Wild Western Women Boxed Set Read online

  Wild Western Women

  Smashwords Edition

  Including

  Mail Order Misunderstanding

  By Kirsten Osbourne

  A Chance to Love Again

  By Callie Hutton

  The Indomitable Eve

  By Merry Farmer

  Save Your Heart For Me

  By Caroline Clemmons

  Desperate

  By Sylivia McDaniel

  Copyright © 2014

  Smashwords Edition

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  Mail Order Misunderstanding

  By: Kirsten Osbourne

  Chapter One

  Julia rubbed the back of her neck tiredly. She was off for an adventure, and she was excited, but after being on a train for ten days, she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed for a week, but her first teaching assignment would begin on Monday, and it was already Friday. She needed to go to the schoolhouse and make certain everything was ready for school to start.

  Julia had flame red hair and green eyes. She knew she wasn't a beauty, but small children didn't run screaming when they saw her coming either. She was tall with a slender build. Her dream, since she was a child was to be a schoolteacher, and finally, it was happening for her. In all her eighteen years, she'd never been so nervous and excited all at the same time.

  When the train pulled into the station in Weatherford, Texas, she immediately looked for the stagecoach, which the letter she'd received had told her she would take. She had the ticket in her hand. She picked up her carpet bags and got off the train, walking straight to the stage. She handed the driver her ticket and climbed onto the stagecoach, glad to finally be off the bumpy train, but not looking forward to another four hours of travel on the stage.

  Wiggieville, her destination, was four hours west of Fort Worth, and despite it's strange name, it sounded like a quaint small town she would be pleased to call her home. She looked across at the companion on the other seat and smiled sweetly. "I'm Julia Simmons."

  The older lady sitting there nodded regally. "I'm Mrs. Davis. I'm on my way to visit my grandchildren."

  "Oh, where are you headed?" Julia asked. She knew very little about the area, except that Wiggieville needed a teacher, and she planned to be the best teacher ever seen in the small town.

  "I'm going to Mineral Wells."

  Julia shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know much about Texas geography. I'm here from New York to teach at the school in Wiggieville." She spoke of her future profession proudly. She'd studied hard for years and had finally passed her tests to allow her to become a teacher just a month before.

  Mrs. Davis smiled. "I'll go on for a bit longer than you will. Wiggieville is a nice place about an hour out of Weatherford. A friend of my son named it after his grandmother."

  Julia frowned. "How could a place like Wiggieville be named after a person?" Who on earth would name someone 'Wiggie?'

  "Well, all the children in his family called their grandmother 'Wiggie.' So when he founded a town, he named it after his grandmother, whom he loved dearly."

  Julia shook her head. "Why did they call her Wiggie?" In New York, where she'd come from, grandmothers had been called either grandmother, grandma, or granny. Whoever heard of calling a grandmother such a strange name?

  "I never heard that part of the story, but I do think it's a lovely name. My grandchildren just call me 'Granny,' and I don't feel like I'm as blessed as that sweet woman."

  "Sweet? So you met her?" Julia was fascinated by the story of the how the town got its name. She wanted to know everything she could about her new home. Hopefully the older woman would provide her with more information.

  "Well, no, but anyone who has a name like 'Wiggie' must be very sweet." Mrs. Davis leaned back on her seat and rested her head against the back. "I've been living in Fort Worth for years, and I have to say, it's a great deal more civilized than Mineral Wells. I hate having to go so far to see my grandchildren, but they just don't come to see me as often as I'd like. These old bones aren't meant for traveling."

  Julia smiled. "I'm glad you get to go see them, though." She wished she'd had more time to spend with her own grandmother before her death. She'd died when Julia was just six, though, so she had very few memories of her. Her other grandmother had died long before she was born, so she felt as if she'd missed out on an important part of her childhood.

  Mrs. Davis nodded happily. "So am I. I just wish I could see them in Fort Worth instead of Mineral Wells."

  "Is Mineral Wells a bad place?" Julia asked. She'd never heard of the place, so she had no idea of anything about it.

  "Oh, of course not. It's a perfectly lovely place. The waters there even have healing properties for those who drink them. Many people travel there just to partake of the waters. It's just...not home." Mrs. Davis shrugged one delicate shoulder. "I like to bake for my grandchildren and spoil them rotten. It's not an easy thing to do in another woman's kitchen."

  "Are they your son's children or your daughter's children?"

  "It would be so much easier if they were my daughter's children, but no, they're my son's."

  Julia smiled. She understood the problem with mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, because she'd seen the animosity between her friend and mother-in-law. "I understand. I hope you have a lovely visit." It was obviously important to the older woman to have a good time with her grandchildren, so she wanted everything to work out well for her.

  "Oh, I shall. My grandchildren and my son are lovely people. I can't help but have a nice time there."

