Rebecca: Brides of the Oregon Trail, #5

By Cynthia Woolf

Rebecca Taylortraveled the Oregon Trail for one reason, to provide for and protect her younger siblings. Having lost her mother years ago, the care and raising of the younger children fell to her and her brother. Oregon was supposed to be a new beginning, a fresh start. But the house they acquire needs more work than it's worth, and a wealthy and powerful man has taken more than a passing interest in having Rebecca for his wife. Add to her confusion a simmering attraction to Ian Stanford, the carpenter hired to repair their home, and Rebecca is in way over her head.

 

After losing his wife--in a still unsolved murder--Ian Stanfordhas been raising his twin boys alone. Work fixing up the Taylor's old home is exactly what he and his boys need, but the enchanting young woman in charge of the household is driving him to distraction. His two boys want a new mother, but the only thing Ian is interested in is catching his dead wife's killer. When a new discovery leads him to a startling truth, everyone is in danger...his boys, the family he's grown to care too much about, and the beautiful Rebecca, who had can't stop thinking about.

 

When the truth about his wife's killer is revealed, he's shocked to discover his first need is not vengeance but to protect his new family. But the stubborn Rebecca isn't the type to sit idly by when her family is in danger. Ian has no choice but to work with Rebecca to lure the killer into a trap. The real trap, he soon discovers, is the one Rebecca placed around his heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Firehouse Publishing
• Release date: Oct 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781950152148

Cynthia Woolf

Cynthia Woolf is the award winning and best-selling author of twelve historical western romance books and two short stories with more books on the way. She was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends. Their closest neighbor was about one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006. Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy she liked at the time. Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia’s father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now) not the ranch owner.   Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.   TITLES AVAILABLE   NELLIE – The Brides of San Francisco 1 ANNIE – The Brides of San Francisco 2 CORA – The Brides of San Francisco 3 JAKE (Book 1, Destiny in Deadwood series) LIAM (Book 2, Destiny in Deadwood series) ZACH (Book 3, Destiny in Deadwood series)     CAPITAL BRIDE (Book 1, Matchmaker & Co. series) HEIRESS BRIDE (Book 2, Matchmaker & Co. series) FIERY BRIDE (Book 3, Matchmaker & Co. series) TAME A WILD HEART (Book 1, Tame series) TAME A WILD WIND (Book 2, Tame series) TAME A WILD BRIDE (Book 3, Tame series) TAME A SUMMER HEART (short story, Tame series)     WEBSITE – www.cynthiawoolf.com   NEWSLETTER - http://bit.ly/1qBWhFQ    

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

May 1, 1853, Independence, Missouri

Rebecca Taylor stood on her wagon’s bench seat, searching over the long row of wagons for Ben. She hoped he would return before the wagon started to move.

Over the buzzing of insects and the lowing of the oxen and cattle, the murmur of several different languages being spoken floated to her. Immigrants from many countries were doing the same as she and her family, heading west for better land or more opportunities.

At twenty-three-years-old she and her twin brother decided to sell the farm and try their hand in Oregon Territory. The country was supposed to have the bluest skies, greenest hills, and to Ben’s great interest, the prettiest girls. Her twin was interested in finding a wife and starting a family of his own. Since wagon trains full of women were traveling to Oregon City, he thought that might be a good place to find one.

This wagon train was full of mail-order brides along with families like hers who wanted a fresh start.

She had three younger siblings, four if she included Ben, who was almost ten minutes younger than she was. Charlotte, who they called Charlie, was twenty-one, gorgeous with blonde hair and blue eyes and had not the least interest in men. Rebecca always wished she’d looked like her instead of having the same brown hair as her twin. Though all of them had the same dark blue eyes, the color was most striking on Charlie and Carrie Ann with their blonde hair.

Even Peter’s hair seemed prettier than Rebecca’s. His was brown, but the sun had put golden streaks in his and Ben’s.

She’d worn a hat most of the time, so hers didn’t have many streaks.

Peter was fourteen and thought he was already a man. Their surprise sibling, and Rebecca’s joy was Carrie Ann, who was six. Mother had believed she was too old to have any more children, so when she was expecting Carrie Ann, she always referred to her as her surprise baby.

