Mail Order Bride - Westward Bound: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 3) Read online

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  ****

  LINDA BRIDEY

  Mail Order Bride: Westward Bound

  Montana Mail Order Brides: Book 3

  Dedication

  To YOU, The reader.

  Thank you for your support.

  Thank you for your emails.

  Thank you for your reviews.

  Thank you for reading and joining me on this road.

  Chapter One

  A bitter wind blew snow into mini-tornados that danced across the pastures at the Samuels ranch. At eight below zero, working outside was torture and only the most essential chores got done, like feeding the stock and cleaning stalls. Dean and Seth Samuels had moved their herds closer to home so they could check on them and make sure they didn’t freeze at night. It was critical that they make them move at night to keep their blood warm.

  At that time of year, few calves were born, but there were several cows that had given birth and they’d penned them in a covered enclosure with their mothers to keep them warm and dry. Marcus, the youngest Samuels sibling, slept during the day because he was the one out at night moving the herds around. He was a night owl and had no trouble keeping awake, unlike his brothers, who usually preferred to go to bed fairly early.

  Dean and Seth also minded the cold more than he did. This was especially true for Seth, who had been badly injured on a cattle drive three years prior. His right leg had been damaged almost beyond repair. If it hadn’t been for his wife Maddie’s father taking Seth to Pittsburgh for surgery, he may have lost the leg.

  The surgeon had been able to save it by attaching metal rods to the broken thigh and calf bones. The ligaments in his leg had also been repaired. His recovery had been slow, but he was almost as good as new when all was said and done. Still, Seth had trouble dealing with frigid temperatures because some arthritis had settled in the leg. He also experienced more pain in the leg at night.

  Marcus liked watching the snow move over the landscape under the moonlight and he smiled as the snow swirled ever higher until it blocked out some of the stars from view. He’d left Rosie, his palomino mare, in the barn because it was so cold out. They’d recently had a blizzard that had dumped almost two feet of snow on them and the going was a little rough for the horses. Marcus didn’t need a horse to move the herds around; he was perfectly happy to use his snowshoes.

  He danced around the pasture to keep warm, but also because he enjoyed it. His wolf-skin coat and fur-lined boots kept the worst of the wind out and the matching hood protected his ears and face from frostbite. The snowshoes kept him from sinking too deep into the snow, so he could move quickly when needed.

  As he danced, Roscoe, his big, hairy wolf-dog, playfully attacked him and Marcus went down face-first into the snow. Instead of getting angry, Marcus laughed and rolled over to face the “vicious” dog that snapped his inch-and-a-half long fangs close to his throat. To anyone else, it would have appeared that the dog was seriously intent on killing Marcus.

  Marcus, however, knew that Roscoe was only playing around. He hurled the dog from him and jumped up. He regained his balance and then took off running. He figured it was time to roust the steer and he could have some fun at the same time. A few of them were lying down and Marcus ran over to the closest one and jumped on its back. He thumped its sides with his gloved hands.

  The poor steer was startled and rose as fast as it could. Marcus jumped clear and headed for the next one. Roscoe didn’t accompany him. The dog had had some bad experiences with cattle and wouldn’t come near them. He guarded them, but he wouldn’t herd them like Jasper or Belle, the Border Collies. Marcus whistled a happy tune as he went about his work. When he had the steer up and going, he hopped the fence and did the same with the heifers and cows. During the summer when the footing was sure, Marcus could run rings around bulls, but when there was a chance that he could slip, he didn’t mess with them. If he went down, he would most likely not get up again. He had no desire to be gored to death.

  He sent Jasper to move them instead. That night, Marcus noticed Jasper was moving a little slower than usual and thought he’d voice his concerns again to Dean. Jasper was almost twelve and Marcus kept telling him that it was time to keep a couple of the puppies that Jasper and Belle produced to replace the older dogs. He whistled to Jasper to come in and the dog turned away from the longhorn to start back to him. Marcus saw the bull start chasing the dog and he knew Jasper wasn’t going to make it out in time.

