Inexperienced at Farm & Family Life

By Doreen Milstead

Inexperienced at Farm & Family Life -- A woman travels to Nebraska to become the wife of a cowboy farmer and once there, finds him distant, angry, and with a neglected ranch and his infant son, too. He lives in the past and all he can think about is his wife who passed away. The mail order bride is determined to take care of his son and win his heart but because of a drought and dwindling resources, it’s a very difficult path to tread. Almost at their wits end and about to move away, the small family digs deep and attempts to climb back to a normal life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan Hart
• Release date: Feb 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463958391

Book preview

Inexperienced at Farm & Family Life

By

Doreen Milstead

Copyright 2020 Susan Hart

Synopsis: Inexperienced at Farm & Family Life -- A woman travels to Nebraska to become the wife of a cowboy farmer and once there, finds him distant, angry, and with a neglected ranch and his infant son, too. He lives in the past and all he can think about is his wife who passed away. The mail order bride is determined to take care of his son and win his heart but because of a drought and dwindling resources, it’s a very difficult path to tread. Almost at their wits end and about to move away, the small family digs deep and attempts to climb back to a normal life.

The train station outside the small, rural city in Georgia was full of the thick black smoke pouring from the waiting train. People were moving quickly in every direction with heavy suitcases in hand. Beautiful ladies were walking up and down the wooden platform with elaborate hats and dresses. Young lads scurried about carrying packages to the train. It was a hot day to start a trip and it seemed that not everyone was looking forward to their journey.

A young lady hurried to board the train while waving passionately from the door. Her eyes were full of thick tears and her dress was dirty from the platform. She struggled not to turn from the train and run away.

On the other side of the platform, a balding man in a black coat had removed his hat as he stood waving back to her. Beside him, a plump, gray-haired woman strained to remember every detail as she watched her daughter sadly. Her younger brothers and sisters milled about their parents impatiently as they waited to see her off.

She was still standing with a small suitcase in her hand, watching out the window as the train departed from the station. The engine was now puffing out a column of black smoke and the air was hot with the smell of burned coal. The harsh smell rudely brought her back to the present as she turned her attention to her surroundings.

Rose was clearly upset. She had stopped crying, but her cheeks were still wet from all the tears she had shed. It would be a long journey but she tried to keep thinking about how much she was helping her family. She forced herself to refrain from thinking about what waited at the end. She would deal with that when the time came to do so.

Wiping her face clean, she started searching for her seat. She soon found her assigned compartment and was surprised to see this was a sleeping car. He must be rich, Rose thought, before knocking on the door. A mature female voice answered and Rose took a deep breath before she entered the small room.

She felt considerably better seeing the woman in the car smiling at her. She’d had some experience with rude old ladies on previous trips, but this one seemed eager to welcome her.

As Rose took in the woman’s appearance, she pointed to the seat opposite her. She had her hair tied up in a tight little topknot. Her dress was out of fashion and maybe a bit too fancy for a woman her age, but it suited her well. Her face was round and her skin carved from the passing years.

Rose stepped