Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Ranger: Rescued Western Historical Mail Order Brides, #9

By Kenneth Markson

Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Ranger: A Historical Mail Order Bride Western Victorian Romance (Rescued Western Historical Mail Order Brides Book 9) is an action packed clean inspirational western historical romance. After someone has caused the whole town to turn against her, pretty young Rebecca becomes a mail order bride. She flees to Austin, but trouble follows. Who are her mysterious enemies, and what do they want from her? Will a handsome Texas Ranger save her from them, and will Rebecca be able to love again?" 

If you enjoyed this story, you may also enjoy Kenneth's Redeemed series or the other books in the Rescued series; "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Rascal," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Rogue," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Rake," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Rover," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By A Romantic," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By Resolve," "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By Hope," and "Mail Order Bride: Rescued By An Adventurer."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Markson
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780986252860

Kenneth Markson

While an English major at college, I wrote a column which was published weekly. I have been writing ever since. The old West and Los Angeles in the forties are eras which lend themselves to tales of romance, courage, and fast paced adventure. I particularly enjoy writing stories about the mail order brides who fearlessly took a chance and traveled West, hoping to find love and a better future. Many of the locales that I write about are places that I have either traveled through or actually lived in. I try to make my works richly accurate. My desire is to provide you with an entertaining and fun read. When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children.

Book preview

To my wife and children, always.

Chapter 1

It all began with the murder of her fiancée, Paul Wentworth.  Paul had asked Rebecca to marry him two months ago, and they were scheduled to tie the knot in June.  Most of the folks in the small town of Sherwood, Texas thought Paul was quite the catch, since he was the up and coming owner of a thriving mercantile store.

Rebecca Thompson was a pretty young woman of nineteen, with long blonde hair, lovely blue eyes, and a fetching smile.  She had little wealth, other than her kind nature and the good name left by her late father, Texas Ranger Jake Thompson.  Her mother died shortly after her birth, and it was now more than a year, since her father's death from a sudden heart attack.

Rebecca felt something was wrong immediately when she dismounted her horse in front of his ranch, and found the door slightly ajar.  She rushed inside, and found Paul lying face down on the ground, the back of his head covered with blood.  He had apparently been bludgeoned from behind with some kind of a blunt object.

Oh, my God, Paul! Rebecca gasped with horror.

She sobbed as she tried shaking his shoulder, but his lifeless body remained still.  The man she was about to marry, was gone.  Her face wet with tears, she mounted her horse and rode quickly to the Sheriff's office.

Sheriff Whitmore was absolutely astounded when he heard Rebecca's words. 

Paul's been murdered! he repeated, in a complete state of shock.

He was a part time Sheriff in a sleepy, dusty Texas town.  In his whole tenure of ten years, there had never been a killing in Sherwood.  There had been an occasional drunken brawl or domestic quarrel for excitement, but that was it. 

In fact, he thought to himself, he could not recall any murder taking place in Sherwood during the past twenty-five years that he had been a resident of the town.  Sheriff Whitmore was a stocky, middle aged man with brown hair and a moustache, whose extended paunch suggested that he spent most of his working time eating and snoozing in his office chair.  There was perspiration on his face, as he knelt down and examined the poor man's corpse.

There's never been a murder that I can remember in this town! he exclaimed, still in a state of shock.  Who would do such a thing? he asked out loud.  Everyone liked Paul.

Rebecca understood the inexperienced Sheriff's fright at the prospect of actually having to conduct a murder investigation.  She also understood his disbelief that anyone in Sherwood would commit such a horrible act.  What she couldn't understand was the way his eyes started to narrow when he looked at her, and the tone his questioning began to take.

How long were you here, he asked pointedly, before you left to get me?

Not more than five or ten minutes, Rebecca replied, just like I told you.  When I saw that Paul couldn't be revived, I rode directly to you, as fast as I could.

Are you sure? Sheriff Whitmore asked, his eyes hardening.

Of course, I'm sure, Rebecca answered with a trace of annoyance.

How did you get in? he continued.

Like I stated before, Rebecca said angrily, the door was already open when I arrived.

Did you see any weapon in here that could have been used to strike his head?

Rebecca shook her head.

Nothing, she said.  There was nothing in here, that I could see.

The Sheriff stood up and looked her in the face, as he hit her with a couple of questions. 

Were you and Paul fighting recently? he asked.  Were you angry with him?

Rebecca's face flushed red with indignation.

How can you ask me such questions, Sheriff? she cried.  I loved Paul, and we were about to be married!  I resent what you're trying to infer!  Have you no compassion, at all!

Sheriff Whitmore's face paled slightly.

Perhaps, I was a bit out of line, he stammered.  You go home now, and I'll call on you if we need to talk further.

Rebecca rode back to the small home that she had shared with her late father.  She laid down on her bed and sobbed, letting all her grief out.  She was a sweet, innocent young woman, who had been brought up in a small town to purposely shield her from the cruel realities of the world. 

She had never seen a person who had been murdered, much less the murder of a loved one.  The worst part of it was, Rebecca reflected, was that even though it was her heart that had  been ripped out, suspicion for Paul's death was being directed her way.

Chapter 2

News spread fast in the small town.  Rebecca noticed the very next day that people she knew all her life, started treating her differently.  They averted their eyes and stopped speaking when she came near them.

It was obvious that many thought that she had something to do with Paul's death.  How cruel and unfair, she thought to herself.  Here she was in the midst of personal grief, and people were blaming her for Paul's demise.

She worked as a seamstress in Kate's Dress Shop downtown.  Kate Fowler was a tall, middle aged woman with brown hair mixed with slight streaks of gray.  She had been a friend of Rebecca and her late father for a number of years.

A few weeks after the incident, Kate asked Rebecca to come into a back room, after the work day had ended.  Rebecca noted that Kate's eyes were strangely downcast, and she could not look her in the face