WestwardWindsV2Arebooks (20 page)

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Geoff said. “And I don’t blame him. I could see that he had no knowledge of your subterfuge. I don’t necessarily agree with your methods, but I can now accept why you did it. I now know that we should have listened to you better. I’m sorry that I didn’t.”

Tessa hugged her father. “Thank you for saying so, Papa. I appreciate it very much. I have a good life here. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. We’re not the richest people, but Dean is a hard worker and he loves me and the children. That means more to me than any amount of money.”

“I know he’s a good man, Tessa, and the children are a delight. Jack is quite amusing,” Geoff said with a smile as he thought about how Jack had started calling him “Grandpa” right away.

“You don’t know the half of it, Papa. You never know what he’s going to say or do,” Tessa said. “And he’s so hard to stay cross with.”

“Hmm. I know someone else like that,” Geoff said with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

“Papa!” Tessa’s objected.

Geoff said, “You know that it’s true, Tessa. You may be incorrigible and strong-willed, but you’re also beguiling and charming. It’s a very lethal combination.”

Tessa smiled. “I will take that as a compliment.”

Geoff embraced his daughter and laid his cheek atop her head. “As far as worrying about you goes, I’m your father and I will always worry about you. That’s what parents do. I’m sure you’re learning that already.”

Tessa said, “Yes, I am. It astounds me that I fell in love with Sadie and Jack as well as their father, Papa. But we are going to have more children, so be prepared to be a Grandpa several times over.”

“I look forward to it.” He tightened his hold on her and said, “I love you, Tessa.”

“I love you, too, Papa.”

Geoff released her and smiled at her as Jack came running into the barn. “Grandpa! C’mon, we’re
goin’ fishin’ and Uncle Seth says you wanted to learn.”

Laughing, Geoff said, “So I did. Lead the way, young Jack!”

By the time two weeks had passed, Geoff was indeed convinced his daughter had made a good match and that he would be leaving her in good hands. He’d enjoyed meeting the rest of Dean’s family and had gotten to know them all a little better. Geoff found himself impressed by Marcus’ self-taught knowledge and Seth entertained him with stories of his exploits on cattle drives. In exchange, Geoff told them some of his own adventures in Ireland.

Too soon, it came time for her father to head back, which made Tessa realize how much she missed her family. Geoff promised that he would try to bring the whole family to meet them the following spring.

Dean and Tessa drove Geoff to Wolf Point to meet the stage coach. They waved him goodbye and Tessa couldn’t help crying. Dean held her and whispered comforting words to her. She finally dried her eyes and smiled.

“I’m all right now. We’ll write all the time to keep in touch and next year will be here before you know it, right?” she said.

“Of course it will. Don’t worry; I’ll keep you busy,” Dean said suggestively.

She smacked his arm. “You’re awful.”

Dean laughed and helped her get back in the wagon. “Yep, that’s me, your awful husband.”

“Who writes awful letters,” she said.

“About that. I had an idea. You have two sisters, right? I have two brothers. Seth needs a wife, he just doesn’t know it. So does Marcus. How do you feel about playing match maker?”

Tessa considered it. “Well, it might take some work, but I’m quite sneaky and you’re very smart, so I think we might be able to pull it off. I hope Seth writes better letters than you do. Oh, wait, I’ve never read any letters written by you, so how would I know?”

Dean captured her mouth in a kiss.
“Hush up now, wife,” he said when he released her.

“I will not!” she said.

Dean laughed again as he clicked to the horses. “Well, then I’m
gonna have to keep kissing you to get you to shut up.”

Tessa was quiet for a moment and then began talking a blue streak about anything and everything.

As they drove back to the ranch, they laughed and loved, accompanied by the westward wind.

The End

Thank you for reading and supporting my book and I hope you enjoyed it.

