A Bride's Edition: Western Destinies, #2

By Blythe Carver

Isabella's an Italian beauty that's determined to make a go of it in this new wild country called America. She and her brother take a boat and make their way to Texas.

 

Texas!

 

She doesn't plan to deceive the man who hired her by penning a letter to him under the guise of a mail order bride and she prays he will forgive her.

 

Luke Turner love his job, managing a magazine he owns with his best friend. He loves his life. He's not lonely, but he's definitely alone and it hits home when he watches his best friend Dylan with his new wife.

 

Luckily, a beautiful Italian belle has made her way to their town and has agreed to work in the magazine's office. His wonders if his head will be turned when he gets correspondence from an interested lady?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BCP
• Release date: Apr 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201793265

Book preview

1

Luke Turner could hardly believe his eyes. At this time last year, he and his best friend, Dylan Sullivan, had been looking into ways to get the money together to start a magazine. Now they were sitting in the office of Judge Carter Holbrook while he outlined papers approving financial backing for their magazine, though it was no longer a magazine based on men and politics.

It had taken some convincing, but Luke and Mattie, Dylan’s new wife, who just happened to be the daughter of the Honorable Judge Holbrook, had gotten Dylan on board with a magazine for mail order brides, which was all the rage, especially in Bighorn Texas other Western states. There weren’t enough women, it was clear to see, and men were desperate to have wives and families.

At the same time, immigrants were coming across the eastern border, and South Carolina, Virginia, and New York were gradually becoming overpopulated. Women wanted a way out. It seemed like a win-win situation to Luke and Mattie.

Here you go, Judge Holbrook said, sliding the papers in their direction across the surface of his desk. All signed and ready to go. You take this to the bank, and they’ll open an account for your expenses. You’ll have this much here, he tapped his pen on the paper over a number he’d written, to use for starting up and getting that second printing press you require. You will need to get two more employees to run the press without a lot of stress. You’ll also want to get some females to write advertisements. Men don’t know what to say, do they? He cracked a grin.

Luke and Dylan returned his smile. Luke let his friend get the documents first. This was Dylan’s dream, his baby. Even though Luke would be doing most of the work, he knew how much having the new magazine up and running meant to Dylan.

I don’t know how to thank you enough, Judge Holbrook, Dylan said, lifting up from the chair and leaning over the desk, one hand extended. The judge also stood up and took his son-in-law’s hand.

Just don’t ever call me Pops, and we will get along just fine. The judge laughed, slapping his other hand on Dylan’s elbow as he shook his hand.

The two men laughed in a way that made Luke feel a little left out. Not because he was insecure but just because he realized the two of them were actually relatives, and he was the third wheel.

Luke was not in any way an insecure man. He just wasn’t used to not having Dylan as his sidekick. Since he married, Luke had, of course, seen him much less than he had before. He and Dylan had been living together. Dylan had recently purchased a ranch—which was why Luke would be doing most of the work at the magazine—and he lived there with Mattie. Luke expected soon they would start a family, and he would never see Dylan again.

Unless he also had a family.

Luke had no prospects for marriage, though he was a popular and friendly man.

Dylan pulled him out of his thoughts by turning and resting a firm hand on his shoulder. We’re going to make this magazine a success, aren’t we?

Luke nodded, deciding now was the perfect time for his surprise. He reached under the chair he was sitting in and pulled out a cloth sack he’d brought in when they entered. He set it carefully on the desk between them with a beaming smile.

I’ve brought something to celebrate our new partnership, Judge Holbrook. I hope you don’t mind.

Don’t mind a bit, the judge said, delight in his voice and a sparkle in his eye when he saw Luke pull a bottle of imported champagne from the cloth bag. It was in its own bag to keep it from breaking. I assume you have some glasses we can use? I’m afraid I wasn’t bold enough to bring them along with me for fear they would shatter.

Dylan winked at him, his own grin wide and amused. Luke popped open the champagne while the judge turned to his mini-bar and grabbed three glasses from the cabinet hanging above it.

Luke poured until their glasses were three-quarters full and set the bottle down with vehement exuberance. He held his glass up in the air. To Bridal Bliss, he announced loudly, and to new partnerships.

His two companions repeated the words, and they all drank to the new magazine. Luke was looking forward to the work. He’d been lacking much to do recently, especially with Dylan spending his time with his wife at his new ranch.

Luke didn’t know it was possible to be as bored as he was without Dylan to have adventures with. He wouldn’t have minded having a woman on his arm, but that seemed like a pipe dream to him. He was a confident man. He knew there was nothing wrong with him physically. He was smart and strong.

And now he was the part-owner of a mail order bride magazine. What could be better than that? It was like God just dropped the opportunity in his lap, like an answer to his prayers.

He would place his own ad. Test out their system.

Maybe he would find love.

