Mail Order Brides & Babies Head West (A Western Romance Book)

By Faye Sonja

Three inspirational stories of women who risked everything for love and traveled thousands of miles to the western frontier.

Part 1: The Bride's Lost Baby & The Miner

May's heart broke when she thought she'd lost her son after giving birth, but then it was heartened upon finding out that she hadn't lost the baby! Her poor parents had sold their grandchild… her little newborn.

Now Her mission is simple: Get her son back…

Part 2: The Bride's Adopted Baby & The Rich Bachelor

Without the funding from her orphanage , Blanche is not only kicked out of the orphanage,

she takes a rejected newborn with her.

But now… how can she survived on her own?

Part 3: The Bride's Fostered Baby & The Heir

The very shy Hattie Turner has been the personal maid to Charlotte all her life, living in her shadow. But the day Charlotte dies changes Hattie's life forever.

On her deathbed, Charlotte makes a request: In exchange for part of the Fairchild fortune, Hattie must deliver Charlotte's newborn boy to his wealthy father- a man out west who doesn't know of his son's existence…

The request is simple, but Hattie is ready to refuse for one reason: She has secretly always been in love with the man…

3 parts of heartwarming mail order brides tales of love, romance, and triumph over adversity in one book.

Love on the western frontier was a rare treasure. Follow these inspirational women who risked everything to travel to the untamed West in the hopes of finding love and starting a new family.

If you're a fan of clean western romance, you will love this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Faye Sonja
• Release date: Feb 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393773054

Faye Sonja

Faye Sonja is a multi-voiced writer who aspires to use different voices in telling her stories, seeing characters coming alive through the multi-faceted writing styles give her great satisfaction. As a young girl, Faye Sonja has been fascinated with stories of the Old West, especially the theme of Mail Order Bride where a woman will find the courage to leave her homeland, take the plunge to seek out the love of her life out there in the unknown land. Such an act requires bravery, such an act requires faith. It takes a woman with strong Christian faith to step out on such a pursuit for her love. It is Faye's desire that readers will once again have the courage to believe in love again from reading her books, to be inspired through the characters in her story who through perseverance, in the face of obstacles, overcame the hurdles using that simple faith and belief of theirs. 

Book preview

PART 1

The Bride’s Lost Baby & The Miner

Prologue

*   *   *

Boston, Massachusetts

March 1902

Come on, May, just one more really good push.

May’s lower muscles squeezed tightly while she wrapped her fingers around her mother’s, holding her in a vice like grip. Her breathing grew heavy; she cut her eyes to the world and felt her stomach muscles throb as she let out a loud scream, sure that the sound had escaped through the paper walls of their tiny apartment and into the next.

Good, May. Now, just one more time.

She groaned.

She didn’t have any ‘one more times’ in her left.

She was tired. Every bone in her eighteen-year-old body ached. Her aunt Jane, a midwife had arrived only a half hour ago, but May had been in the greatest pain of her life for hours. What had started out as a simple throb had blossomed into mind-blowing shots of agony, to the point that May believed she would die.

The possibility of death wasn’t far-fetched. Women died in childbirth all the time. She’d been warned by a few women of the possibility, and her fear of it had turned her blood cool. But after hours of pain, May was ready to let go. She was just so tired.

Annie, her mother, reached out and yanked her chin, giving her a pair of hard pale blue eyes. Eyes that matched her own, but now held faint tired lines that came with a life of hard work and struggling to survive. At thirty-five, she was still a gorgeous woman. Push, May. Push, she commanded. And whatever Annie wanted, Annie got.

May sucked her lungs full of air and then tightened every muscle in her body and screamed. She screamed until her throat burned with irritation. She screamed until she heard the cries of another. This one, small in both strength and volume, but powerful and the sweetest thing that May had ever heard.

It’s a boy. Jane took the baby, cleaned the blood and fluid from his tiny body, and then laid the babe on May’s chest.

May felt drained, but found the strength to lift her hands and caress the face of her child. His eyes were closed, his face was pink, and a bed of blond hair lay on his head. So light, the strands were almost transparent and she moved the weightless golden wisps through her fingers. She counted his toes and fingers, finding them all intact and spotting a birthmark that resembled a heart on the back of his right leg. She smiled, thinking the heart her very own. For the little boy sure did have it. He’s so small.

Jane smiled. Most of them are, she whispered before beginning to massage May’s stomach.