  Marcus swore and jumped the fence. The movement distracted the bull and he turned in Marcus’ direction instead. Marcus kept yelling at the bull until Jasper was clear and he jumped back over the fence in plenty of time.

  When first light came, he whistled to the dogs and marched towards Dean and Tessa’s house. He saw the light in the kitchen windows and knew that Dean would be eating his breakfast before starting his day.

  He slipped through the fence and crossed the drive to the house. He stopped long enough to take off the snowshoes and toss them aside and then continued on his way. Roscoe followed, but Marcus made him wait outside on the porch.

  Dean was startled when Marcus banged the door open. He jerked and slopped coffee onto the table. Angrily he looked at Marcus and said, “What’s the matter with you?”

  Marcus motioned for Jasper to come in the house and then slammed the door shut. He pointed at Jasper. “Do you love this dog?”

  “What?”

  “Yes or no; do you love this dog?” Marcus said.

  Dean didn’t know what Marcus was getting at, but he could tell that Marcus’ britches were twisted up about something. “Yes. Why?”

  Marcus took off his coat and hung it on the back of a chair. He went to the stove and poured a cup of coffee from the kettle on it and sat down before he answered Dean.

  “If you love Jasper and you’d like to keep him around for a while longer, I’d suggest you retire him. He’s not up to the job anymore, Dean.”

  Dean let out a snort of derision. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Marcus.”

  “The hell I don’t! I just had to save his skin from Thumper out there. If I hadn’t distracted that bull, Jasper wouldn’t be sitting here right now. He’s not as quick as he used to be and his hearing is starting to go, Dean. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Marcus said. “When are you going to accept it and keep some pups for Jasper and Belle to help train? We’re growing and we need more cattle dogs anyway.”

  Marcus took a swig of the hot coffee and felt it warm him all the way to his toes. From the way Dean was looking at him, Marcus could tell that he was taking him seriously.

  Dean knew that Marcus could sometimes be melodramatic, but when he acted like this, he meant business. “Okay. Maybe it is time,” he said as he stroked Jasper’s silky head. “Good thing we’ve got a litter on the way, then. They’ll be ready to start working with by spring.”

  “Thank you,” Marcus said. Mollified, his mood improved immediately. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “Eggs, toast, and bacon,” Dean said.

  Marcus rubbed his hands together in anticipation and then stopped. “So how come I don’t smell any?”

  Dean smiled at him. “Because you have to make them.”

  “What? I just worked all night and now I have to cook, too? Why don’t you cook?”

  “Do you
really want me to make the eggs?” Dean asked as he cocked his head at Marcus.

  “No. Your eggs stink. Tessa still having bad morning sickness, huh?” Marcus said. He felt bad for his sister-in-law. This pregnancy was a little more volatile than when she’d carried Mikey.

  Nodding, Dean downed the last of his coffee and stood. “Yeah, she can’t stand the smell of food this early. So come on and help me out, so I can get started outside, please?”

  “All right,” Marcus said good-naturedly. “Since you asked nicely. Wait, where’s Sadie?”

  “Over at Lydia’s. She stayed over there last night,” Dean said.

  Marcus saw Dean’s jaw tighten and regretted bringing his niece’s name up. Sadie and Dean had been butting heads of late and there were times when Sadie stayed with their friends down the road. “Sorry, Dean.”

  Dean just nodded. The kitchen door opened again and Seth came through the doorway, bringing cold air with him. He shut the door quickly. “Are you cookin’?” he asked Marcus.

  Marcus frowned at Seth. “Didn’t Maddie cook?”

  “Yes, and I ate it, but I could use a little something else,” Seth replied.

  Maddie hadn’t mastered the art of cooking ranch food even after being there three years. She tried valiantly, but it didn’t seem as though she’d ever really get the knack. Seth ate almost everything Maddie cooked because he didn’t want to make her feel worse about it than she did, but more often than not, it didn’t fill him up.

