Gun Totin' Bride

By Mildred Colvin

Finding her missing father has become an obsession to Frannie Hart.
To do so she becomes a mail-order bride.
Although she’s a pretty young woman traveling alone, Frannie isn’t worried. She grew up on her father’s ranch and learned to shoot a gun better than any man there. It’s a good thing, too, because as soon as she arrives in Sweetwater, Kansas, she steps into the middle of a gunfight between the sheriff and bank robbers. She can’t let them take the banker as hostage, because he’s the man she’s come to marry. She’s counting on him to help her find her father, or at least provide a place for her to live while she searches. Barely in town, and she has to save his hide. Too bad some of the outlaws escape.

Wade Perkins, Sweet Water’s banker, is terrified of guns after seeing his brother shot to death when they were kids. Fainting in front of his bride before they’ve had a chance to meet isn’t his proudest moment. Of course, he doesn’t know she’s his bride until later. He thought he was marrying a society girl, not a sharpshooter. Although, her expertise might come in handy since this isn’t the first time his bank was robbed.

Frannie and Wade have more than their share of problems. The escaped outlaws seek revenge against Frannie’s interference at the bank. She’s worried about her missing father, and they must adjust to their differences. Will they weather the early storms of marriage or separate before they have a chance to see the real person in each other?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mildred Colvin
• Release date: Mar 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005192808

Mildred Colvin

Mildred Colvin is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother to three beautiful girls. She started writing when her children were young as they asked for stories. Not from a book. No! They were only satisfied when she made up stories. As the stories grew, she wrote some down and sent them off to magazines. Eight were published before her imagination turned toward love stories, which is what she enjoys reading.She has been writing Christian or clean and wholesome romance since 2001. Over the years several readers from pre-teens to older kids in their eighties and nineties have written expressing their interest in her books. She always loves to hear about one of her stories touching someone's heart. Her purpose in writing is to encourage, entertain, and bless someone else.She lives in the United States and sets her characters in the middle states from Texas to Nebraska and Iowa and reaching across Illinois to Colorado. She also has an Oregon Trail series, but the Great Plains states are her favorite setting.She is active in a very special critique group and has written and published over 60 books in both historical and contemporary themes, and plans to continue writing as long as God allows. He has been good in giving her many ideas for stories. Maybe more than she will be able to finish, but she enjoys each one.Please take a moment to visit her website at www.mildredcolvin.weebly.com, and sign up for her Romantic Reflections Newsletter to learn when new books are released. Also learn of promotions and free books through her newsletter.And take a look at her books. You might find something you don't want to put down.

Book preview

Gun Totin’ Bride

Mildred Colvin

Historical Christian Romance

Gun Totin’ Bride

Copyright ©2022 by Mildred Colvin

All Rights Reserved

Cover photo © Mildred Colvin

Smashwords Edition

Scripture portions are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from its author except for brief quotations in printed reviews. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

A Sneak Peek

About the Author

Note From the Author

The Sweet Water Mail-Order Bride Series

Other Historical Romances

Find books free and on sale!

Join Mildred’s newsletter to stay up to date with her new releases, learn of special book sales, and receive free offers, and more!

Visit Mildred’s website and join her Newsletter here!

Chapter 1

New York City, New York, June 30 1895

Frances Eileen Hart Vandilman trudged home from her mother’s funeral with a curious blend of grief and excitement confusing her emotions. At times she wanted to cry, only to swing to the opposite side and do a jig because soon she’d be leaving for Kansas as a mail-order bride. As exciting as that might be, it wasn’t the full reason for her mood swings. What stirred deep inside, was the anticipation of seeing Papa’s ranch again.

So close, yet so far because Papa might not be there to greet her. But if he wasn’t, she’d find him. She’d never give up until she did. It’d been eight years since she’d seen him. She’d been only twelve years old when Mother left the ranch and brought Frannie to New York City. So much had changed since then.

Her steps paused in front of the house her mother had inherited from her grandparents. Five years ago, Grandmother had passed, and Grandfather had been lost without her. Frannie looked up at the two-story house and remembered the deathly quiet of that sad time. She’d been fifteen years old then and hadn’t seen her father for three years. By that time, she’d given up on her parents reconciling, but she never gave up on going back to her home in Kansas as soon as she was old enough. She and Mother lived in the house in New York alone after Grandfather passed that fall. Now here she was, five years later, and Papa was all she had left.

Her gaze followed the line of the house to the peaked roof and beyond into a bright sunny summer sky, which seemed at odds with the recent happenings. Why, Lord God? Why are they all gone, and where is Papa?

The sun continued to shine. The house stood waiting, but God didn’t answer. She hadn’t expected Him to. He hadn’t when she was twelve and begged Him to change her mother’s mind so they could go back home. She’d seen His hand at work in other ways, though. Being away from the ranch, she’d seen a new side to her mother. At first, she’d been sad. Frannie believed she missed Papa, maybe almost as much as she did.

