Saved By Her Love: Four Historical Romances

By Vanessa Carvo

The Sharp-Witted Cowboy & The Little Widow Lady From Virginia - This is a bitingly satirical story about a cowboy who wants a wife and chooses one – a mail order bride from Virginia. What he doesn’t know is that the woman is a little person.

The Purple Ribbon & The Mail Order Brides – A man’s aunt tries to help him find a bride to love, as he relies on the bible to also guide him.

Big Enough For Love - Sick of the taunts from the inhabitants of her small town, above average weight Jocelyn had endured numerous insults since she was a small child.

Bugged Out In Nebraska - A garment factory worker, not a fan of insects, heads out to a farmer in Nebraska, where the area appears to be under an imminent threat of attack by locusts, at least if the couple are to believe a crazy beekeeping old man who dresses up in a giant locust costume, and who keeps on yelling “They’re Coming”, every chance he gets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365401152

Book preview

Saved By Her Love: Four Historical Romances

Saved by Her Love: Four Historical Romances

By

Vanessa Carvo

Copyright 2016 Quietly Blessed & Loved Press

The Sharp-Witted Cowboy & The Little Widow Lady From Virginia

Synopsis: The Sharp-Witted Cowboy & The Little Widow Lady From Virginia - This is a bitingly satirical story about a cowboy who wants a wife and chooses one – a mail order bride from Virginia. What he doesn’t know is that the woman is a little person. What he does know is that he’s rapidly falling in love with her.

Jeff fixed his eyes on the field of innocent sheep, which needed a shepherd to guide their clumsy ways. A flock of two hundred and fifty sheep would require more than a flea-carrying canine. The western cowboy was the shepherd who tended the flock. Although it didn’t really matter for sheep farming, he was a humble man who spoke only softly and occasionally. He knew that there was no need to yell at his sheep or be belligerent. He could get the job done with few words and a lot of action.

He was a handsome man that caught the attention of the ladies. Jeff wore a simple, cowboy hat and had chin whiskers that went for a forty-eight hours unshaved. His hair was dark brown, as were his eyes. He wore the same attire every single day – blue jeans, cheap cotton T-shirts, and his leather cowboy boots. Jeff felt inside that he was a real cowboy.

At 5 a.m. every day he had his good old-fashioned cup of black coffee. Just one cup was enough to get Jeff going. Then he would go outside and work the farm all day. Sometimes it was the sheep, sometimes it was the cows, or the chickens, or even shoveling animal dung. It was hard work, but it was honest work. He always went to bed with a clear conscience – a good thing for an honest Christian man like himself.

His favorite duty was to tend to the sheep. Even though it sounded a bit silly, he felt like a holy guardian of his flock. His job was simple – protect the sweet, but dimwitted sheep from any trouble or predictors. There were times when he would venture out with his flock and sit on his horse. Somewhat ironically, those were the dangerous times. Were they dangerous because of robbers or gunslingers? No. Were they dangerous because of health reasons? No. Were they dangerous because of weather? Nope. The normal warning flags didn’t exist here, but there sure was a danger.

Jeff had many things going his way. He had an honest job that provided him enough money to survive. He had a humble home, a farm, great kids, good family friends and a solid relationship that involved prayer. There was one huge gap that he was missing – a beautiful and wonderful wife.

The danger was Jeff’s heart. The heart is a wonderful, yet ultra-sensitive piece of machinery. There was one thing that always made the heart beat and brought a lot of comfort. It was the one item that was so elusive, that some cowboys couldn’t find it after an entire life of effort: love. It was the magic elixir that held everything together. It was also the ingredient that often damned Jeff into sadness and depression. It shook his moral core and gave him doubts and pessimism. It made him dread tomorrow, which always made it hard for him to live for today.

It was another spring day that brought some mist and beautiful sunlight as the sun poked its head over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The background scenery was perfect. There was a large pond with still water. It was so clear that it looked like an upside down skyline. There were the trees – which were tall, short, wide, narrow, evergreen, willow, and just about anything that God decided to throw into the mix. The scene was dashed with some fireflies and some chirping birds.

The place looked heavenly, but it wasn’t. It was missing love that could only come from a wonderful wife. Hundreds of acres, a farm, a beautiful landscape, wildlife, and everything Jeff had, but he just couldn’t complete the picture, because he was missing love. There was no substitute at all. It was a pain that Jeff was struck with completely by surprise.

Cholera. It was the cursed disease that claimed many innocent lives. It wasn’t hard to get, either. Just one drink of some contaminated water and the body was condemned to suffer and perish. In 1870, the technology for treating the disease was a joke. Half the time, the person who contracted it didn’t even know what disease or illness they had. It was all a guessing game. A doctor in England had already figured out that it was spread by contaminated water, but it would be years before the transmission, bacteria, was understood.

That was the moral guilt and pain that Jeff had to live with for the rest of his life. Just a few years back, he had a wonderful wife who worked very hard at tending to the family. With six kids, it was literally impossible to do it without a wife. A husband needed one and he wouldn’t get very far without her. That wasn’t the moral guilt, though. The moral guilt was the reaction that Jeff had when his wife became sick.

