Life In the West: Four Historical Romance Novellas

By Doreen Milstead

The Organ Playing Mail Order Bride - When a sheriff finds that he needs someone to help take care of his two children after his wife dies, he never thought that he’d get an organ playing non-believer like the woman who arrived on his doorstep one day PLUS The Second Chance Town - Two female con artists decide to scam a couple of rich men out west so they take two priests with them to get married, as the town’s population is only fifty people. Things start to unravel quickly when everyone pokes their noses into everyone else’s business PLUS The Strong English Woman & The Outlaw In Arizona - A mail ordered bride expects to be met at the railway station by her intended but he’s nowhere to be found. She eventually trudges two miles to his home, but is repulsed by both his attitude and appearance, and his gang PLUS The Substitute Mail Order Bride - A woman leaves London in order to attend university in New York but after a while she gets sick and is sent west to recuperate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387638369

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Life In the West: Four Historical Romance Novellas

Life In the West: Four Historical Romance Novellas

By

Doreen Milstead

Copyright 2018 Susan Hart

The Organ Playing Mail Order Bride

Synopsis:  The Organ Playing Mail Order Bride - When a sheriff finds that he needs someone to help take care of his two children after his wife dies, he never thought that he’d get an organ playing non-believer like the woman who arrived on his doorstep one day.

All he could see was the grey of the sandstone grave marker in front of him. All he could think of was who was buried there below his knees. It wasn’t all that long ago that she blushed when he told her how pretty she was. Then she looked at him square in the eyes and reminded him why she looked so good to him.

First, he was prejudiced. Second, how could she look any different when you considered who had created her? Then she would laugh that giggly little laugh that solved any problem they may have had. That thought brought him back to reality.

Lord, why did you have to take my Julie ? Then he thought about Jacob and Julia. Lord God, if you do hear me, please help me. Tell me what I can do for my kids. They deserve better. They need  someone to care for them when I am gone for a while. This I pray in Jesus’ name.

Sheriff John Laughton had always been a God-fearing man, always stood up for what was right, and did not back down when it came to protecting someone who needed it, be it from just plain bad luck or from someone else trying to take advantage of an already bad situation. If there were anything he could do, he would absolutely do it. That was most likely the reason he was elected as Sheriff of the small town.

That was also most likely the characteristic that made him so attractive to the prettiest girl in town.  Heaven knew that John was no looker. He was as common a man as you could want. In fact, if he stood still in the middle of the street, you would most likely look right past him. Julie fell in love with John after a short courtship and married him about six months before he became Sheriff.

She loved the way he cared about everyone, and the way he stood tall and confident no matter what or who he was facing. Of course, she had thought that he was simply the best looking guy she had ever laid eyes on! Maybe a year and a half later, Jacob was born to them. They were so proud. They had him baptized immediately and set about raising their young man.

Jacob displayed Julie’s straightforwardness, stubbornness, and loving nature as soon as he was able to make himself understood, but heaven forbid if you did not understand him. That was simply the end of the world for him.

Two years passed rather uneventfully for John and Julie. During that time, the little town grew a bit. Preacher Pete came along and started a little church at the edge of town. John and Julie shared in the building of the church construction. As soon as it became usable, they started attending services right away, along with little Jacob.

The presence of Preacher and his little church had great influence in the direction the town took. Many other towns became wild and attracted the wrong crowds, but not their little community. That’s not to say they didn’t have their share of troublemakers, bullies, and a saloon or two that needed to be kept under control, but under the watchful eyes of John and Preacher Pete, it was a peaceful place to live in during a time of wildness.

During this two-year period, Julia was born to them. She came into the world kicking and screaming, and everyone just knew she would be a real hell raiser. However, she and Jacob filled their lives with a fullness that both just knew had to come from God, and they thanked Him frequently.

In the meantime, the town continued to grow. There was an influx of mostly respectable folks, but there were also a few who came in and wanted to make it their town. John was hard-pressed at times to keep order. He wasn’t a fast gun, and in the late 1800’s, it sure helped to have a reputation. On several occasions, he found it necessary to deputize several men so that he would not have to stand alone. During those times, it was Preacher Pete who would volunteer first, which of course would encourage others to do likewise. It also had the effect of calming down most troublemakers because no one wanted it on their conscience and or reputation that they shot a Man of God.

A few weeks before Julia was to turn five, a family came to town for supplies. They were just passing through on their way to California and needed to renew some of their food supplies. While the man and his wife were in the general store, the kids stayed in the covered wagon. There was a boy, maybe five or six, and two younger girls. John and Julie noticed them in the wagon, when the boy suddenly stuck his head out and yelled for help.

Julie was the first to get there. As soon as she arrived at the wagon and peered inside, she yelled to John to get the parents and bring some water. As the parents were returning, they saw Julie sitting on the ground by the wagon with her head in her hands. John, coming with a bucket of water and some rags, knew something terrible had happened.

