a standstill. To Jane it felt like they had been traveling for an infinite number of days.
“I promise, Mama,” Jane said. She didn’t feel the need to remind her mother that she was always well-behaved. She knew that her ma was simply worried about how Jane and Mr. Parrish’s daughter, Kate, would get along.
But Jane liked Mr. Parrish. She was glad that he wanted to marry her mama and make her happy again. Her ma always smiled when Mr. Parrish came around, which made Jane happy.
Plus, Mr. Parrish had a daughter only a few years older than Jane, which was a boon for her, and Jane was sure they’d be fast friends. She’d already promised her ma to share her best toys and books with Kate. Jane had always wanted a sister, and she was glad to be getting one in Kate.
“Alright my darling,” Jane’s mother said. She placed her warm hand on either side of Jane’s face and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Everything is going to be perfect. I just know it.”
Jane smiled at her and nodded. She hoped that was the case, for her mother’s sake. She might be a little girl, but she knew that Mr. Parrish had brought joy and happiness back into
her mother’s life. It was something that she had been missing for two years. That was why Jane was determined to be on her very best behavior. She did not want Mr. Parrish to send them away.
Stepping out of the carriage, Jane did her best to look like a girl older than five. She took her hand out of her mother’s and clutched the sack that held her toys. She was hoping that they might endear her to Kate.
The Parrish ranch was much larger than the one her ma and her had lived in. Theirs had been a small, one room cottage, but the Parrish house looked like it had two stories. Jane had never seen anything so large and grand before. She’d known that Mr. Parrish was well-to-do, but she didn’t know how much.
“Darling!” Mr. Parrish said, as he reached out toward her mother. Her mother’s smile was bright as she quickly embraced Mr. Parrish. “I hope the journey wasn’t too long.”
“It was fine,” Jane’s mother assured him.
Jane stood quietly at her mother’s side observing Mr. Parrish’s daughter. Kate was a few years older than she, and quite tall. Her jet-black hair was tied back from her face with a yellow ribbon, and her skin was the color of cream. Jane instantly felt intimidated by the other girl, especially as she looked at her with cool, blue eyes.
“And how are you, Janie?” Mr. Parrish asked. He leaned down in front of her causing Jane to stifle a giggle as she saw the curly, black hairs in his nose. Instead, she bit her lip remembering her mother telling her to be good.
“I’m well,” she said, her voice carrying its usual softness.
“Good, good,” Mr. Parrish said, standing back up and fixing his jacket.
For a moment, the four of them stood awkwardly staring at each other and waiting. Jane wasn’t sure what everyone was waiting for, so she thought it best to introduce herself to her new sister.
“I’m Jane,” she said, addressing Kate. “I brought some dolls to play with.”
Kate said nothing, and for a moment Jane wondered if she had said the wrong thing. I hope not, she thought. She wanted Kate to like her.
“Katherine?” Mr. Parrish’s voice was stern as he pushed Kate slightly forward.
Jane looked at her Ma, worried that she might have done something wrong. Her mama gave her a smile, but even Jane knew that it wasn’t a good one. Her Ma’s face was pinched together as if she had smelled something unpleasant. Her blue eyes, which were a great deal like Jane’s narrowed, but only slightly. Jane knew that her mother was worried, but she didn’t understand why.
“Katherine why don’t you and Jane play. You can show her around the ranch,” Mr. Parrish said. Kate said nothing, but she gave her father a terse nod.
“I guess you can show me your dolls,” she said.
Jane smiled. She could tell that Kate did not necessarily care for her, but Jane knew that she could change her mind. Jane had a great many friends back in Texas. She had a lot of toys.
“I’m sure that you girls will get along just fine,” her mother said. She seemed more relaxed, which made Jane happy. “I’ll be just inside.” Her mother pressed a small kiss against her forehead and smoothed her hair down. The act comforted Jane.
Kate and Jane stood in the warm New Mexico sunshine as they watched their parents go into their home. Neither girl said anything.
Finally, Jane turned around to face Kate whose face hadn’t changed in sternness. “Do you want to play?” she asked, she began pulling out her doll from her bag. The rest of her toys were in the trunks that Mr. Parrish’s workers and their carriage driver were in the process of unloading.
“I only have one doll in my bag, but we can take turns …”
Jane pulled out the doll of the rose-colored linen bag. Her mother had stitched it for her for the journey. It was small enough for her to carry, but big enough for Jane to stuff her favorite doll into.
