Morrow Creek Marriage

By Lisa Plumley

The only thing Rose Tillson ever wanted was a life of travel beneath the Western stars—and to marry secret sweetheart Will Gavigan! All Rose needs is a small dose of Hallowe'en magic to make Will realize she's the girl of his dreams.... (a Morrow Creek novella)

This story is part of the Morrow Creek series, which includes: The Matchmaker (1), The Scoundrel (2), The Rascal (3), *Morrow Creek Marriage* (4); Mail-Order Groom (5), *Miss Wilson's Secret Seduction* (6), The Bride Raffle (7), *Something Borrowed, Something True* (8); The Honor-Bound Gambler (9), Notorious in the West (10), Morrow Creek Runaway (11), and Morrow Creek Marshal (12). (asterisks denote *novellas and short stories* included in the series)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Plumley
• Release date: Sep 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370126125

Lisa Plumley

USA TODAY best-selling author Lisa Plumley has delighted readers worldwide with more than two dozen popular romances. Visit Lisa at www.lisaplumley.com, friend her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lisaplumleybooks, or follow her on Twitter @LisaPlumley today!

Book preview

MORROW CREEK MARRIAGE

by

Lisa Plumley

Smashwords Edition

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a Morrow Creek novella

previously published by Harlequin Historical

in the anthology Hallowe'en Husbands

The only thing Rose Tillson ever wanted was a life of travel beneath the Western stars—and to marry secret sweetheart Will Gavigan! All Rose needs is a small dose of Hallowe'en magic to make Will realize she's the girl of his dreams....

Welcome to Morrow Creek, Plumley's little slice of the West! —Romantic Times

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Copyright © 2017 by Lisa Plumley

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, then please respect the hard work of this author by purchasing your own copy. Thank you!

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USA TODAY best-selling author Lisa Plumley has delighted readers worldwide with more than three dozen popular novels. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and editions, and includes contemporary romances, western historical romances, paranormal romances, and a variety of stories in romance anthologies. Her fresh, funny style has been likened to such reader favorites as Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, LaVyrle Spencer, and Jennifer Crusie, but her unique characterization is all her own.

To sign up for new-book reminder e-mails, read first-chapter excerpts, catch sneak previews of upcoming books, and more, visit www.lisaplumley.com today.

Lisa also writes cozy mysteries as Colette London. Her Chocolate Whisperer series (featuring chocolate expert—and amateur sleuth!—Hayden Mundy Moore) kicked off with Criminal Confections and now includes Dangerously Dark, The Semisweet Hereafter, and Dead and Ganache, all from Kensington Books.

Visit www.colettelondon.com today to find fantastic chocolate recipes, sign up for new-book reminder e-mails, and catch sneak previews of upcoming books in the Chocolate Whisperer series.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Note from the Author

Email Reminders

What People Are Saying...

Series Books by Lisa Plumley

Complete Book List: Lisa Plumley

Cozy Mysteries by Lisa Plumley (writing as Colette London)

Complete Book List: Colette London

MORROW CREEK MARRIAGE

by

Lisa Plumley

Chapter One

near Morrow Creek, northern Arizona Territory

October 1884

Your sister has gone missing again.

At the sound of her father's gravelly voice, Rose Tillson jumped. Hastily, she pressed her finger to the account book on her lap, trying to keep her place in the column of penciled figures she was supposed to be tallying.

Hmmm? Trying to appear wholly innocent, Rose glanced up.

She felt immediately dismayed at the sight before her. Her father stood grumpily just outside the medicine show wagons that housed their belongings, his gray hair on end and his clothing askew. Typically, Dr. George Tillson prided himself on his dapper appearance. Today though, Viola's latest escapade seemed to have upset him too much to bother.

Oh Papa! You haven't even buttoned your coat. Rose nodded at the fallen leaves swirling in the autumn breeze nearby. It's cold! You'll catch your death outside. Here, let me help you.

Clambering down from the wagon—an enclosed affair with the words Tillson & Healy's Patented Miracle Elixir & Celebrated Panacea painted in vibrant lettering on its sides—Rose buttoned her father's coat. Then she smoothed his hair and fixed his scarf.

There. Satisfied that he'd be warm enough, she gave him an affectionate pat. Now then. You say Viola's not in camp?