May sighed with relief and happiness. Hello, Jack. She’d picked out names months ago. If it had been a girl, she would have named her after her mother and the boy after her father. The child’s father had wanted nothing to do with May once he found out that she was pregnant, so May had decided she’d go motherhood alone with the aid of her family. No one had any money, but as May looked down into the boy’s face, she was determined to make it work. For him. Her life would be about him now and they would face the world together.

*   *   *

1

*   *   *

One Month Later

May stood still as she watched the diggers begin to throw large heaps of dirt onto the grave. Her chest tightened and she bid her last farewells to her loved one; her mother. Annie had been struck with a bout of pneumonia that she hadn’t been able to overcome. She’d been too young to die, but starvation and impoverished living could do that to anyone.

A hand came to lay on her shoulder. She turned to find her father staring at her, his blue eyes like glass from the tears. He’d been at her side when his wife had gone late yesterday afternoon. May had heard him crying through the night and during the day when the wagon had come around for her mother’s body. Annie hadn’t been the sickness’ only victim that night. There were others in the small graveyard, saying goodbye to their loved ones as well.

The day was bleak, cloudy and cold, matching May’s feelings exactly. Spring was on its way, but May felt like winter had just begun. She was losing everyone she loved. Her mother was gone, but before she’d gone, so had her small boy, Jack. The sweet little boy she’d given birth to just one month ago had died the next day, taking with him May’s heart. Jack’s death signified the end of all May’s happiness. She’d been by her mother’s bedside when the pneumonia had first hit her four days ago. Annie had looked awful. Her body red with fever. Her eyes, nose, and mouth swollen from tears and the wiping of fluids. Worst, the stale smell of illness in the air had been just as bitter as Annie’s words. She’d known she wasn’t going to make it. She’d looked May in the eyes and had told her, I don’t deserve to live. May had been shocked by her mother’s declaration. The woman who’d been tough as nails her entire life was giving up on life. May hadn’t known what to say, but even in her sadness, she hadn’t cried. She hadn’t cried when her mother was pronounced dead. She hadn’t cried when they’d laid her body to rest. And still, while looking into her father’s eyes, no tears found their way to her eyes. Her mother was gone. Her father’s wife of twenty years was dead, but May had died long ago on the night of her son’s passing.

Her father wrapped his arms around his daughter's shoulders. Let’s go home.

May nodded and allowed her father to steer her away from the grave plot. Not living far, they were home within minutes. She went about starting a fire in the little apartment’s fireplace and checked to make sure that a creature looking for warmth hadn’t burrowed its way through any of the holes in the wall. The holes, with rags that matched her clothes, kept the winter winds and rain from seeping into the house.

After checking the walls, she went to the kettle to warm water for tea. Her father sat in a chair in the dank quiet, his hands in his face. May thought he was crying again, but when he spoke his words shocked her.

I don’t deserve to live.

The words reminded her of the words her mother had said only days ago. Hearing them again felt like someone had shoved her in the chest. Her hands were shaking when she turned around to look at him. Why would you say that? Didn’t he knew he was all she had?

Jack lifted his eyes to gaze at her. She paused at the look. She’d been prepared for the sadness in their depths, but what lay there was much darker. A weight pressed to her chest as she stared at the dead eyes that held hers. His were colder than the frost outside and his voice was like the chilly wind, a hushed tone that lingered. I’ve done something terrible, your ma and I.

May, who was kneeling by the fire next to the kettle, placed her hands on the cold floor to help keep her balance. There was something about the look in her father’s eyes that let her know whatever confession he planned to make would not be one she’d enjoy hearing. His face was expressionless, but the hard lines of age sat heavy, weighed down by more than time, and more by the burden he carried.

He held her eyes and whispered, Jack’s not dead.

At first, May was confused as she wondered why her father was addressing himself in the third person. Of course he wasn’t dead. He was staring right at her. She narrowed her eyes, ready to voice her opinion and then gasped.

Her son. The night he died, her mother had been the one to wake her up and inform her that Jack had died in his crib. May hadn’t believed her. Annie had convinced her, but hadn’t allowed May to see for herself. Her mother, the woman who had sung her to sleep until she was six, had looked into her eyes with tears in her own and had told May that she was sorry, but it would be unwise for a mother to gaze at her child’s lifeless body. Many women couldn’t come back from it. Annie had said no mother should have to suffer such ugliness and May had listened. But now, her father was telling her that it was all a lie?

Jack? her voice shook as she realized he wasn’t talking about himself. My son is alive?