When she began to display the illness he brushed it aside. At first, he did nothing more than pat her on the back and tell her to rest. Sure, that would have worked it if was just a cold, but that’s not what she had. He’s seen the signs of the disease, the marks on the skin, but had ignored them.

It was cholera. It took two of Jeff’s children. Their forever innocent and tender hearts eventually stopped working and they journeyed up to heaven to meet their maker. Their mother had assuredly welcomed them into the kingdom of heaven since she had gone before them. Jeff’s heart stopped too, but in a different manner.

He lost the love of his life and two children. It would cause the heart of any loving father to almost wish his life would end. It did with him. He was left panting in the dust, as he had to pick up the pieces of his life. He felt a pain on the inside for a long time afterward.

Sometimes the setting sun would adorn the mountaintops and highlight the breathtaking countryside. Then the wind would slow down into a very gentle breeze. The fireflies would jolt their lights on and off and the sheep and the frogs would grumble. At that very moment, the pain of not having her would cause such pain to Jeff’s heart that it made him want to die. But he couldn’t, he had to soldier on for the sake of his children and his family. He had to keep going because there was no turning back, no alternative.

He would look out into the wilderness as he kept his rifle tucked at his right side. When there was nothing, he would wait. If there were still nothing, he would still wait. The awful waiting was like fuse that once was lit that would ignite a firestorm inside his very soul, bringing down everything he could see. The storm caused him to desire a wife: One he felt had been preordained by The Master of the Universe. A wife that could bring joy into his very being.

Little did he know it, but he would spend just one more night alone before the change came. The change was welcome and a decision had been made in his favor in the infinite depths of time and space. Jeff would meet the pearl of great price mentioned in the prophecies. It was the woman that he wanted. It was the woman that he needed. It was the woman who was the answer, who would bring great things. The one who would bring him true redemption from all the pain and suffering he had endured.

And her name would be Edna, the great princess that moved to the mountains so she could gain access to Jeff’s heart. The one who would bring him the answer to his quest for meaning in life.

Much like life in general, there were some surprises and unforeseen circumstances about this story. It began with just a simple tin photograph. It was a picture that was shown by the secretive Clint, his neighbor. It did catch Jeff’s attention, though. Photographs were expensive at the time and it had to be important for Cliff to show him.

She was beautiful. Jeff’s desire-filled eyes totally approved of what he saw. She had long hair that stretched all the way down to her shoulders. The hair was wavy and fine. It didn’t look like it had much texture to it either. The photo was black and white, but the eyes looked light – maybe blue or green. Definitely not brown. But it was difficult to tell on the sepia tint used at the time.

Her face was round and smooth and lacked a hint of blemish with only a few wrinkles. It told him of her beauty. Yes, beauty. She was a woman of upstanding virtue and morals. Her soft and pretty neckline showed a necklace that brought even more attention to her body. Then there were her clothes – she had a white dress with attractive lace and weaving. Her lower portion was not visible, but it was quite enough for Jeff.

He overwhelmingly approved.

Who is this beautiful lady, Clint? Jeff asked his friend.

The farmer stared at Clint with his sincere eyes as he awaited a response. He was curious. He was hopeful and he was even optimistic. Clint removed the monocle from his right eye and smirked at Jeff. He had the appearance of a con artist who could sell ice to a penguin. He was just someone who happened to know her. He began his talk and told Jeff all about her.

She’s one of the finest women that I’ve ever known, he told him. You can see that she’s got a beautiful smile.

Yes sir, she can move the heart.

Jeff extended handed the picture back to Clint. He paused for a few seconds as he thought of the problems, then the possibilities. He wondered if she loved Jesus, it would be to have a Christian woman to help raise his children. He thought about the challenge of getting a woman settled into his farm and his life. Then he thought about the major pluses that would have, even if it were difficult at first. He closed his what if book and moved on to the How does this work? I’ve never done it. Book.

She would be a mail order bride. The term was partly accurate and partly misleading. She would be told about Jeff and be given the opportunity to begin a life with him. She would have the chance at a beautiful life that met many of her expectations. However, there was hardly a chance at going back to her old life.

In 1870, once a woman married, she tended to stay married. Divorce was for the wealthy and privileged few. Most women would consider murder before divorce.

Jeff knew that wouldn’t be a problem. He had loved his last wife. He really did. He was going to love this one, too. He just had to remember to be patient and kind. Most importantly of all, he had to have the love of Christ in his heart and have her share this love. That was a principle that was indispensable. Jeff had learned about it from a book given to him by a priest traveling on the frontier. It was a strange book called Imitation of Christ and urged men to imagine what The Savior would do in every situation.

Clint followed up by taking the lead and dollars.

She’s one that I can arrange for you, Clint told him. You’ve got Clint’s guarantee on that. I will contact her father who can send her over. Before I do, I need five given to me.

Jeff cleared his throat and gave it some thought. He wanted a woman, but he wasn’t sure about whether to trust Clint. What happened if he paid the five dollars and then got a nothing in return? On the other hand, Jeff could always find Clint if he cheated him. At the end of day, Jeff knew that doing nothing would not bring him any closer to getting a wife.

He took a leap of