Not since sunup, near as I can tell. Her father shook his head, peering into the ponderosa pine and oak-filled forest surrounding their campsite. A short distance from their doused fire, their four horses nosed aside the frostbitten leaves, searching for breakfast. She didn't feed or water the horses either. I told her we were leaving straightaway this morning.

I know you did. Don't worry. I'll go look for her.

Probably off woolgathering again. He hunched his shoulders. That girl doesn't have the sense God gave a goose. Or that mangy mouser that's been hanging around here lately.

He pointed. Rose looked, but caught only a glimpse as the small black cat raced into the trees. She had yet to get a good view of the creature. But with All Hallow's Eve only a few days away, the appearance of a black cat did make her wonder...

If I find out Viola's been mooning over some ‘dashing' customer instead of doing her chores, her papa said, I'll set her to shoveling horse patties for a week to make up for it!

Shh. Mind your temper, Papa. Sympathetically, Rose patted her father's shoulder. Remember what Sheng Li says—staying calm promotes wellness. Whenever you feel agitated, you're supposed to breathe deeply and—

Don't you start on me. Sheng Li is smart as a whip with those Celestial herbs of his, and his elixir has been a godsend to me, that's for certain. But if that Chinaman got close to the sun, he'd give it advice on how it could shine brighter.

"He can be a bit of a know it all. Rose pulled her wrap tighter. No wonder the two of you get along so well."

Indeed we do. A moment passed. Now hang on a minute—

"Except you'd tell the sun to be both brighter and warmer."

Cheeky girl. Her father's gaze softened as he touched his palm to her cheek. At least you'll never worry me the way Viola does with her shenanigans, Rose. You're as dependable as the day is long and twice as prone to regularity.

Papa, please. Rose made a face. You make me sound like a dose of Lintel's castor oil!

That's not such a bad thing to a person who needs it. Her father stuck his hands in his pockets, visibly cheered. Now quit making that face at me. As your poor dear mother would have said, you don't want it to freeze that way. And when you find Viola, tell her there's no use trying to sneak in under my nose. I won't be gulled by her tomfoolery. I'm old, not blind.

I'll tell her. I promise.

See that you do. And no lollygagging either.

Rose agreed, watching fondly as her papa headed for their second wagon with his coat still crooked. An energetic man, Dr. George Tillson was also fiercely loving, famously intelligent, and occasionally eccentric. He'd abandoned a lucrative medical practice in San Francisco to spread the word about Sheng Li's medicinal elixir, which had restored his own health years ago. Now Rose couldn't remember the days when they'd lived in the city. She only recalled trails and towns and days on the road.

Her sister, however, did remember their more sophisticated existence—and she yearned for it all the time. Even now, Viola was probably gazing into Morrow Creek's general store windows, watching trains arriving at the depot, or spending part of her savings on tea at the town's fanciest hotel, the Lorndorff.

Viola had a hunger for the bustle and flash of town life, and Morrow Creek—where they'd finished making elixir deliveries to accounts and conducting their popular medicine show yesterday—had captured her imagination more than most. It was one of Rose's favorite places on the medicine show's circuit too, bordered by a protective mountain and filled with friendly townsfolk, charming houses, and western-style shops.

But that friendliness couldn't compete with their father's rampaging protective streak. As far as Papa was concerned, all unknown men were potential degenerates, just itching to take advantage of a woman alone. Which was why Viola usually sneaked out to gain her freedom...and why Rose typically brought her back before their father realized anything was amiss. Today Rose had gotten distracted—disastrously so for Viola's sake. After all, nobody liked shoveling meadow muffins.

Resigned to her mission, Rose reached in the wagon for her gloves. Instead, her gaze fell on the bottle of Lintel's castor oil in a nearby basket. She glowered. Everyone she met thought of her in those castor oil terms—dependable, reliable, and easy to digest. She'd had just about enough of it too.

Although Rose had been travelling with her papa's show almost from the day she could toddle up to the wagons, she made it a point to stay out of the spotlight. She was the mousy assistant—the person who kept the accounts, mended the costumes, cooked meals, and circulated among the crowd to sell bottles of Tillson & Healy's Patented Miracle Elixir & Celebrated Panacea.

She was not an exciting performer like Viola, eager to sing and dance with all eyes on her...or to skedaddle to town on a whim. But for one fleeting moment,