Her father’s face crumbled. Your mother. She said you couldn’t keep it. I knew it was wrong, but we needed the money.

May went over to her father’s chair, telling herself that everything her father was saying was a lie. She couldn’t believe that the man who’d claimed to love her all her life would do something so cruel. She placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing his eyes to hers and when he looked up, she saw the truth. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. What did you do?

His sigh vibrated from his lips. Your ma made arrangements through a lady here who has a son out west who’s married to a barren woman. The couple wanted a baby and we needed the money. He shook his head and choked. I’m so sorry, May.

May pulled away from her father, not believing that someone who’d once placed flowers in her hair would convince her daughter that her baby was dead in order to make money. Staring at him now, May felt tears fill her eyes. It had been awhile since she’d cried and since they’d just buried her mother, she’d thought the next tears would be ones filled with more sorrow, but these were not tears of sadness. They were tears of anger, pain, and hate. Where is he? Her voice was heavy with emotion.

Jack was visibly shaking. His eyes were wide. Grace Green, North Dakota. That’s all I know. He quickly went into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of coins. After the doctor’s charges for your mother, this is all we have left. I—

May stood and snatched the bag from his hands and headed for the door. She had to get away from him. She had to get her baby.

Her father’s voice made her pause. I’m sorry, May.

May swung on him, watched his hands go up and his eyes flash with fear. Sorry? Sorry that you told me that my own flesh and blood had died! May didn’t turn back when she said, Don’t look for me. I won’t ever forgive you. Then she was gone, knowing those would probably be the last words she’d ever share with him.

*   *   *

2

*   *   *

Two Weeks Later

The blare of the long whistle announced the shift change. Leo joined the progression of the other weary miners as they marched down the tunnel of the long cave on one side, allowing the next crew to walk on the other. He was tired and dirty, but he found the strength to nod at a few of the men as he passed. It was the only thing he had the strength to do. As one of the shift managers, it was his duty to make sure all his men were accounted for. Working in the mines was dangerous backbreaking work, but many men had moved west in the hopes of finding their fortune.

Outside, the moon was in full view and he enjoyed the cool air against his aching flesh. He said goodnight to a few of his men before heading in the direction of home. A half hour later, he was climbing the steps to the boarding house he lived in. It was dark inside, a sign that the other three residents that boarded there were asleep, but as Leo made it into the hall, a door opened and Mary Hayes stepped out holding up a lantern.

She squinted her eyes as she peered at him. Thought you were going to head to bed without supper, did ya? Mary owned the boarding house and was also known around town for her stubbornness.

Leo shook his head. Mary, it’s late. You should be asleep.

Walking past him, she ignored his words. Come on. I saved you a plate, she said, leading the way towards the kitchen.

Leo sighed as he followed behind her, wearing a face of annoyance, but in reality, his heart shined. Mary had been looking out for him since before he could remember. He’d grown up in the local group home for orphans. Mary would come by and visit the children each week, bringing with her treats and other trinkets. Leo had loved her visits, but the day he’d become too old to stay at the orphanage, Mary had offered him to board at her house, thus continuing their friendship.

In reality, Mary was the closest thing to a mother Leo had ever had, making her his only family.

The kitchen was dark, so she went to light another lantern before putting a plate of food on the little two-seater table in the corner. Leo sat down and pulled the napkin off the food: potatoes, chicken, and greens. His stomach rumbled in anticipation. He looked over to find Mary sitting across from him, her eyes sparkling at the smile on his face.

He nodded his head. Thank you, Mary, he said before digging into his food.

She waved him off. There’s a slice of pie waiting for you when you’re done. She went to her pocket then. Also, some mail came for you. She slid a letter across the table to him. It’s addressed from the east.

Leo picked the letter up and gave Mary narrowed eyes. So, this is why you’re still up. You want to know if the woman I’ve asked to marry me has said ‘yes’.

Mary began to wipe invisible crumbs from the table. Well, I will admit, the prospect of you getting married had me too roused for sleep. She smiled.

He smiled and put the unopened letter on the table and went back to his meal, a grin played on his lips as he waited for what he knew would come.

With all the strength she could muster, Mary slapped her hands on the table. Her eyes laid with steel. Leo Fisher, you open that letter this instant.

