Cassidy Lane: Mail Order Brides Series, #7

By Beverly Kovatch

Cassidy Lane worked hard and sacrificed for her family. Her mother died when she and her twin brother Chase were young. Besides her father and Chase, Cassidy had two other brothers; the oldest was Lance, whom her father seemed to favor, and then there was the youngest, Craig, to whom Cassidy was more like a mother than a sister. When Cassidy was old enough, she started working at the local saloon. Her father disapproved however she knew that the family needed the money to survive. The farm her father bought produced more rocks than crops, so she sacrificed and did what she felt needed to be done. Every day seemed to be the same. She woke up, cleaned the house, cooked, and fed her family. At night she worked at the saloon. That was until the night she met Reese and Quin McConnahay. While fascinated by the fact that they were identical twins and she couldn't tell them apart, they soon led her and her brother Chase into an adventure involving murder, running from the law, and eventually love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beverly Kovatch
• Release date: Jan 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215141762

Beverly Kovatch

This Author is about as unknown as one can become. She sometimes lives in the past, sometimes in the future, sometimes right in the middle of the present. Her mind wanders from what was to what is to what could be. That is the power of the written and spoken word. There are so many opportunities for so many people, and she wonders why no one seems to seek them out. She lives on a farm in what was once a vast farmland area. A few people still believe in farming, but each year, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them. This past year, it appears that the moral background of the world is rapidly disappearing. It takes hard work to be a farmer nowadays. It is a lot easier to sit back and watch others do it. People have taken this place we call home for granted. The pandemic threw us all for a loop, but it also made some realize that unless we fight for what we believe in, our country, the one we all grew up in, could be lost. It took hard work and determination for us to be where we are, and all of it started with a small dream. You see, everything in life begins with a dream. This Author once dreamt she could one day write a book that others might enjoy reading, and here she is. She has written not one book but more than twenty books. Some people dream of owning just a small piece of land, owning their own little business, raising their families in a free land, a place where we are allowed to say what we feel in our hearts, fight for what we believe in, worship at the church of our choice. These past few years have taught this Author that there is power in our words. Once our words are silenced, we have given up one of our most treasured rights. It is my hope, my dream, that the power that you, my readers, have within you will never be silenced. The dreams you hold inside will always be fulfilled, and that you will always and forever … Keep on Dreaming!

Book preview

Chapter One

Cassidy Lane walked down the street, hoping her life would change suddenly. She wished for a wealthy young handsome man to rescue her from the life she was now living. Cassidy had three brothers, Lance, Craig, and her twin brother Chase. Lance was the oldest; however, they were all so close in age that her mother called them Irish triplets because she and her brother were born exactly nine months after Lance. Craig was the baby; he was more of a surprise, being born almost six years later. Her father was always partial to Lance. He was solid as a rock and had a head on his shoulders for responsibility. He gave orders well, while she and Chase were carefree and careless most of the time. Craig was more like Lance, stable and steadfast. Cassidy loved her brothers with all her heart. She would do anything for them, but she also wanted more out of her life than to be a surrogate mother. Their mother died suddenly when she and Chase were about twelve. No one knew just what it was that happened. Her father was silent and extremely sad. He and her brothers worked hard, but their land seemed to be nothing but rocks and hard, cracked dirt. Maybe, if her father had invested in cattle instead of farming, it would have been alright but trying to grow crops on that land was nothing but a waste. All she knew was that there was no future for her in the small town of Winsor. She would have left a couple of years ago, but her brothers needed her, or at the very least, she had convinced herself they needed her.

Most people considered Winsor a small two-bit town hidden in the back hills of Colorado. A man named Waverly Winsor had thrown this town together with the help of his brother and partner, Gabe.

Everyone in town knew they were nothing more than two-bit outlaws that gained respectability by partnering with a shady man named Caleb Calloway from Louisiana. This mysterious Mr. Calloway was the money backer known to have a fetish for saloons, whiskey, and women. Cassidy had met him a couple of times. He was a scary man, and she knew to avoid him. When he came to town Waverly and Gabe resembled angels compared to him.

Too bad Winsor was so far off the beaten pathway that the saloon didn’t do as well as Mr. Calloway expected. Different men would appear every few months, and everyone knew they worked for Mr. Calloway;  they were called collectors. When one of them would appear in town, he would flash around a wad of money, which always happened after having a private meeting with Waverly and Gabe.

Although the collection person changed every now and then, the current collector was Jack Cutler. Cassidy knew that Jack might be her way to earn enough money to get her out of this place. Jack wasn’t what you would call an intelligent man; most people thought of him as a hired gunman who loved money and notoriety, and Mr. Calloway seemed to provide him with everything he wanted.

Cassidy's father, Hank, spent every penny they had on their farm yet never made a profit. If Cassidy’s mother, Laura, was still alive, she would have never allowed Cassidy to work at the saloon. One day when she was about sixteen, her father informed the family that they would lose the farm if Cassidy didn’t help by working at the saloon.