But as time went on, Mother began accepting visitors. Women she had known in her younger days before she’d married and left her home in the city. She’d often take Frannie on excursions around town, touring museums and attending musical concerts and teas with her friends. They’d gone shopping for things Frannie had never thought of needing, but Mother said proper clothing was important, and Frannie needed a few fancy dresses for church and outings. She’d never cared for the dresses, but wore them to please her mother and grandmother. What she did like was the time she and her mother spent talking, often at night, before bedtime.

The past eight years had changed Frannie in ways she wasn’t at first aware. She’d grown confident in the city, just as she had been on the ranch. Sometimes she felt like two people. The feeling had started when her grandfather legally changed her name to Eileen Vandilman, saying the past needed to be forgotten as she had a bright new future now. She couldn’t fight him when mother agreed, but he couldn’t wipe her first twelve years away, and as time passed, she wondered who she really was. The tomboy ranch hand Papa had cheered or the wealthy socialite grandfather wanted. She settled into the city school, became accustomed to being called Eileen, and to the routine of a new house with her grandparents, but she lived for the days a letter came from Papa. He always sent two in one envelope. One for Mother and one for Frannie. Until he stopped writing.

Her heart yearned toward her father.

She stood at the front gate with her hand on the black wrought iron and stared at the house for long moments. Finally, she pushed through and walked to the front door. As she stepped into the darkened entry hall, she paused, allowing the cool air in her mother’s house to surround and refresh her after her walk. This spot especially drew a cooling breeze even though the temperature outside was in the 80s. She placed her purse on the table by the door and went into the sitting room where the real estate man would soon meet with her. If only he could sell Mother’s house before she left—no, it was her house now. The sting of grief brought her emotions down again.

This last year had been hard, but she’d been thankful for these last months with Mother and spent as much time with her as she could. The sickness had taken a toll on both of them. Mother grew weaker each day, and Frannie had hurt watching her wilt away. Maybe more than the loss she now suffered at her passing. She’d loved her mother, but had never understood her and the way she preferred to live, just as Mother had never understood her desire for the ranch.

A quick check in the sitting room confirmed it was ready for the meeting, so she moved on to the rest of the house, finding each room clean and orderly. The housekeeper had done her job, as always, before leaving for her new position across town. The doorbell sounded, calling her to the business at hand. She retraced her steps to the front door and pulled it open to find the realtor she’d spoken to the day before her mother’s funeral. An older lady was with him.

Mr. Jones, how nice to see you again. She welcomed the realtor from Jones Realty.

Miss Hart, It’s good to see you again, also. This is my colleague, Miss Miles. Is this a convenient time to discuss selling your house? The middle-aged man watched her expectantly, as if he thought she might collapse at any moment. Hardly! She missed her mother, but she’d grieved as the illness had progressed, so when death stole her away, the grieving was already done. Now the future beckoned, and she was eager to sell.

This is fine. She opened the door wider and stepped back. Won’t you come in?

Yes, of course. They walked past, and she shut the door. His gaze roamed over the woodwork and floors, then upward to the ceiling, seeming to take in every tiny detail.

Miss Miles stepped forward and extended her hand. Please accept my condolences.

Thank you. She accepted the woman’s handshake, but didn’t want to talk about her mother. Please feel free to look around. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have.

She didn’t mind how much they looked. Mr. Jones had already told her an estate of such quality and obvious worth, in this upstanding neighborhood would take time to sell because of the deep recession after the panic two years earlier. She understood she couldn’t count on immediate money from the sale of the house. But she would be glad to be out from under the responsibility of owning a house large enough to hold her father’s rambling farmhouse and have room left over. The sooner she could turn over the care and sale of her home to the agency, the sooner she’d be free to leave New York.

She followed the man and woman who didn’t seem to miss anything and answered their questions as they made notes. Her mind continued to mull over her problems as they walked through the house. If her money hadn’t been tied up in this house and a trust fund she couldn’t touch until she married, she wouldn’t have bothered seeking help from Parker Matrimonial Services. However, marriage seemed the best and quickest way to get to Kansas, and also to free her funds. The matchmaker, Mrs. Parker, acted surprised when she told her she wanted to go to Sweet Water, Kansas. She said she’d recently received a letter from a Mr. Wade Perkins from the small town.

Although marriage wasn’t her goal, but a necessary means to an end, she did enjoy looking at Mr. Perkin’s photograph. As they began corresponding, his letters showed he was a Christian man with a pleasant personality. Still, if there was any way she could get out of marriage, she would. The thought of spending the rest of her life with a stranger was unsettling, to say the least. Her stomach turned with the thought of being tied down to a man she might never love.