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Mail Order Bride: Westward Dance(Synopsis & Excerpt)
Montana Mail Order Brides: Book 2

Synopsis:

Madelyn O’Connor is beautiful, popular, and comfortable with her opulent life. That is until she is brutally attacked by the son of one of the wealthiest families in Pittsburgh. Her parents are ready to fight the case out in the courts, but Madelyn doesn’t want any publicity about it. She wants to forget that it ever happened, but can’t.
Her family grows increasingly worried about the depressive state she falls into and they try to come up with ways to help her, but nothing seems to work. Tessa feels that it would be best for Madelyn to get far away from the city and wants her to come to Montana, but Madelyn is resistant to the idea.
Seth Samuels, Tessa’s brother-in-law, becomes injured when he and his men are attacked by wild dogs on a cattle drive. He’s morose and anxious over the prospect of not being able to participate in drives any longer. Tessa sees two people she loves hurting and thinks that maybe they can help each other when no one else can. She appeals to Seth to help convince Madelyn to come west. Seth refuses at first, but then figures that since he can’t do much else he might as well try to help.
Madelyn and Seth begin a volley of letters in which Seth entices Madelyn to come meet him. She finds him charming and eventually cannot resist his entreaties. She and Tessa convince her parents to let her make the trip. Geoffrey agrees to accompany his second eldest daughter to Montana.
When Seth and Madelyn meet they are instantly attracted to each other, but when Seth’s condition becomes even more serious, Seth is prepared to face the worst. Madelyn isn’t about to give up on him, however, and becomes determined to help the man with whom she’s smitten to heal. Together they embark on a journey of recovery as Seth agrees to go back East to get more modern treatment. As their relationship deepens there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles that threaten to tear them apart. Can each of them compromise in order to have a future together or will their pride keep them from realizing their dreams?

Excerpt:

Chapter One

“Let’s have a walk in the park before going to Stanton’s, shall we?”

Maddie
gave Theo a smile. He was a handsome young man only a couple of years older than her twenty-one years. He wore his dark hair slightly long and a lock of it fell attractively over his forehead. Theo Wilson and she had grown up together and
Maddie
had always thought of him as a brother. His green eyes glinted with mischief and good humor.

“What are you up to, Theo?” she asked as she narrowed her blue eyes at him.

“Why do you think I’m up to something? It’s a pleasant night and I feel like stretching my legs a bit, that’s all,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Maddie knew Theo’s penchant for playing pranks and was slightly leery of his motives.

Theo gazed at her with a serious expression. “Madelyn, I promise this is not a joke. I just feel restless, that’s all. I have my boards in the morning and my nerves are getting the best of me. Help a fellow out, huh?”

Maddie
relented. She knew how much passing his attorney licensing tests meant to Theo and he’d been studying very hard and could use a respite.

“Since you put it that way, perhaps a walk would be good for you at that,” she said.

“Splendid! Murdock! To the park. Look sharp, man!” Theo called to the driver.

Murdock started the horse out at a fast trot and they soon left the O’Connor residence behind. It wasn’t long before they reached the park and Theo helped
Maddie
down from the carriage and told Murdock to wait for them there. Murdock assured his young master that he would stay put.

Theo took Maddie’s hand and they walked along the lit path. Walking hand in hand was something they did sometimes and Maddie
thought nothing of it. She looked up at the stars and smiled as she found the Big Dipper. This was by far the best place to see the stars since there weren’t as many lights around to dim their brilliance.

Following her gaze, Theo found it as well and smiled.
Maddie
had always liked the stars. He looked at her in the moonlight and her platinum hair looked even paler, more
ethereal than it normally did. Madelyn O’Connor was one of the most beautiful and sought after women in the city and it wasn’t unusual for several men to be crowded around her at balls and parties.

She turned to look at him and he smiled at her. “I see it. What is it about the Big Dipper that fascinates you? Surely there are more exciting constellations to look at,” he said.

“It’s because of Papa. When were little and came to the park at night to see the stars, we always imagined what would be in it. You know; is it milk? Coffee? We would choose one and he would make up a story about how it got there or who put it in there. I think Tessa gets her imagination from him,”
Maddie answered.