Rebecca still missed her mother, Grace, who had died birthing Carrie Ann. Father had taken her death hardest, ignoring the new baby and drinking anything with alcohol in it. He finally drank himself to death the next year.

The only parents Carrie Ann had ever known were Rebecca and Ben.

Becca, how long before we’re there? asked the little girl from inside the wagon. Rebecca wanted her in there so she wasn’t injured by people who were not paying attention or animals that might get loose.

Five months.

Is that a long time?

Yes, baby girl, a very long time.

I’m not baby girl. I’m Carrie Ann. She popped her thumb into her mouth.

Ah, that’s right, I forgot. Rebecca chuckled as she climbed down from the bench and sat. Then she gently pulled down Carrie Ann’s hand. What have I told you about sucking your thumb?

The child rocked back and forth with a hand behind her back. I’m not s’pose to suck my thumb.

That’s right. And why are you not to do so?

’Cause I’m six-years-old, and big girls don’t suck their thumb.

Yes, that’s right. She gave her sister a kiss on the forehead. Now why don’t you play here in the back of the wagon with your dolly until we’re ready to go? I don’t think it will be much longer.

Charlie checked the yokes on the oxen and made sure they fit properly while Peter inspected all the rigging on the outside of the wagon. They had tied things to it that wouldn’t fit inside or that they wanted to have access to all the time. They also had the chickens caged and tied to the canvas of the wagon.

She wanted to see Ben. He’d gone to buy their last-minute supplies, actually surprises for the kids, some horehound and candy sticks, little treats to keep their spirits up. She’d told him to get two pounds of each. If Rebecca was judicious with the sweets, they might last the entire trip. Or at least until the family arrived at a place where the candy could be restocked.

She’d counted her family lucky with the sale of the farm. The property was located close to town and a large company purchased the land and buildings for five-thousand dollars, much more than they were worth, but the buyers wanted to put in a factory and homes. She and Ben had talked about moving for a year or so, with the memories in their home no longer pleasant. When the offer was made for the farm, she didn’t think twice but sold the land, the house and just about everything in it so they could take this wagon train.

She let out a breath and stood on the wagon bench again.

Charlie climbed up and sat on the bench next to her. Where’s Ben? He should be helping Peter and me.

I sent him on an errand for something I forgot to buy.

Charlie waved a hand at the wagon behind her. With all this stuff, what could you have forgotten that was so important?

Rebecca climbed down and looked to see that Carrie Ann was playing with her doll. Then she leaned over and whispered to Charlie. Candy for the kids. Hard candy that will last the trip I hope.

Her younger sister smiled. I hope it’s not just for the kids.

Rebecca laughed. No, I think we can have some, too. She waved a fly away from her face and stood again.

Charlie, after spending almost sixteen hundred dollars to buy the wagon, oxen and then to outfit it, we still have money left to buy land in Oregon and start a new farm, but not if we have to replace milk cows and oxen along the way. Are the cows tied well to the back of this wagon? And is the cage with chickens wired to the side of the wagon along with the kitchen chairs?

Yes. Everything is ready to go as soon as they give the notice. Hopefully Ben will return before that.

If not, he’ll catch us in no time. The wagons don’t move very fast.

They didn’t get a Conestoga wagon since they were told it was too big to easily cross the mountains. Instead, Ben bought a prairie schooner and outfitted a wagon from the farm with ribs and a canvas cover. With the five of them, the second wagon allowed for extra supplies including grain for the animals. They were very lucky they could afford to take two wagons. Most people were crammed into one, regardless of the family’s size.

Their furniture, except for the kitchen table and chairs, had all been sold or given away. Rebecca kept little in the way of her mother’s belongings and nothing of their fathers. The boys kept the guns and the ammunition for the two pistols, 30.30 rifle and the shotgun.

Rebecca had a large chest which she used to pack all their clothes.

Also packed were two small tents, girls in one and boys in the other. They would sleep in those unless heavy rain required them to use the wagons.