  Julia cover her mouth with her gloved hand to hide her giggle. She couldn't help but notice that the woman didn't include her daughter-in-law with the 'lovely people.' "This is my first teaching assignment, and I'm very excited to get started." She hoped the other woman wouldn't notice her abrupt subject change.

  Mrs. Davis smiled. "I taught for a few years when I was younger. Much younger."

  "You did? Do you have any tips for me?" Julia was always eager to learn from experienced teachers. She had gained a great deal of insight by asking just that question to every teacher she'd ever met.

  "Start out strict. You can always be less strict if the children are already well-behaved, but it never works to get stricter with them." Mrs. Davis offered. She continued to give sage advice about teaching until they pulled into Wiggieville. "You're going to do very well, I think."

  Julia smiled. "I certainly hope so. I'm very nervous." She really couldn't decide if she was more excited or nervous. Both seemed to be taking up equal parts of her emotions.

  "Don't let the children see that or it will be over before it has even begun."

  "Thank you for your advice. I will take it all to heart. I so appreciate you talking to me during the drive here." Julia stepped down onto the ground and raised a hand in a wave to the older woman as the stage moved away. She looked around her, trying to find Mr. Hanson, the school board member who had promised to be waiting for her.

  *****

  Thomas waited anxiously in the mercantile for the stage to arrive. His bride, his Anna Simmons, would be on it, and he'd take her right to the pastor's house and marry her. He'd been w
aiting for a long time to be in a position to be able to marry, and now that he was there, it felt like the wait for her to actually arrive was interminable.

  He was a rancher outside of the tiny Texas town of Wiggieville, which was right between Weatherford and Mineral Wells. He'd sent off for a mail order bride, knowing there were just not enough women in Texas. When he'd received Anna's first letter just six weeks before, he'd known immediately she was the wife for him. She seemed very intelligent, and had professed to be a wonderful cook.

  When the stage pulled up, he knew immediately the woman coming down was his own sweet Anna. She'd warned him that she was incredibly shy, and she wasn't certain, once she arrived, if she'd be able to go through with it. He'd decided his plan of action, and every time she seemed to be trying to talk him out of marrying her, he'd just kiss her. It would work beautifully.

  He caught her eye and walked across the street toward her, so happy to see her in Wiggieville at last. She was a true beauty with her red hair swept atop her head, with a few tendrils falling down out of the knot she had them arranged in. He couldn't see her eye color from the distance he was at, but he didn't think he needed to. He knew he'd never seen a woman who was more attractive to him than the one standing beside the stage.

  A tall, handsome man stepped walked across the street toward her, his eyes filled with excitement. He was dark with hair that was almost black and the brownest eyes she'd ever seen. When he reached her, he gave her a very familiar look that startled her. "Are you Miss Simmons?" he asked.

  She nodded, holding her hand out to shake his. When he took her hand, he gently pulled her toward him, leaning down to press his lips against hers. She was startled and put her hand to her lips as soon as he pulled back. She knew Texas wasn't as formal as New York, but she'd never expected to be greeted with a kiss, especially not in the middle of the street. What if one of her pupils saw her?

  She stepped back, out of his reach, and smiled nervously. "Will you take me to where I'll be staying please?" She decided not to mention the kiss and give him the dressing down he deserved. He was a school board member after all, and as such he needed to be treated with respect, whether he deserved it or not.

  He shrugged. "I'd be happy to. We just need to make one stop first, and then we'll be able to head out to the ranch." That stop would, of course, be to the local pastor's house. He just wasn't about to admit it and make her more skittish than she already seemed to be.

  Julia frowned. The way she'd understood it, she'd be staying close to the schoolhouse, which would be much better for her, but she could walk if she needed to. "All right." She had no idea what kind of errand he was going to have to run, but she was happy to tag along as long as it didn't take too long. She was excited to go see the schoolhouse and make sure everything was in order. Teaching had been a lifelong dream, and she was finally almost there.

  He took her bags from her and held them in one hand, his hand taking hers and pulling her down the street with the other. He seemed to be a man of few words, but that was all right with Julia. She wasn't here to become friendly with the man, just to stay with his family during her year of teaching at the local school. If she liked it, maybe she would even sign another contract and come back the following year.

  He stopped to put her belongings into an old farm wagon before pulling her along to a house that was just down the street. He went to the door and knocked loudly, smiling down at her, his grin very impish.

  "Where exactly are we?" she asked softly. She didn't want to argue with the man, but something felt wrong about the whole situation. Why was he taking her to someone's house?

  Thomas chuckled and leaned down and kissed her again, without answering her. He couldn't believe his sweet bride kept asking him where they were. Had she forgotten she'd traveled all the way from Beckham, Massachusetts to marry him?

  Julia felt a tingle run down her spine, wondering what this man was about. She'd been taught to slap any man who just kissed her, but his kisses? All she could think about was kissing him back. Her mother would be appalled. What was wrong with her? She'd been raised with better morals than this!

