Orphan Train Romance Series: Five Books in One! (Clean Western Historical Romances)

by Zoe Matthews

  Craig rode his horse onto his farmland and stopped in front of his house. He got off his horse and tied the reins to a fence. It was almost lunchtime, so he decided to get something to eat before he headed out to help John with some fencing.

  Craig stood and looked at his two-story house. It was a large home, too large for one man. The previous owner had had a large family, so there were six bedrooms upstairs. The kitchen was a nice size to cook in and Lily had told him she loved to work in his kitchen because there was so much room to move around from one project to another and so many places to store a variety of food. There was a room off the kitchen that could be used as a parlor if he had a wife who would want to use it as such. There was another smaller room he used as an office and to keep track of his farm finances. He spent most of his time in this room when he was in his home. There was a large built-in bookcase on one end of the room where he was slowly collecting good books to read.

  Yes, Craig thought to himself. I need to start filling this house up and I might as well start with an orphan.

  Chapter 3

  The next day, Amanda got up early so she could get ready to meet with the Town Committee about adopting a little girl. After her husband had died, she had converted the parlor into a dressing room where her customers could try on dresses and she could take their measurements. There were two large mirrors and a small area she had blocked off with a movable wall to be used as a small changing area. Opposite of the mirrors was her sewing machine and a long table where she cut fabric.

  She kept the kitchen for herself and a small room off the kitchen as her bedroom that her husband had used as a study and office. She had another room located behind the parlor where she stored her fabrics and notions so her customers had something to immediately choose from. This room used to be the bedroom she had shared with David.

  Amanda decided to wear a forest green dress with black trim that was more suited to colder weather, but she chose to wear this dress to meet with the Town Committee because she felt it made her look her best. She brushed out her long brown hair and put it up in her usual bun on the back of her head. She slipped on her sturdy black shoes and then she was ready to go.

  When she opened the door to leave, she saw a woman walking on the pathway that led to her house. It was the mayor’s wife, Mrs. Margaret Porter.

  “I am so glad I caught you!” Mrs. Porter exclaimed as she approached. “I do hope you haven’t purchased the fabric yet, because I want to make some changes to the dress I ordered a few days ago.” Mrs. Porter walked right into the house without being invited, continuing to talk as she did.

  “Last night I was talking to my dear friend, Mrs. Mabel Brown, you know who she is don’t you?” Mrs. Porter walked over and sat down on a chair that Amanda had set up for her customers, continuing to talk without waiting for an answer from Amanda.

  “She told me that I should include some more lace around the collar and I shouldn’t have as much ribbon. She says that the styles are constantly changing in the East and this way my new dress will be exactly like they wear back there.”

  Amanda followed Mrs. Porter into her sewing room, sighing silently to herself. She hoped she could get Mrs. Porter to leave before too long so that she wouldn’t miss being able to talk to the committee. Mrs. Porter did love to talk and talk she did for the next 30 minutes.

  When Mrs. Porter finally left, after making the decision to stay with the original plans for the dress, Amanda sighed to herself in relief. She should still be able to make it. She grabbed a shawl and quickly left her house before another customer showed up.

  She quickly walked to the Town hall and into the big room where the town meetings were held. In the middle of the room was a large table with five men sitting behind it. There was the mayor, Mr. Richard Porter; the reverend, Mr. Owen Watson; Dr. Brad Collins; and two other men who worked with the mayor and did not contribute to the interview. One of the men listened to the proceedings and the other was busy writing.

  Amanda introduced herself, though most of the men knew who she was. The mayor invited her to sit down on a chair in front of them.

  “Tell us why you feel you would be a good candidate as a mother to an orphan child,” the reverend requested.

  Amanda proceeded to tell the men a brief history of her marriage and then death of her husband and how lonely she has been since. She talked about how she regretted not being able to have children with David and how she thought she had a lot she could contribute to an orphan girl. She would love her and educate her and even teach her the skills of sewing so the child would be able to contribute to society and have the means to support herself when she was grown.

  After Amanda was through talking, each of the men were given an opportunity to ask her questions. One question posed by the mayor was about finances and Amanda was able to reassure the men that she could support a child without any outside help.

  Then the doctor spoke. “I think we should grant Mrs. Drake her wish to adopt a child.” He looked at the other men. “Although she is a woman and single, I think she will do well as a mother, and remember we did give Mr. Craig Parker permission to adopt.”

  The other men nodded their heads in agreement. Then the mayor spoke directly to Amanda. “You have our permission to adopt a girl who is under five years of age, but you must allow the couples to choose first. If there is a child left, she may be placed with you.”

