Relief overwhelmed her.
"You've been out for three days," he said softly, taking her hand in his. "Three days of being terrified I'd lost you too."
"I dreamed of my mother. She was happy and told me a loving man waited for me, that I needed to go back," she said, thinking what an odd dream.
As she gazed at the man she loved, she reached up and ran her hand down his scruffy cheek. "My time to die was not yet. Not before I told you how much I love you."
Tears welled up in Will's eyes as he gazed at her.
"Oh, how I regretted not telling you I was sorry for not admitting to you that my mother chose you. But it didn't matter who picked you because my heart chose you the moment you arrived. The moment we said hello, I was smitten."
How amazing that in a turbulent world, somehow she had been so incredibly lucky to find Will. The journey from the safe haven of the orphanage to here had been rocky, but so worth the end result. Thank goodness Madam Wigg made her become a mail-order bride.
Weakly, she smiled and he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "You're my everything. My love, my wife, and my heart will always belong to you."
"Oh, Will, we are so very blessed. Thank goodness your mother picked me to be your wife."
He grinned. "Me too, love, me too."
Want to Read Dora’s story in Defiant? Here’s an Excerpt
March 1889, Zenith, Texas
"Your dead husband is alive," Sheriff Zach Taylor said, sitting across from Dora Tennyson in her parlor. Through the open window, birds tweeted, calling to one another in the spring sunshine.
Dora jerked back like she'd been slapped. A low buzz built in her ears as all the blood in her body seemed to drain. Her vision slowly darkened and she feared she would faint. Shaking her head, she stared at the sheriff, disbelief overwhelming her. How could Leo be alive?
"But the telegram from the Dodge City sheriff?" she said, staring at the lawman. "It said he was killed in a shootout."
"Someone might have forged the sheriff's name." With a sigh, Zach shook his head. "In Fort Worth, I was sure I saw him standing on the corner, selling a miracle cure-all drink. No doubt in my mind it was Leo. The moment he saw me, he packed up and left. I searched and couldn't find him."
Oh my, that sounded so like her sneaky husband. At the first sign of trouble, he would fold and run. In their marriage, in business, and evidently, even in card playing. "Why would he lie?"
"Didn't you say he cleaned out your bank account? Could there be another woman?"
Hysterical laughter exploded from Dora. What woman in their right mind would want Leo? She was crazy to let her father convince her to marry him.
"Greed is his mistress," she said, thinking about the day she learned all their money was gone except a small amount. Right there in the middle of the bank, she fainted and dropped to the floor like a bullet hit her. Now, now, she would find that lousy no good thief. Now she would...do what?
"You think he's living in Fort Worth?" she asked.
"Don't rightly know," he said. "Wouldn't hurt to look. Maybe he's still out on a street corner, selling over glorified tonic that's nothing more than flavored water."
A laugh escaped from her tight chest. Leo had found a new con game. What had he done with her inheritance?
Just when her finances forced her to take a husband, she learned she was no longer a widow, only broke.
A fire ignited inside her, spreading through her body like a wildfire out of control. Tired of being a victim of her husband and unwilling to accept his schemes any longer, she spoke aloud, "I'm going to find that cheating thief and this time, this time, he will most definitely need an undertaker. This time, I'll damn sure be a widow. This time he won't rise from the dead."
"Now Dora, all you know is that he faked his death and stole your money. Maybe he had a reason for his actions," the sheriff said. She knew he was only trying to calm her. She would have none of it, because she was done being taken advantage of by her dead husband.
The sheriff continued, "I'm your friend, Dora, but also a lawman. Don't want to hear you threatening to kill him in front of me."
"What would you do in my situation?"
Conflicted, the sheriff sat in her best parlor chair in her parlor without saying a word.
Too roused to heed her friend's warning, she said, "Oh, he's a dead man selling a miracle drink he's going to need." She stared into the sheriff's green eyes. "If he had a valid reason, he should have explained why to his wife. Instead, he lied and for five long years, I believed I was a widow."
"Dora, you're in shock."
Maybe so, but that didn't matter.
After waiting years, she made the decision to find an older man of means to marry. Now, almost penniless, even that option was gone. The new dress she ordered that was to be her courting gown, would be ready today.