  The door opened and a short middle-aged man with silver streaking his brown hair and dancing blue eyes opened the door. "Am I interrupting?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

  Thomas lifted his head, feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught kissing his bride by the reverend. "Reverend this is my bride. Anna Simmons." He grinned down at her as if she were some sort of treasure he'd found.

  She looked at Thomas shaking her head. Anna Simmons? His bride? She tried to pull her hand from his. "No, I'm Julia Simmons." Why was he planning to marry a woman he'd obviously never met? What was wrong with him?

  Thomas frowned. Had he gotten her first name wrong? How had he done that? "I'm sorry. Julia Simmons." He'd check the letters once they got home. He was sure she'd said Anna. Maybe she was called by her middle name.

  "But, I can't marry you." She couldn't marry a man she'd met only a few minutes before? His kisses turned her brain to mush, but that wasn't enough reason to marry him. And why did he keep kissing her anyway?

  Thomas looked at the reverend. "Give me just a minute with my bride, Reverend. We'll just come in when we're ready." He reached out and closed the door, turning back to Julia. "I know you must be nervous, sweetheart." He did the only thing he could think to do to calm her nerves, pulling her to him and kissing her passionately. It was no hardship for him. He could have kept kissing her all day. He could have done a lot more if they weren't in such a public place, and the pastor wasn't waiting for them on the other side of the door.

  Julia clung to his shoulders. She didn't know why this man kept kissing her, but she loved his kisses too much to worry about why. Never had a man kissed her as he did, and she enjoyed every second of it. She didn't know why he thought he was supposed to marry her, and he seemed to kiss her every time she tried to talk to him, but she had to make one last effort. "I'm not here to..." She was cut off again by another kiss. He made her feel so many things she'd never felt before that she didn't know what to say.

  She stared at him in a daze as he lifted his head.

  "Are you ready, sweetheart?" Thomas kept his voice soft, knowing that his new bride was skittish. Once they'd tied the knot, though, everything would be better. She was more beautiful than he'd dreamed she would be, and he couldn't believe his luck finding such a pretty young woman to be his bride. She was everything he'd hoped for and so much more.

  She nodded, unsure of anything any longer. She followed him into the house and stood before the reverend with him, repeating her vows as she was told. "You may now kiss the bride." Julia's eyes widened as she heard the words. Had she really just married a stranger? She hadn't even caught his name during the ceremony. What on earth had she done?

  Chapter Two

  The reverend shook the man's hand. "Congratulations, Tom. I think she's going to make you very happy."

  Julia stood looking between the two men trying to figure out what had just happened. Obviously, she'd married Tom, but why? Her brain was more than a little muddled from 'Tom's' kisses. Well at least she knew her husband's first name now?

  Tom took her hand and led her to the wagon, helping her up. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" he asked. He was thrilled to have gotten the ceremony over with.

  She looked at him for a moment. "I'm not who you think I am." The words were soft, but she had to say them. He didn't seem to listen to anything she said to him, so she wasn't certain why she was even trying again, but she had to make him understand.

  He sighed, releasing the brake on the wagon and starting the horses. "Why are you not who I think you are? You aren't my bride?" Was she going to try and run off for an annulment now that they'd married. Couldn't she just do what she'd promised to do without making things difficult? He took a deep breath, remembering what she'd said about her overwhelming shyness. He had to make concessions for that.

  She shook her head. "
I've been on trains for ten days. I came here from New York to be the new school teacher." There, she'd finally gotten the words out.

  "No, you came here from Beckham, Massachusetts to be my bride. You wrote me a letter." He couldn't believe she was still arguing with him. She didn't seem as shy as he'd expected, but she seemed plenty obstinate.

  "I've been writing letters to the head of the school board here, but never to you. I'm Julia Simmons from New York City. I've lived there my entire life, and I've never even heard of Beckham, Massachusetts." Why wouldn't he listen to her? Was he muddled in the head even before their kisses?

  He patted her thigh. "You warned me in your letters that you'd be nervous and probably try to get out of marrying me, because you're so shy. It's fine, sweetheart. The wedding is over."

  He wasn't going to believe anything she said, and as they drove, she got more and more panicky. "I need to teach at the school in Wiggieville on Monday morning." Surely he would take her back to town now that she'd said that. She could get an annulment and everything would be good.

  He sighed. "You'll meet the school board members at church on Sunday. It'll all be just fine." He'd humor her if it would make her be less worried. He'd thought he was past her apprehensions when she said "I do," but they seemed to just go on and on.

  She watched the scenery as they drove, but said little else. He obviously wasn't going to listen to her, so she wasn't going to waste her breath arguing with him.

  When they pulled into a yard in front of a large wooden house, he jumped down and walked around to help her down. Once she was on the ground, he leaned down and kissed her again, and even though he was making her crazy by not listening to her, she responded immediately to his kiss. Her heart beat faster, and her knees felt weak. He had a power over her that she couldn't deny.