  Amanda left the Town hall five minutes later with a paper in her hands with the committee’s agreement that she could adopt a little girl. She stopped outside of the building and opened up the paper to read it. She felt relieved that she had been granted permission and even though she would need to wait until all the other couples had chosen, she felt very hopeful there would be a child she could adopt.

  “It looks like the committee voted in your favor like they did me,” Craig stood in front of her holding his own copy of an agreement.

  “Yes, I am so excited!” Amanda told him, briefly forgetting her irritation with him and the continued marriage proposals. “They will place a little girl with me as long as she is under five years old and also as long as none of the couples have chosen her.” Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement and Craig thought to himself he had never seen her as beautiful as she was at that moment.

  Amanda then looked at the paper Craig was holding and some of her excitement died. “So you are going to try to adopt also?”

  “Yes, I have been approved to get an older boy eight years of age or older.”

  “Please don’t use him like a hired hand,” Amanda pleaded to him and Craig stepped away from her with a frown on his face.

  “Since you refuse to marry me, I might as well adopt a child. At least then I will have someone to talk to and share my house with,” Craig retorted, tired of her accusing him of not being able to care for a child properly. He put his papers in his pocket and walked away, leaving Amanda staring after him with her mouth open.

  Maybe he is as lonely as I am, Amanda thought to herself, and for the first time felt like maybe, they did have something in common after all.

  Chapter 4

  Friday afternoon finally came. Never had time traveled so slow for Amanda. She did her best to keep herself busy. She finished the child’s dress she was working on and started cutting out the fabric for Mrs. Porter’s dress. She also found time to make a small dress for her new daughter, hoping that she would be able to really give it to someone and that it would be the right size. At the last minute Thursday evening, she made a small rag doll with a matching dress for the child.

  About 10 minutes before 2:00, Amanda left her dress shop and walked quickly to the Town hall down the street. She walked into the building and into the room where she was interviewed a few days before. Numerous chairs had been set up in rows and a small stage had been placed in the front of the room with many chairs placed in a row. They were still empty, so Amanda knew that the children hadn’t arrived yet.

  She looked around and wa
s amazed at the number of people in the room. She recognized many people, but there were also a number of people she didn’t know. Surely not everyone here wants a child, she hoped. She waved to her good friend, Lydia and her husband, Clinton Byron. They owned a large cattle ranch located south of Maple Grove. Amanda walked over to where they were sitting.

  Lydia stood as Amanda approached to give her a hug. “It is so good to see you,” Lydia said. “I hope everything is going well.”

  “Things are fine,” Amanda hugged Lydia back and smiled at Clinton. “Are you considering adopting a child?”

  Lydia looked at Clinton as she answered. “Yes, we hope we can find a baby or a young child under two years of age.”

  “We have a huge house and the ranch. We figure we have enough to offer a child who doesn’t have a family,” Clinton explained.

  “That’s great,” Amanda said, very happy for her friend. She knew that Lydia had had several miscarriages and had been unable to carry a child to term. Lydia never looked very happy or at peace whenever Amanda saw her, although she always denied her unhappiness. Amanda hoped adopting a baby would help fill some of the emptiness Lydia seemed to display.

  Amanda held up her papers. “I was accepted to take a little girl under five years if there is one left after all the couples have chosen.”

  Lydia shrieked with joy and hugged Amanda again. ”That is great. I hope it works out for you.”

  “I’m not sure if I will get a child though,” Amanda looked around the crowded room. “There are many more people here than I expected.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Lydia waved her hand. “I suspect most of these people are just here to watch.”

  Amanda was shocked at the thought. “How awful. Do they think these children are a bunch of animals? They shouldn’t be allowed here if they aren’t serious about adopting.”

  “Well, as much as I agree with you, you have to admit this is a rare occasion. If we weren’t planning on taking a baby, I would have been tempted to watch.”

  Amanda looked around and saw some of the Town Committee walking to the front of the room. “I want to sit closer so I can see the children better.” She pointed to the front row of chairs. “I think I will go sit over there.”

  She said her goodbyes and good lucks to her friends and walked over to the row of chairs that was closest to the stage as possible. Most of the chairs were taken, but then she saw that one was not, and it happened to be right next to Craig Parker.

  Amanda hesitated, not wanting to sit next to Craig but wanting to sit as close as possible. He then spotted her and waved his hand for her to come over to him.

  “I saved you a seat since I knew you would want to sit next to me,” he explained when she reached his side.

  Amanda started to make a sharp retort, but then saw the usual twinkle in his blue eyes and knew he was teasing her again, so she just smiled and sat down. “Thank you, Mr. Parker.” Craig smiled at the use of his formal name.