Theo smiled. “How is our Tessa?”

“She’s quite well, actually. She’s very happy with her husband and their children. I wish they would come for a visit so I could meet them. I’m sure their little one is adorable,”
Maddie said.

“Oh, yes. They had a little boy. What did they name him again?”

“Michael, but they call him Mikey
. Dean started that, I believe,”
Maddie said.

Theo nodded. They neared the bridge leading over the brook that ran through the park. He stopped her and held her hand a little tighter. “Maddie, I need to talk to you.”

Maddie
turned to him and was intrigued by the serious expression on his angular features.
      
“What is it, Theo?”

“I want you to know how much you mean to me,” he said. “We’ve known each other for such a long time and I’ve enjoyed every minute we’ve spent together.”

Maddie
smiled. “So have I.”

“I love you, Maddie. I always have,” Theo said.

“Theo, you know I love you, too.”

Theo could tell from her easy tone that she didn’t realize what he was saying.

“No, I mean I love you as a man loves a woman. I’m in love with you,” he said and dipped his head and brushed his mouth against hers.

Maddie
pulled away and laughed at him. “Theo! What are you doing? I knew you were trying to pull a prank on me. Now let’s go to Arnold’s and stop this silliness.”

“I’m serious, Maddie. I’ve been in love with you for so long but never had the courage to tell you until now,” Theo said and encircled her waist with his arms.

Maddie
pushed at him as he brought his mouth down on hers. She turned her head to the side and tried to avoid his kiss. “Theo! Stop this instant! Let me go! We’re just friends.”

“That’s the problem. What I feel for you isn’t something one feels for someone who’s just a friend,” Theo informed her and held her even tighter.

“I’m sorry, Theo, I didn’t know.”

“Can’t you see how perfectly suited we are? Our families are close; we share the same interests, and have so much fun together. Why shouldn’t we be together?” Theo said.

Maddie
said, “Because I don’t love you in that manner, Theo. I’m not romantically attracted to you. Now I demand that you release me!”

Her highhanded attitude brought out an explosive anger in Theo.
Maddie
watched in horror as she saw Theo change from her good-natured friend into an evil-faced stranger. His eyes took on a furious gleam and his mouth twisted in an ugly snarl. The first blow came so swiftly that there was no time for her to react. It made her head swim and she reeled backwards.

Theo hauled her back to him and struck her on the other side of her face and Maddie
felt her left eye begin to immediately swell. Self-preservation kicked in and
Maddie
began to fight furiously, scratching and kicking. No man had ever touched her in a violent manner and she’d be damned if she was going take Theo’s abuse like some weak-willed woman.

Her further resistance infuriated Theo even more and he hit her harder and faster.
Maddie
fell as her senses became muddled from pain and dizziness. Theo was on her, ripping her bodice and trying to do the same with her gown and petticoats.

“If I can’t have you willingly, I’ll take you any way I can,” he told her. His tone was hate-filled and his voice coarse with rage.

Maddie
still struggled, although she knew it was futile and there was no way she could hold off Theo’s assault. Through the fogginess in her pain-riddled mind, she heard shouting.

“Hey! You there! Leave her alone!” a male voice came.

Theo looked up and saw the man coming at him. He gave
Maddie a last shake that bounced her head off the trail and then ran.

The man knelt next to Maddie
and was shocked to see the awful state she was in. The woman, whom was with him, took her battered hand gently in hers. “It’s all right, Miss. You’re safe now. We’re going to help you. We have to get her to the hospital, John.”

John saw how badly Maddie’s
bodice was torn, exposing her bare flesh. He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around
Maddie
to cover her. Then as gently as he could, he picked her up and carried her to the street were cabbies tended to sit and wait for customers.

“Ashley, hail that cab over there,” John said.

Ashley did so and informed the cabbie of the situation. The cabbie helped John get
Maddie
into the conveyance and he cracked the whip at his horse and they took off at a canter.