She was doing everything she could to make the trip tolerable for the younger children. Rebecca tried to pack the wagons so the bags of flour, sugar and other staples formed a bed. If needed they could all sleep sitting up in the prairie schooner.

A shotgun blast rent the air, followed by the rat-a-tat-tat of a bugle being blown.

Time to go and Ben wasn’t back yet. Had something happened to his horse that stranded him in town? Would he be able to catch up to them?

Mount up everyone, she hollered.

We can’t leave yet, yelled Charlie when Rebecca slapped the reins on the oxen and started her wagon moving.

She looked back and Charlie was standing on the wagon bench looking over the canvas cover for Ben.

Don’t worry, Rebecca shouted back. He’ll catch up. Get your wagon moving so we don’t lose our place in line.

She and Charlie each drove a wagon. They’d walk more than they rode for the bulk of the trip but for now they would ride and get the animals headed in the right direction.

As they started to pull out, Ben rode up and she breathed a sigh of relief.

He handed her the bags of treats.

Peter and Ben rode their horses. Growing up on a farm, they all knew how to ride and drive a wagon. Though the oxen were so slow, a person could walk faster than they did.

She was told they would make fifteen to twenty miles a day while the animals were fresh. As the journey wore on, ten miles would be their average.

Rebecca’s stomach lurched with the wagon. She was excited and yet dreaded the trip. Six months in close quarters with her siblings, she was afraid they’d hate each other by the time they reached Oregon City. And what of her dreams? She wanted to open a bakery and candy shop eventually, but what she really wanted most was a family of her own, children… Though she loved Carrie Ann wholeheartedly, she wanted someone who would call her mama. Was there someone she could love in Oregon City?

*****

July 3, 1853, Independence Rock

The wagon master required the train to arrive at Independence Rock by the fourth of July in order for the train to be on schedule to cross the mountain passes coming up. He didn’t want to hit them with snow on them. The wagon master, Moses Dowd, allowed for an extra day to celebrate Independence Day and to give everyone a little rest.

This trip was taking a toll, both physical and mental on all of them. Rebecca and Ben were fighting. So were Ben and Peter, she and Charlie—all of them stopped talking to the other at some point during the trip. The fights weren’t usually about anything specific springing from being in such close proximity to each other for such a long period of time.

When they stopped, each person had their assigned chores. Rebecca saw to Carrie Ann and to preparation of food. Charlie saw to the cows, Peter the oxen and Ben the horses.

Rebecca on the day they stopped at Independence Rock, before they began their duties, she gathered them around her. Ben and Peter had tied their mounts to the wagon, and Charlie was at the back of the wagon, ready to untie the cows and hobble them in the meadow next to the wagon.

Family, we’re half way, but we still have many rivers, the Rocky Mountains and Blue Mountains to cross before any of us can relax. I suggest the boys go hunting and see if they can get us a rabbit or quail. Having meat with our meal will provide us a much-needed break from cornbread or biscuits and beans. What say you? Secretly she thought the hunting would be good for the boys and give her and Charlie a respite from their company. She loved her brothers, but they could be difficult to take twenty-four hours a day. She pitied the women they would marry.

The boys gazed at her and grinned.

That’s a great idea, said Ben. Peter, do you want the pistols or the shotgun?

I’ll take the shotgun. I’m not as good with the pistols as you are.

Ben beamed. Thanks.

Peter shrugged. Only stating the truth.

He was right. Ben was excellent with the pistols. He only fired when he was sure he could kill the target. He didn’t waste their precious ammunition, even though killing a small animal was difficult with a pistol.

The boys returned with two rabbits for dinner allowing everyone a goodly portion of meat. She roasted them on spits Ben fashioned and placed over the fire.

But what would they have in the days to come?

*****

October 1, 1853, Oregon City, Oregon Territory

A slight chill permeated the morning air as the wagons formed a circle for the last time. Rebecca wrapped her shawl more closely around her. Even the sunshine didn’t warm the air, at least not yet. She stood with Carrie Ann on the outside of the circle staring at the town before her.

The others were setting up camp. At least they wouldn’t have to be tearing it down tomorrow. It