2

The sound of his boots on the wooden floor echoed through the room when Luke stepped inside. There was a commotion in the back, where men were placing the two printing presses next to each other. More men maneuvered around the others, placing tables, chairs, and equipment all around where the working staff would be.

He was in the front room, the main office where people would come in and be greeted by their receptionist, a woman he had yet to hire. That was something he wanted to talk to Dylan about.

The main room was the last one that would be furnished. Luke went across the empty room to one of the doors, the one with his name painted in fancy letters on the foggy blown glass that made up the upper half. He admired his name for a moment before opening the door and going in.

Together, the partners had decided to get rid of all their old furniture and buy everything new. The judge had provided enough capital for them to expand a lot. Luke was filled with excitement just from gazing at his new office.

He strolled across the lengthy room and sat in the big desk chair he’d chosen. It swiveled in a circle, so he was able to look out the window behind him with ease. They had a new corner building now, and he could see all four sides of the intersection from that window. It would come in handy for days when he just wanted to observe what was going on in his little part of town.

Like what you see? He spun back around when he heard Dylan’s voice. His partner stood at the door, leaning on the jamb, his thumbs stuck in his suspenders.

I do like it, Dylan. I like it a lot. How about you? You like your office?

Yeah, he responded with little enthusiasm, shrugging his shoulders as he entered the room. He dropped into the chair across the desk from Luke and grinned. I just don’t think I’ll be in there much. I’ve got an office at the ranch, too, and still have a lot of stuff over there at the house, you know, where you… He waved his hand in Luke’s general direction.

He and Dylan had been sharing a house before Dylan met Mattie and married her. Office things weren’t the only items he’d left behind when he moved to the ranch. Most of Dylan’s life was in the house Luke still occupied, which was fine with Luke. His friend was welcome to leave behind whatever he wanted. It would be kept safe until he came to retrieve whatever it might be.

Yes, yes, Luke replied, nodding. At least you know it’s there if you need it.

Dylan chuckled. I’ll just tell you now, though, that if something important comes for me in the post or someone comes looking for me, you’ll want to notify me at the ranch. That’s probably where I’ll be. There really is so much that needs to be done there. You’d be surprised.

Luke nodded, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be surprised. He hadn’t been raised on a ranch, but he’d worked several summers on various ranches around Texas and knew it was not a small task to run one of them. Dylan was lucky enough to have inherited a foreman who had been there for a long time and knew what he was doing.

What remained unspoken between them was Dylan’s need for the magazine to be a success. He’d invested all his money in the ranch, and his wife had to match what he put in, so technically, she owned half the ranch, too. Mattie was a hardworking, fiery type of woman, so Luke was sure she would put her all into making the ranch a success.

Thinking about Mattie reminded Luke of his plan. He had yet to tell Dylan about it and thought it was the perfect time to do so.

I’m gonna put my own ad in our magazine, he said bluntly, his eyes directly on his friend to see his reaction.

Dylan’s eyes lit up with interest, and his eyebrows lifted. He sat forward. Is that so? he asked, one side of his lips pulling back.

Luke nodded. Yeah. In the first edition we send out. It’s gonna be a skeleton magazine to start with, you know. Mostly articles about the mail order bride business, and I’m trying to get some success stories, but they aren’t exactly pouring in, you know. You want to look at the concept?

Dylan nodded, reaching under his chair and pulling it forward more so he was right at the desk. Luke opened the drawer at his chest and withdrew a folder. He lifted the top and began to spread out the papers so Dylan could see it, page by page.

His eyes on the papers, he tapped one by one as he spoke. This is the front. You can see this is just a blank picture for now. That’s just a design I scribbled to take up the space for the front picture. This is how the title will be. Do you like that? We can change it to look two other ways.

Dylan nodded. I like that.

Luke went through the rest of the pages, showing Dylan what the end result would be.

As you can tell, this is for when we start actually having something to fill the magazine with. Luke removed several of the pages and set them aside. He pulled the remaining ones closer together. This is what the first one will look like. Or thereabouts. This is the last page here. On the inside will be advertisements for the two new job positions. I thought if a woman didn’t have an incentive to marry, perhaps she would need a job.

Dylan gave him a big smile. That’s brilliant, Luke. I knew there was a reason I wanted to go into business with you. You’ve always been smarter than me.

Luke snorted. I don’t know if I’d say that. He began to gather the papers together to tuck away back in the folder.

Sure you would, Dylan laughed as he spoke. I’m saying you look at your brain and what you come up with, and I’ll execute it, right? I’ll make sure the brawn comes into this, right?

He laughed, and Luke couldn’t help laughing with him. Dylan lifted one arm and made a muscle, which couldn’t be seen beneath the fabric of his white shirt. He waved dismissively and laughed in a lighthearted tone.

"You want any advice on what to write in your