  Marcus laughed and jumped up from the table and set about making the meal. As he worked, his brothers watched his quick movements with amusement and admiration. He whistled a tune as he flipped the eggs without using a spatula and tended the bacon. When the food was almost done, he told Dean to go get the boys.

  He’d barely set a plate of steaming eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast down in front of Seth before his eldest brother attacked it like he hadn’t eaten in a week.

  Dean went to the foot of the stairs and collided with his son Jack, who was on his way to the kitchen. Jack was in a hurry and Dean figured it was because he was hungry and had already smelled the food cooking. Eating tended to be almost the most important activity in Jack’s life. Now thirteen years old, he was only a foot shorter than Dean and was a carbon copy of his father.

  “Oh, sorry, Pa. I didn’t know you were there,” Jack said with a smile. “Mikey’s still sleeping. I just let him be.”

  “You’re getting so big you almost knocked me down,” Dean said as he ruffled his hair.

  Dean and Sadie might not be getting along, but Jack was as close to Dean as ever. Jack was old enough to work on the ranch now and helped out quite a bit. Dean usually had him do simple duties like clean stalls and feed the stock. He knew the boy was itching to go on a cattle drive, but Jack was still too young.

  Jack sat down at the kitchen table. “Mornin’, Uncles. Is Mama still in bed?”

  Seth said, “Yep. Still can’t hack food in the morning.”

  “That’s a shame. This baby’s doing a number on her. Must be a girl,” Jack said with a grin.

  Marcus laid a full plate in front of him and the boy tucked into it with as much gusto as Seth had. Dean watched his son. The kid ate more than he did. Jack had always had a voracious appetite. There were times when Dean’s first wife, Sarah, had run out of milk when she was still breastfeeding and they’d had to supplement with cow’s milk. Baby Jack hadn’t minded and he was now a big, strong teenager. Although he looked like Dean, he had Sarah’s gentler nature and was an excellent babysitter to his five-year-old brother, Mikey.

  Marcus served Dean and then started mixing something in a pan. Water and several different spices were put into it and heated. When Marcus was satisfied that it was heated through, he put it in a cup and sat it by Dean.

  “What’s that?” Dean asked

  “Let it cool and give it to your wife. It’ll help settle her stomach,” Marcus answered.

  Dean picked up the cup and sniffed the concoction. “God, that smells awful,” he said and made a face.

  “I know, but it’ll fix her right up. Trust me.”

  Seth asked, “Where do you learn this stuff?”

  Marcus thought fast. There was no way he could tell them the truth about the origins of the potion. “In some of those college books that Claire keeps sending me.”

  Seth accepted his answer with a nod as he swallowed a bite of home fries. “Speaking of Claire, she sent you another letter,” he said, and turned to fish it from the front pocket of his coat that hung on the back of his chair.

  Marcus sighed and put a hand to his head. “What is it with her?”

  Dean said, “She likes you.”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Marcus protested. “She likes to bug the hell out of me. We have this long-distance argument going on. She just won’t quit.”

  Dean said, “Like you told me six years ago, ‘you didn’t have to answer her letters’.”

  “That’s the problem; I really don’t have a choice. If I don’t answer her, everyone will get mad at me. Especially him,” Marcus said as he pointed at Seth.

  “That’s right. She’s a sweet, smart girl and you oughta be nice to her,” he said. Seth had become very close with Claire when he’d stayed with the O’Connors in Pittsburgh. Now he thought of her as a little sister.

  Marcus scowled. “Maybe’s she’s sweet to you, but she’s never been nice to me, whether it’s in person or in her letters. She’s condescending, argumentative, and just an all-around pain in the neck. The only good thing about writing back and forth with her is that she sends me those books.”

  “You know why she does that, right?” Dean asked.

  “Why?”