  The minute she sat down, the hall quieted as the doors opened and a tall, thin man and heavy-set woman walked into the room leading a group of children. Amanda noticed that the man was holding a little girl who was big enough to walk. The plump woman was holding the hands of two other young girls. They all walked to the front of the room and the woman started to direct the children to sit in the chairs on the stage. Amanda watched as three older girls that looked to be the same age sat next to each other. They were each holding a baby or toddler. The man sat the little girl he was holding on a chair and an older boy immediately sat next to her, grabbing her hand with his own.

  They must be brother and sister, Amanda thought. I hope they won’t be separated. She then noticed that the little girl’s left leg was twisted.

  After all the children had sat down, Amanda quickly counted that there were only four girls that looked to be under the age of five, counting the little girl with the twisted leg. There were two babies, but she had decided she wanted a child older than two years old. Five girls to choose from didn’t seem very many and Amanda’s heart sunk, knowing she probably would not be able to take a child home with her.

  “Don’t give up hope yet,” Craig whispered to her, letting her know he knew what her thoughts were. She smiled her appreciation. When she looked at him, she couldn’t help notice his broad shoulders that filled out under his blue shirt. He had gotten his hair cut and there was a lock of hair sticking straight up that made Amanda want to reach up and smooth it into place. Realizing her thoughts, her heart fluttered again. Amanda quickly looked away, silently telling herself to not get caught up in his good looks and charm.

  The mayor stood and introduced the man and woman as Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carver. He explained that this couple had been with the children on the train ever since they left New York 10 days ago. The mayor then announced that Mr. Carver had some instructions to give, allowed the man to take his place, and sat down in the front row next to his wife.

  Mr. Carver stood and began to speak. “I welcome you all and I am thrilled with the interest and turnout we have this afternoon. This is truly a wondrous event for the children and for the town of Maple Grove. I want to thank the Town Committee for their part in helping these beautiful children find new homes.

  “I know that everyone is anxious to begin so those that have been approved can be matched with a child, but I must go over some ground rules and procedures. There are two key points.

  “These girls and boys are hoping to find a new home. We have 18 children available between the ages of 6 months and 14 years of age. We are hopeful that all 18 will be placed right here in Maple Grove, but if that doesn’t happen, we will continue onto the next town until they are all placed.

  “We are allowing the children eight and older to make the decision whether they want to go with a family. If they feel uncomfortable in any way, we will not force them to go. The final decision is theirs. There will be a one-year waiting period between child placement and legal adoption. We will be sending out a representative a few times in the next year to check on the children. If at any time we feel dissatisfied with the child’s care, we will remove the child from the home. Please be aware that even though this is rare, it has happened.”

  Mr. Carver paused in his speaking to pull a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe perspiration from his neck and brow.

  “In order to avoid mass confusion, we will call each name who has a letter of recommendation in random order. Once a choice has been made, please move over to where my wife is sitting, and she will help you complete the paperwork.” He pointed to a table that had been set up to one side of the room with Mrs. Carver sitting behind it.

  Mr. Carver then called a name, which happened to be the reverend and his wife. With them was their teenage son. Amanda watched as their son walked right up to a young girl who looked to be about six years old. He squatted in front of her and started to talk to her.

  Chapter 5

  Amanda sat quietly in her chair, watching as one by one each child was paired up with a family. She noticed that no one tried talking to the little girl with the twisted leg.

  At one point, the blacksmith and his wife tried to talk to the boy sitting next to the little girl with the twisted leg, and Amanda heard the boy yell, ”I don’t want to go with anyone! I don’t want a new family!” Mr. Carver walked over to try to calm the boy, but it was obvious he would not agree, so the blacksmith and his wife walked over to another boy.

  Craig leaned over to Amanda and whispered, ”I am going to adopt that boy.”

  Amanda looked at him in amazement. “He seems so angry. Why would you want to have a boy that is displaying behavioral problems?”

  “He just needs someone who will care about him. He’ll settle down. I believe I can help that boy.” While Craig was talking, he kept his eyes on the events on the stage, but then he turned to look directly at Amanda. For the first time, she saw that he felt very deeply about the proceedings and it was very important to h
im.

  “I’m not the heartless man you seem to think I am. A little hard work has never hurt anyone, but I don’t plan on working the boy too hard. He needs acceptance and a place to belong. He will have that with me.”

  Amanda felt confusion as she turned her head back towards the stage and pondered Craig’s words. Maybe, she thought, he really could provide a good home for an orphan boy. Maybe I have been too harsh, too critical of him as a man because of the many times he has proposed to me. It all seemed like a big joke to him. Maybe he really does want to marry me.

  Soon there were only three children left. Of course, the boy who yelled at the blacksmith was still there, still clutching the hand of the little girl beside him. There was also another boy sitting on a chair a few seats down the row, looking sad as he stared at the floor.