When she was eighteen, Mother had encouraged her to accept gentlemen callers, and though she’d had a few, none had caught her fancy enough for marriage. How glad she was Mother would never know what she was about to do now. But it couldn’t be helped. She would marry Mr. Wade Perkins, and she would make the most of it even if she never experienced true love for herself. She was sure Mother and Papa had been in love, and look what happened to them. Surely, love didn’t matter so much after all.

Once she settled in Kansas and could prove she had married, she expected to gain access to the trust fund her grandparents had set up for her. Then if she hadn’t already found Papa, she’d hire a detective to find him. She refused to think of losing him. Especially not now. Her heart was still raw from missing her mother, which made finding her father that much more important.

Surely, God was leading her.

~*~

Wade Perkins left his house under a heavy cloud of fear. He always tried to put his trust in the Lord, but sometimes it was hard. There’d been talk of a gang of bank robbers stirring up trouble in the area, and he couldn’t get the threat out of his mind. He wanted to believe they wouldn’t show up, but last year this same gang had robbed his bank. He feared it wouldn’t be long before they showed up in Sweet Water, again. He prayed it wouldn’t be today. Not when he was expecting his mail-order bride from New York. Knowing she would soon arrive made him nervous enough.

A freight wagon rattled toward him as he stepped into the street. His heart jerked as he jumped back, barely missing a collision. Taking deep breaths, he chided himself. He had to get his mind under control. Stop thinking of everything that could go wrong. He’d been jumpy and living in a fog more than he cared to admit ever since his bank was robbed the first time. That’s one reason he decided it was time to look for a bride. Living alone was a sure way to let his mind run away with every negative thought. It was time for him to marry, anyway. He thought of the photograph he’d received from his bride. Images could deceive, but she appeared to be a refined beauty. Exactly the woman he wanted. He could scarcely wait to see her. Miss Eileen Vandilman should arrive by stage today. He only needed to get through the morning, then he would treat her to a meal at the diner. Yet even his anticipation couldn’t for long hold his mind from what he believed was an impending threat. But surely no outlaws would show up today.

The sheriff did the best he could, but he didn’t know when the gang might return, or if they would. All he could do was arrest them, if he caught them, after they’d robbed the bank and shot up the place the way they did last year. At least their bullets hadn’t hit an innocent bystander. And that was his greatest concern.

He lifted a hand in greeting as he passed the mercantile. The Riley’s, a friendly older couple, owned the store, and always waved or spoke when he passed. Two doors down the street, he stopped at the bank.

He looked both ways before letting himself inside then closed and relocked the door. His employees wouldn’t arrive for several minutes, and he liked to use the time visiting with the Lord. He read a passage from his Bible, then, as had become his habit, he knelt, using his chair for an altar and worshiped the Lord in praise and adoration, simply letting God’s spirit fill and renew his faith. After a while, he asked for help in running the bank. Lord Jesus, bless the people our bank serves, prosper them and give them safety, but mostly pour out Your spirit upon their souls. May each man and woman grow in Your grace.

After praying a while, his thoughts turned to the woman who would soon be his wife. Miss Hart’s letter in response to his proposal had been brief, saying only that she would marry him and looked forward to arriving in Sweet Water, Kansas, and meeting him. He could scarcely wait. After watching several men in the area find wonderful, God-fearing brides from New York, he’d bolstered his courage and sent a request to the same matrimonial service they’d used.

He rose with the thought of meeting his bride for the first time, chasing away the trepidation he’d been feeling since he woke this morning. Maybe the heaviness in his spirit had nothing to do with bank robbers. Since asking her to marry him, he’d been anxious that Eileen be unsuitable and he’d be disappointed. Or she might not come. Either would explain the churning in his core that wouldn’t go away. He unlocked the front door and pulled it open as his assistant came up the steps.

Good morning, Thurman. Wade greeted him. I hope you’re ready for a productive day today.

Yes, sir, and to fill in while you’re busy about other business. The older man’s eyes twinkled. You know the stage is rarely on time, don’t you?

Chuckling good naturedly, Wade wagged a finger. Usually late, but it’s been on time occasionally, and sometimes even early.

Yes, to be sure. The two men crossed the bank lobby to their stations. Mr. Thurman had a desk just outside Wade’s office, and he stopped there. The important thing will be the passengers. Will you be meeting the stage, or does your young lady have instructions to meet you here?

I plan to go at the scheduled time for the stage’s arrival as I felt it would be better for her if I met her. He glanced toward the window facing the sheriff’s office across the street. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to watch for the stage since it will come in from the north. However, if she arrives early, she knows to have her luggage stored then walk to the bank. He chuckled. "I imagine I’ll be of little use as the time draws near for her arrival. I must admit I am eager