Julie’s face was white, and she was sobbing. John looked into the wagon and saw a little blond girl with an angelic face lying very still while her brother was shaking her trying to get her up. When the parents arrived, the woman let out a scream and slowly also sank to the ground. The man just stood there stone cold, but the pain and anger clearly started to rise in him. John quickly went to him and started talking to him to calm him down.

How long was the girl sick, he asked. Did you know she was sick?

The father answered negatively. Just that morning, she had been playing with her brother and sister in the back of the wagon just as happy as can be. He did, however, mention that something similar had happened in the last town they went through three days before. John quickly realized the danger, since only some type of disease could have those kinds of consequences.

He felt immediate concern for Julie and the town. He sent Julie home, but he warned her not to go near the children. She was directed to take a hot bath, scrub herself clean, and then drink some of that healing tea that she swore by. John assured her when he would get home, he and the kids would isolate themselves from her for at least a week. The man had said they had been in that town only a few hours, and that had been three days before. So, John figured that after a week, the danger would be over.

In the meantime, the family contacted Preacher Pete to do the burial service for the little girl. The father warned the minister to keep his distance, and John had made it clear that no one was to have physical contact with the body or the family. The father turned away the three men from town that came to help dig the grave.

He told them politely, Thank you, but no. No sense you dyin too.

So, they left their tools for him to use for digging the grave.

The burial was to be the next day during the cool hours of the morning. The townspeople started drifting toward the cemetery early, but they did not come too close having been warned of this mysterious malady that had already killed a number of people.

Preacher Pete arrived with the little girl all wrapped up and placed in a small pine box, which he had built himself. As he pulled up and stopped the horses, the mother and her kids approached him to say thank you, but kept their distance to be safe. Brother Pete asked her where her husband was, because he was nowhere to be seen. She told him that the father had gotten up early to finish digging the grave. He wanted it to be extra deep so no varmint would dig up her bones and maybe spread the disease.

Brother Pete yelled for him, but got no answer. He glanced over at the grave and noticed the small ladder and just the top of a tool handle protruding from the grave. As his hope started to sink, he approached the grave cautiously. When he got there, he told the mother to stay where she was. He stared into the grave a moment, and then looked to heaven and made the sign of the cross and repeated it on his own chest.

Just then, John arrived on the scene and saw the look of distress on the minister’s face and his motions over the grave. He glanced over at the mother had also seen and was dragging her two little ones to the wagon. Two of the local ladies saw this and started walking toward her, but she screamed in anger and distress for them to stay away.

Ain’t no good reason on this earth for anyone else to die, she yelled at them.

John walked over to the family’s wagon. The young woman was hitching the horses to the wagon and telling the children that they were leaving. John took off the collars and leathers from the horses as he told her that they should stay for at least a week to see if this was going to be the end of it.

There was no sense is dragging death to another town. As John talked to her, she collapsed in his arms, but just as quickly pushed herself away.

I am so sorry. I hope you don’t die too.

She admitted it would be foolish to go on right now, but she just could not get a handle on why the Lord would take her child and loving husband from her. They had always been faithful. Every day, they took time to pray and study His word. They did everything they could to live a God-fearing life. Why--why--why?she cried.

John didn’t have an answer, but he reckoned to her that they would find out when the Lord called them home too.

Everything was postponed ‘til the next day. Surprisingly, in spite of the two deaths, there was no panic in town, only a sadness for the family. So, John took one last look around and went home to check up on Julie. When he got there, he was pleasantly surprised to see her out in the garden weeding and singing to herself. She seemed to be in a very good mood, but she would not let anyone get close to her. John loved her so much. She was so beautiful and so full of life.

He thanked God for letting him be her husband.

The mourning mother of the dead had screamed that there was no good reason on this earth for anyone else to die. She was probably right. Though God evidently had a good reason in heaven, because the next morning, Julie did not come out of the cabin. John waited nearly an hour spending time with Julia and Jacob so that he could greet Julie before leaving for town. He was in good spirits because this was the fourth day since the little girl had passed on.

However, the longer he had to wait, the more uneasy he got. Finally, he went to the cabin to see why Julie was still in there, which was not like her. She loved the morning dew and fresh cool air. When he entered the cabin, he noticed the dishes had not been washed, the laundry had not been folded, and the bed was still unmade.

Then he saw why. Julie was still in bed. He went to her softly so as not to startle her, but when he touched her gently on the shoulder, he shrank back in shock. Her skin was oh-so-cold. Suddenly and sadly, he realized that he had lost Julie. He knew that she was now in heaven, but that did not ease his pain.

When he returned outside, Jacob stood quietly looking at his dad. The words were hard to say, but he choked them out.

Momma died too, didn’t she?

He didn’t wait for an answer, but ran to the barn, sat down, and bawled his eyes out. John knew better than to go to him. Jacob was angry with God and the family that brought this disease that took his momma. He would stew about it for a while, but soon he would no longer blame God, and just be grateful that his momma was in heaven. He also knew from then on, he would have to help raise Julia. As for Julia, she would not realize what actually happened, and would take even longer to