Leo laughed and lifted the letter back up and began to open it. He sighed as a flurry of nerves swept through his gut. Though he’d known that his hesitance would have gotten Mary’s reaction, he admitted that he was scared for what the letter would say. Not many women wanted to marry a humble miner. For every nine men in town there was one woman and if they weren’t married then they were of questionable reputation, thus the reason that Leo had been forced to find a wife elsewhere. He’d written a few women only to have them go after men with more money and cleaner fingernails. Since his thirtieth birthday, Leo had begun to feel the presence of loneliness creep in. The bed he slept in was big enough for two and on more than one occasion, he’d wished for someone to greet him with a warm smile when he got home from a grueling shift. Not that Mary’s smile wasn’t nice, but he wanted more in his life.

He wanted a wife. And the need for companionship had driven him to the point where he’d asked Mary for help. She’d given him advice on his letters on how to court a woman even from a distance, helping to convey what she knew lay in his heart. Being married too once upon a time herself, Mary had a wealth of knowledge on the happenings between men and women and he prayed that her advice had worked to his benefit.

He unfolded the letter and read the words laid there.

Well, Mary pressured. What does it say?

Leo placed the letter on the desk and went back to his meal all the while watching Mary under hooded eyes.

Mary paused before reaching for the letter. Don’t you worry, Leo. I’m sure there’s a woman out there that will have you. She unfolded the paper and began to read as she spoke from her heart. We’ll just have to keep— she gasped and slammed the paper down on the table. She said yes!

Leo smiled as Mary came around and gave him a tight squeeze. The letter had conveyed a ‘yes’. In a week’s time, he’d be a married man.

Mary gusted. And just wait until she gets a look at you. You’re quite the looker. I know she’ll be pleased. She clapped her hands together and grinned but then frowned. But we have to get you cleaned up first. I can barely see your face underneath all that grime. The only thing recognizable are those blue eyes of yours.

Leo laughed as he watched the gears turn in Mary’s head. Yes, he could use a good bath. He was sure that his golden blond hair resembled something closer to brown. He scratched the short hair that lay on his chin. I could use some cleaning, he said before finishing the last of his plate.

Mary plopped down a slice of apple pie before returning to her seat. She looked at the letter again and asked, May is such a nice name and such a lovely month. What do you think she’s like?

Leo bit into his pie, shaking his head. No idea, but I’ll take anyone that will have me. Just like most of the other miners who’d managed to get a woman to say yes. Looks were not so much important. All he wanted was a woman with a good heart and of equal character and hoped he’d found that in May.

He finished his meal and bid Mary goodnight before retreating to his own room. As he lay in bed, he thought of the future and prayed that it was a bright one.

*   *   *

3

*   *   *

The air in Grace Green was polluted with smoke and the loud sound of drilling had greeted May’s ears almost a mile back, ringing louder than the trains rolling on the tracks itself. Men moved around the depot, depositing barrels of coal onto the train. Coal mining. She’d read a few news articles back east about the business, but nothing she’d read had spoken about the air quality on the flesh. Soot was everywhere and the loud drilling was most annoying. As she gathered her bags, she wondered how anyone managed to hear their own thoughts against the noise. May ran a hand over her new gown. All of her clothes were new, though not overly fancy. She simply hadn’t wanted to come west in her rags, but now she wondered how she’d keep anything clean in this place. She’d expected fields of grace in a place with a name like Grace Green and found herself somewhat disappointed, but none of that mattered. She was here to get her son.

And then what, a voice inside of her head asked.

She ignored it as she searched the depot for the man who would fit the description from his letters. May had only written the miner once before agreeing to the marriage. She hadn’t cared what he looked like. She hadn’t cared his occupation. All she’d cared about was getting to Grace Green so that she could reunite with Jack.

Even now, her heart beat furiously at the thought that Jack may not be here. People moved and May didn’t know the name of the people who had her son, but she figured a little boy would be easy to find. How many newborns could there be in one town?

May? A deep voice called from behind her.

She spun around and glanced up at the man who stood at her back. Her eyes widened at seeing him and she found herself giving him a once over before returning a pair of liquid blue eyes. Compared to her pale ones, his had a punch to them, as did the rest of his appearance.

Golden blonde strands caught the sunlight that managed to break through the clouds, as if it were defying the smog and pulling the rays from the sky all on its own. He had a fine bone structure and a gentle smile. Combined with his eyes, the effect was calming.

His smile grew. May?

She nodded in affirmation.

He treated her to a once over, just as she’d done herself. His gaze returned a few seconds later. You’re beautiful.

May’s eyes went wide before she turned away, sure that her pale face resembled something closer to crimson. Thank you.

He held out his hand and May took it. His hand, unlike the weather, were warm and only added to