A perfectly timed joke. Now, instead, the beautiful material would be her catch-her-dead-husband outfit.
"I'm going after him," she said, her resolve strengthening. "Leo Tennyson is going to give me my money back. Then I'm going to kill him."
Defiant - Click Here to Continue Reading
**Please Note that Defiant is not a sweet historical. There is one mild very touching love scene. Bring tissues.
Chapter 11
Dearest Rebecca,
Sometimes the things we dread the most are the things that are what makes us the happiest in the end. I truly hope my letter finds you as happy as I am. My dear sweet Will and I are expecting our first child and my mother-in-law is beside herself with joy.
This child could be extremely spoiled if we're not careful. While it didn't happen overnight, our happiness is such a blessing that I may consider naming our child after Madam Wigg, though I doubt that my Will would allow that. But I am forever grateful for how she made us take a chance on happiness.
There are so many things about the orphanage that I miss. My loving friends, Xenia's rolls, and the fun chats we all had in the middle of the night. I hear from Nellie, Olivia, and Phebe quite often and someday I hope to visit their homes.
Are you still sewing and did you ever learn how to cook? My dear Will has been teaching me, and every day I seem to be getting better at being the wife he deserves.
Please keep in touch and let me know how you're doing and if you are as fortunate as I to find love and happiness.
Yours Truly,
Quinlan Adams
To read Rebecca’s story click here!
Dear Reader,
I love mail-order bride stories and when I was invited by Caroline Lee to this project, I was so excited. How in the world could we ever pull off this many mail-order brides. It’s been a fun adventure and we hope you’re enjoying the series.
If you’re inclined, I would appreciate your letting everyone know by leaving a few words about the book on your favorite retailer including Bookbub. Whether or not you loved the book or hated, it-I’d enjoy your feedback.
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Yours in Drama, Divas, Bad Boys and Romance!
Sincerely,
Sylvia McDaniel
www.SylviaMcDaniel.com
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Jesse McIntire is determined to protect his young daughter from the fate of his late wife, refusing to allow her to end up like a bored socialite ruled by wealth and prestige. When his father sends for a woman to take over his daughter’s academic training as well as her feminine etiquette, Jesse refuses to bow down to his father’s wishes.
Until he sees the beautiful and elegant teacher exit the train… She just might be what his daughter needs–and what he desires.
Dreaming of independence and self-worth that don’t require her to be shackled to any man, Pearl Weare denies her attraction to the rugged cowboy. But once she starts falling hard for the Colorado rancher, she must decide between what her heart wants and her convictions.
&n
bsp; Can she give her heart to the man who teaches her about home and family, while still holding firm to her beliefs?
Click Here to Read Pearl
Also By Sylvia McDaniel
Western Historicals
A Hero’s Heart
Second Chance Cowboy
Ethan
American Brides
**Katie: Bride of Virginia
The Burnett Brides Series
The Rancher Takes A Bride
The Outlaw Takes A Bride
The Marshal Takes A Bride
The Christmas Bride
Boxed Set
Lipstick and Lead Series
Desperate
Deadly
Dangerous
Daring
**Determined
Deceived
Defiant
Devious
Lipstick and Lead Box Set Books 1-4
Lipstick and Lead Box Set Books 5-9
**Quinlan’s Quest
Mail Order Bride Tales
**A Brother’s Betrayal
**Pearl
**Ace’s Bride
Scandalous Suffragettes of the West
**Abigail
Bella
Mistletoe Scandal
Southern Historical Romance
A Scarlet Bride
Charity
The Cuvier Women
Wronged
Betrayed
Beguiled
Boxed Set
** Denotes a sweet book.
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USA Today Best-selling author, Sylvia McDaniel is an award-winning author of sixty western historical romance and contemporary romance novels. Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances, look for her books on Amazon.
Married for over twenty-five years to her best friend, they recently moved to western Colorado and are enjoying the mountains. Sylvia loves hiking, camping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco’s fan).
www.SylviaMcDaniel.com
The End!
Lipstick and Lead Series: The Complete Box Set With a Bonus Book Page 140