Teaching Their Cowboys About Life: A Pair of Mail Order Bride Romances

By Beth Overton

Mail Order Bride: Orphaned Missouri Woman Who Can’t Cook Heads To The Texas Cowboy Rancher Who Loves To Eat - A woman from Missouri loses her mother to a stagecoach accident and reads a letter about mail order brides that her mom had left for her before leaving on her trip. She explores the option further and finally decides on a man -- a cowboy rancher living in Texas. There is only one problem – he loves food and she doesn’t know how to cook.

Mail Order Bride: The One-Handed New York Orphan & The Widower Cowboy In Texas - An orphan from New York discovers a mail order bride poster and decides to correspond with a cowboy rancher in Texas. He replies immediately, with a ticket enclosed, and she has no chance to tell him she lost one of her hands to a childhood accident. He is abrupt with her when he sees it, but takes her out to his ranch to meet his son. She feels it will be an uphill battle to prove herself with both.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beth Overton
• Release date: Feb 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310105883

Beth Overton

Beth Overton lives in Northern California with her husband and three cats. Besides writing romances, she loves to read everything she can get her hands on, as well as cooking up gourmet delights for her entire family.

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Teaching Their Cowboys About Life: A Pair of Mail Order Bride Romances

By

Beth Overton

Copyright 2016 Quietly Blessed & Loved Press

Mail Order Bride: Orphaned Missouri Woman Who Can’t Cook Heads To The Texas Cowboy Rancher Who Loves To Eat

Mail Order Bride: The One-Handed New York Orphan & The Widower Cowboy In Texas

Mail Order Bride: Orphaned Missouri Woman Who Can’t Cook Heads To The Texas Cowboy Rancher Who Loves To Eat

Synopsis: Mail Order Bride: Orphaned Missouri Woman Who Can’t Cook Heads To The Texas Cowboy Rancher Who Loves To Eat - A woman from Missouri loses her mother to a stagecoach accident and reads a letter about mail order brides that her mom had left for her before leaving on her trip. She explores the option further and finally decides on a man -- a cowboy rancher living in Texas. There is only one problem – he loves food and she doesn’t know how to cook.

Mom must you really go on this trip? moaned 18 year old Savannah.

She was busy throwing herself around the room trying to be dramatic.

All of these chores are going to drive me crazy and no one to talk to but the dogs.

Savannah’s mom, Bettie Lou, rolled her eyes at her daughter’s antics and finished packing her bags.

Savannah, I will only be gone for a week. You have Mrs. Jean next door if you need anything and you are old enough to stay alone for one week!

Mom, Mrs. Jean cooks horribly and I will be lonely.

Savannah pouted because she knew her mom was going to the city no matter what kind of fit she threw.

"Fine, I will stay but you have to promise to bring me something nice.

Bettie Lou sighed at her daughter’s ability to drive her nuts and remind her how much she was going to miss being at home at the same time.

Savannah, after your dad died, I didn’t know what we were going to do. Now I have met a nice man in the city and before we move there I need to check things out. You will be fine, just stay close to home and do your chores. The week will be over before you know it and we will probably be moving to the city.

Savannah hugged her mom tightly because she knew that her mom was trying hard to make a life for herself and since her daddy had died things had been tough. Savannah knew they were losing the house to taxes and mom didn’t want to tell her. Savannah had read the letters that came in. She knew what her and her mom were facing if this relationship didn’t work out.

Bye Mom. I have everything covered here. Try to have some fun and remember I love you.

Savannah helped her mom to the horse wagon waiting out front that would take her to the train station. From there, the train would take her into the city.

In 1849, the city was the most exciting place Savannah had ever been. Bettie Lou knew that Savannah wanted to go along on this trip, but she was running out of options on how to take care of her daughter.

Her daughter had turned eighteen a few days before and Mrs. Jean had suggested that maybe she should send off Savannah as a mail order bride. Bettie Lou knew Savannah would never do it so she brushed her off but found herself writing the letter anyways. She gave the letter to Mrs. Jean and told her in case of an emergency to send the letter to the publishing company.

I want Savannah taken care of no matter what, Bettie Lou told her.

Then, she walked away from Mrs. Jean’s house without another word.

Bettie Lou kissed her daughter’s forehead and rode away in the carriage to the train station. She gave Savannah a short wave and a happy smile so that her daughter would not cry. Savannah was already crying though. Something felt wrong about this situation and she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

See you in one week! Savannah hollered at the back of the wagon even though she knew her mom was too far away to hear her now.

Savannah walked towards the house that her father had built for her mother. It was a beautiful home, made of logs and cypress. Her mom had decorated it over the years with homemade curtains and pretty lace covers for all of their beds. Savannah lay in her room and stared at the ceiling. She sighed loudly and felt sorry for herself.

What do I do now? Savannah asked herself out loud.

She got off the bed and went into the kitchen where the big stove was still warm from her mom’s dinner.

Her mom had cooked a large pot of soup that would last her for a couple of days in case she didn’t want to cook. Her mom knew she wasn’t that great of a cook so she tried to set her up for the week in meals. She had even baked her some bread for every day of the week.

Savannah walked outside on the porch and sat in her dad’s old rocking chair. She looked at her two dogs Nick and Lottie and sighed.

What do you two dogs want to do this afternoon? Savannah asked the lazy dogs lying on the porch.

Nick raised his head and barked at her.

My thoughts exactly, Savannah replied.

She decided it was a good time for a swim in the creek and she called the dogs to see if they wanted to come. The dogs slowly walked off the porch and followed Savannah to the small creek behind her farm house.

Savannah swam for about an hour and decided that she was cooled off enough to get some sleep. She got out of the creek and headed back to her house with Nick and Lottie in tow. She went in her house about dark and sat down for some of mama’s homemade soup and bread.

Savannah had just lain down in her bed when she heard a commotion outside.

Mama? Savannah called timidly from her bedroom.

The farmhouse was ten miles from town so she knew that mama should be getting to the train station right after dark. Savannah heard the dogs barking and that made her scared. She grabbed her dad’s old black powder rifle and headed for the front door with a lantern in hand.

Mama, Savannah called out again, but no answer came.

She heard boots on the porch and that made her hairs stand up on the back of her neck. That was not mama on the porch. She heard Nick wagging his tail and she knew that someone was petting him behind the ears and it had to be someone he knew. The sound of the wagging tail made her feel some better. Savannah hung the lantern by the front door just as she heard a knock.

Ms. Smith? she heard at the door.

Savannah recognized the voice as Sheriff Dunbar and she quickly tore the door open fearing the worst at why