She pulled it out, excited to show it to Kate. The doll was small and made of felt. The stitching from the face was worn. It was clear that the doll was well-loved. What made it Jane’s favorite was the red hair atop the doll’s head, and the silk rose gown that covered her body. She hoped to have such a dress when she was grown up.
Before Jane could say anything more or tell Kate about the doll, Kate reached out and plucked the doll from Jane’s hands. “This is my doll now,” she stated.
“Hey!” Jane tried to grab the doll back from Kate. It was her favorite doll. Her pa had given it to her before he passed, and it was the only thing that she had left that reminded her of him. “Give that back!” She reached for the doll. Kate kept it just out of reach, making Jane jump for it. When she did, Kate reached out and pushed her down to the ground.
“Ouch!” Jane cried out. She sat up. Her dress was covered in dust and dirt, and her lower lip trembled. Her mama was going to be angry with her for ruining one of her nicest dresses.
“Listen here,” Kate said. She leaned down so that she was standing over Jane. Her blue eyes were as cold as ice, and Jane tried not to shiver as they bore into her. She was starting to think that she and Kate weren’t going to be friends at all. “This is my house, and you aren’t going to come here and take my pa away. Do you understand?”
Jane said nothing. She’d never been treated in such a manner in her entire life, and she didn’t know what to do. She knew it was wrong to allow Kate to treat her this way, but she was too scared to do anything. After all, they were guests on the ranch, not family. Not yet.
As Jane watched Kate walk off, she couldn’t help but think of what she would do to Kate once she was a grown woman.
One day, I’ll stand against her, she thought, watching Kate. She hoped that day wouldn’t be long in coming.
Chapter One
Fourteen Years Later
Jane moved her potatoes around her plate with her fork as she looked out of the window. The sun was low in the sky, and as the last rays of it came into the dining room it made small rainbows through the crystal water glasses sitting on the mahogany table.
She wasn’t particularly hungry this evening. Her stomach felt like it was tangled in knots, and the thought of eating anything made her feel even more ill.
Jane pressed her boots against the red and green rug underfoot. It was so old that the colors were worn from their feet and chairs.
“Is something wrong with your food?” her stepfather asked.
Jane sighed slightly as she picked up a cold potato. Of course, he picks tonight to be observant, she thought. Normally, her stepfather wasn’t the most observant. It was why he never noticed that she and his daughter Kate hadn’t managed to get along in the fourteen years they had been a “family.”
Kate was the reason that Jane had no appetite.
“Yeah, Janie,” Kate spoke up, her voice sickly sweet. “What’s the matter with you tonight? Normally, you are eager to eat.”
Jane said nothing. That was the best way to handle Kate’s insults. Kate knew why Jane was upset, after all, she was the reason for it. Kate had always tormented Jane, but she had become even worse in the last few years after Jane’s mother passed away, likely because her death had caused Jane to cling heavily to her stepfather.
She always thought that he cared about her as any father cared about a daughter; after all, he practically raised her. What Kate told her today changed all of that.
“I was hoping that we might speak?” Jane asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Jane despised confrontation. If she had her way, she would never be in the midst of any sort of conflict, especially within her family, which is why she had never really put Kate in her place.
“About what?” her father asked.
Jane continued to play with her potatoes, pushing them around her plate. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She glanced over to see Kate with a self-satisfied grin on her face, and it made her angry. Kate knew exactly how to get inside of her mind and turn everything upside down. Don’t let her rattle you, she thought.
“I wanted to talk with you about your plans for my future,” Jane said. The words sou
nded hollow in her ears. Her father hadn’t told her anything about his plans for her. She knew that he wished for Kate to marry, but so far, no man had been braving enough to take on her prickly sister. Kate knew how to be charming, but she found few people who were worthy of her time.
“Plans?” her father asked. He leaned back slightly in his chair; his large belly pressed against the buttons of his waistcoat, causing them to pucker. Age had not been kind to her father. Years of eating and little exercise made him robust, and though he maintained a full head of hair, it had turned as gray as ash, losing its former dark luster.
Jane swallowed. She was hoping that he would bring it up for her. Jane shot a look over at Kate who still wore a smug smile on her face.
“May we talk alone?” she asked. She did not want to give Kate the satisfaction of seeing her so rattled. The conversation that they were going to have would be uncomfortable enough for her, and she did not want to feel Kate’s judgmental stare on her.
She also knew that her father would not appreciate having this conversation out in the open. He was a prideful man who expected total obedience from his daughter. Normally, Jane obeyed happily, but this time she just couldn’t.