Hearts: A Pair of Historical Romances

By Doreen Milstead

Through the Eyes of a Stranger - A woman is on her way to her mail ordered husband when their stagecoach is robbed and her necklace stolen. She thinks she recognizes the robber when she meets one of her husband’s cowboys, but is scared into never revealing anything and blackmailed into remaining silent - that is, until something happens that changes everything.

The Secret Message - A poor and lonely Victorian woman eking out her living in Brighton by making seashell jewelry finds a message in a bottle on the beach and vows to find the man who wrote it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365436260

Book preview

Hearts: A Pair of Historical Romances

Hearts: A Pair of Historical Romances

By

Doreen Milstead

Copyright 2016 Susan Hart

Through the Eyes of a Stranger

Synopsis: Through the Eyes of a Stranger - A woman is on her way to her mail ordered husband when their stagecoach is robbed and her necklace stolen. She thinks she recognizes the robber when she meets one of her husband’s cowboys, but is scared into never revealing anything and blackmailed into remaining silent - that is, until something happens that changes everything.

The brilliant light shown directly into Clay Andrew’s chocolate colored eyes, but he did not seem to notice. He stood tall and motionless staring straight down at the grave of his closest friend. James had been a part of his life since they were both eight years old, and now James was dead. It had been a stupid accident. A bolt of lightning, a scared horse, and a hidden cliff had been a bad combination.

James had only been gone for three days, but Clay already felt as if he had been missing his friend for years. At thirty, Clay was content to be a bachelor. Though some nights were lonely, building his ranch had been the driving force behind all that he did. Now, staring down at the newly covered grave of his best friend, Clay decided it was time for a change.

It had been a long time coming. James had been excited to marry and have children. It was all the man had talked about for months. Now, James left behind a widow and had no one to carry on his name. There would be no children. It was this realization that drove Clay to his decision. It was time to marry.

Clay lifted his gaze to the blue, clear sky above him. It was time. The urge came over him like a blanket, obscuring his view of everything else. What good was his money and his land if he did not have children to share it with? He was alone now, without James, alone in a world that suddenly seemed dark and depressing. Yes, it was time to wed.

But, who? Clay stepped away from the grave and lowered his hat to shield his eyes from the strong, blinding rays of the morning sun. He knew a few women, but none of them were marriage material. The male to female ratio in Utah was heavy on men and low on women; and even lower on eligible women. The small town near his ranch was a cesspool of gossip and innuendo.

If he had done half of the things they liked to say he did, he would be dead by now. No, no woman from Rock Creek would do. Not a one of them, at least of those he had already met, would be right for him.

Turning on his heel, Clay strode over to his horse and mounted. With the tap of his heel, the horse took off and they headed back toward his ranch. Rock Creek went right through is property and then lazily flowed through the small settlement that went by the same name. He had chosen to build his home right on the banks near a cluster of trees. The land was beautiful and he had never seen anything as stunning as a Utah sunset.

He trusted the men who worked for him, but otherwise, he trusted no one. Women in general were a problem. There had yet to be one who wanted him for more than his land, his ranch, and his money. He was not sure how to trust any of them now. A twice broken heart early in his twenties had been enough.

His horse flew over the landscape, taking the familiar path home. James had found love, but Clay would settle for companionship. Raymond Smith, the man who owned the town’s general store, had found a wife through the mail. Maybe that was the answer to Clay’s dilemma. A bride, courted through the mail, to come and start a life with him. A woman who knew nothing about him and who would not know he had much of anything until she arrived.

That was it. He had found his answer. He would get a mail order bride and leave those harpies in town to scheme for someone else’s money. An unknown feeling welled in his gut. It was loneliness. As he rode home, the feeling grew and engulfed him. It was not a new feeling after all. It was simply one he had pushed aside.

Now that it was unleashed, it threatened to consume him.

Ellie Mason sat alone in the small, cramped office. Her accelerated heartrate was the only clue to her mood. She had been conversing with Clay Andrews for six months now, and had been summoned to see Mr. Arnold Darrow, the man who had set everything in motion. He owned a mail order bride service and was responsible for as many as twenty marriages thus far. Ellie had no idea why he had called her in, but she set her mind in a place of acceptance no matter what it was.

If Clay had rejected her, she would be disappointed but she would move on to the next.

Ellie’s biggest flaw was her shyness and she knew it. If a man she found attractive so much as looked her way she would do everything she could do to avoid him. For years, her father had berated her for not being smart enough, good looking enough, or tall enough to be of any use to anyone. After hearing it her entire life, she had started to believe it.

She had always been wrong in her father’s eyes, so she stopped trying. She was terrified to being wrong or proven to be as stupid as her father had said, so she avoided people in general.

That was the loneliest life, she had come to realize, and it was time to move on and muster up the courage to take a husband. She did not want to be alone. She had no friends in Philadelphia any longer, and no men asked to court her. Despite her father’s laughter when he heard of her plan to be a mail order bride, Ellie was on the right track for once in her life.

Miss Ellie. It is good to see you, dear, Mr. Darrow said as he darted into the room and nearly tripped on his desk. Shaking his head, he laughed and said, I’ve been coming into this office for a year now. You would think I’d remember where that desk is located.

Ellie did not reply, but did