  “To make sure you can keep up with her so you can keep the debate going,” Dean said.

  Marcus stopped chewing. His gray eyes were widened in surprise.

  Seth laughed. “Marcus, for all your brains, you sure have a hard time figuring out women.”

  “I don’t normally have a problem with women. She’s just too complicated. I like my women simpler,” Marcus replied.

  “How come we never meet these women?” Dean asked.

  Marcus shrugged. “I’m not seeing anyone on a regular basis, so there’s no need for you to meet them.”

  “Are they prostitutes?” Jack asked.

  Dean choked on his toast and Seth let out a shout of laughter. Marcus had a mouthful of coffee and was trying to keep it from coming out of his nose. Eventually he was able to swallow and then promptly laughed with Seth. Dean, on the other hand, was mortified.

  Seth said, “Well, are they, little brother?” His voice was still full of laughter and tears ran from his eyes.

  Dean punched Seth on his bicep and Seth winced and grabbed his arm.

  “No, Jack, I do not visit prostitutes,” Marcus assured him.

  “What do you know about them anyway?” Dean asked. His expression was stern as he looked at Jack.

  Jack shrugged. “I heard some guys talking about them in town.” His pink face showed his embarrassment.

  Seth patted Dean’s shoulder and got up. “Remember what Pa had to talk to us about when we were his age? I think that time has come for you, Dean.”

  “Thanks,” Dean said sarcastically.

  “I remember the days of seeing more than one woman, Marcus,” Seth said. “I’m glad they’re over.”

  It was easy to see how much in love Maddie and Seth were. The only disappointment in their life together was that Maddie hadn’t conceived a child thus far. She and Seth wanted children in the worst way, but it just hadn’t happened yet.

  Marcus got up and put his plate in the sink as Seth left. He was going to start heating the water to wash the breakfast dishes so Tessa didn’t have to do it later, but Dean stopped him.

  “You’ve done enough. Sadie can clean up when she gets home. Charlie said he’d have her home by eight, so it won’t be too long now.”

  “Okay,” Marcus said. “I gues
s that means I’m headed home to bed.”

  He started putting on his wolf-skin coat.

  “I’d like to have one of those,” Dean said as he eyed it appreciatively.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Marcus said, and then told him, “Remember what I said about Jasper.” He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “See ya, kid.”

  *****

  Once home, Marcus put Rosie away and fed her and his other horse, Arrow. Marcus also owned a mule named Bucky, a few chickens, and several steer of his own. He collected a couple of eggs that the chickens had left him and then went inside his house.

  Compared to Dean and Seth’s places, it was small. There were only four rooms; a kitchen, small parlor, bedroom, and tiny washroom. Most of the surfaces were piled high with books and rough-hewn bookcases lined many of the walls. It was cold in the house because there’d been no fire overnight. Marcus didn’t take off his coat. He got a fire going in the kitchen stove and the fireplace in the parlor.

  With a grimace, he pulled Claire’s letter from his coat pocket and tossed it on the table. He had to admit that Claire had very nice handwriting and his name and address were very clear. Since it would be a little while before the house heated up and he didn’t want to get into a cold bed, Marcus decided to read it sooner than later and sat at the kitchen table near the stove. He slit the envelope with a penknife and opened it.

  Dear Marcus,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I’m very excited to tell you that this is my last semester at college and that I will graduate at the end of May, two months from now.

  “Like I don’t know that May is two months from now,” Marcus mumbled.

  The time has flown by and while I’m happy to be earning a college diploma, I’m also a little sad that it will be over.

  “That’s it, Claire. Rub my face in the fact that I never went to college,” Marcus said. His brother Seth couldn’t see it, but behind her seemingly innocent words was a whole other meaning.

  I would love for my sisters to attend the graduation ceremony, but I doubt that Tessa will feel up to traveling such a long distance when she is six months along. I’m sure that Maddie and Seth will come, but I know that if they do, it means that you will have to stay to help with the ranch.