If her family was to survive, she knew she had to work for those slimy two-bit outlaws Waverly and Gabe. She did have one advantage regarding saloon work.  Her Irish father had taught her and her brothers how to drink. She and her brothers were brought up on whiskey and bootleg moonshine. Little did she know that one day being able to hold her liquor would be her best asset.

Cassidy could drink most of the men who frequented the saloon under the table. In a way, it was her salvation. She had a plan that seemed to work reasonably well for her. She would get the men drunk, take them to the room, and make them think they had the best time of their lives.

She would drink with them until they passed out, undress them, and put them into bed, leaving them with a piece of her underclothing, an empty wallet, and what they thought were fond memories of a glorious night. She would walk home laughing with enough money to keep the family afloat for a month and buy a new fancy piece of underclothing to replace what she had left behind. 

Cassidy always left a portion of her money on the table for her brothers and father. She stashed the rest away in her special hiding place, crawled into bed, and slept the morning away. Her brothers knew better than to wake her for anything after working a night at the saloon. This morning was different, though.

Wake up, Cassidy, wake up now, Chase yelled as he shook her from her sleep.

Cassidy, you have to wake up. As she turned over, he saw the bruise on her face.

What the heck happened last night? Who did this to you? he asked as he brushed his hand across her face.

Good Grief Chase; how many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up when I have been working all night.

I am sorry, but the sheriff and some men from town are looking for you. I don’t know what happened or what you did, but you must get out of here now. Go out the back door, head to the cave under Crusty falls, and hide. I will meet you there.

What do you mean the sheriff and his men are looking for me? she said as if nothing were wrong. Why are they looking for me? I am not going to hide. What is going on? She stumbled as she tried to walk toward her brother.

They say you killed a man last night at the saloon.

I did no such thing, she answered as she caught herself from falling. Well, the sheriff and Waverly Winsor say you did.

I would certainly remember if I killed someone last night, Chase, she replied.

Well, if you didn’t, whose blood is all over your dress, and who put that huge bruise on your face? Chase replied, pointing to the bloodstain on the front of her dress. She looked down.

Where did that come from? she whispered and then put her hand to her face. Her eye was almost swollen shut.

Chase, I don’t remember any of this, she replied, trying hard to recall what happened the night before; even how she had gotten home was unclear.

Unlike her, she had fallen into bed without getting undressed last night, but she had been drinking quite a bit, trying to out-drink Jack Cutler. Too late, she realized that Jack was a man who could handle his liquor better than most; she remembered that she hadn’t expected that. Surely she would have remembered if she had killed someone, but how could she explain the bruise on her face or that her dress was ripped and bloody? Cassidy struggled to remember, but her mind was blank. She never remembered having a hangover like this one. She sat back down on the bed; her head was spinning.

You’re taking too long. Pa and the sheriff are heading this way.

Chase pulled Cassidy to her feet, threw a blanket around her, and shoved her into the root cellar. He tossed the woven rug and rocking chair over the opening, grabbed a coffee cup, and sat in the chair just as his father and the sheriff entered.

Where is your sister? Hank asked.

Don’t know, Pa, she wasn’t here this morning when I got up, and I had to make the coffee myself. Would you all like some? Chase said, trying to remain calm.

What do you mean she wasn’t here this morning? her father yelled. 

I’m telling you, Pa, Cassidy didn’t come home last night, he said, taking a sip of the hot coffee.

Well, you and your brothers get out there and start looking for her, he yelled. The sheriff says he has some questions for her.

I will find Lance and Craig and see if we can find her, but I am telling you, pa, she didn’t come home last night.

Chase could tell that the sheriff didn’t believe him. He shifted his eyes around the room, looking to see if there were any signs that she had been there.

Well, Hank, I know you will get her into my office as soon as you locate her.

Of course I will, Clint; she does have a mind of her own, though. That’s what happens when a girl is surrounded by nothing but a house full of men, he chuckled, trying to make light of the situation at hand. She never got that womanly attention that girls need. She was still very young when Laura died. She can get pretty wild sometimes; ask the boys, he said as if that was an excuse for her unruly behavior.

The sheriff nodded his head. I know, Hank, and then glanced around the room again. He knew Chase was hiding something, and he was sure it was Cassidy. There was one thing he knew about the Lanes, and that was that they were a close-knit family. Cassidy loved her brothers; they loved her and would do almost anything for each other, including lying about where one of them might be.

The sheriff rode off with Waverly and the other men from town. Hank turned to Chase.

Where is your sister? He asked, grabbing him by the shirt, knowing his son had been lying about Cassidy's whereabouts.

I don’t know, Pa; as I said, she didn’t come home last night, he lied again.

There was no way he was telling his father where she was. Cassidy wouldn’t have been at the saloon the night before if it weren’t for him, and none of this would have happened. He had to figure out how to get her out of there without anyone seeing her.

Cassidy sat wrapped up in the blanket in the root cellar, trying hard to remember the previous night’s escapades. Usually, when one of the collectors came into town, they weren’t alone, but she hadn’t seen anyone else with him this time.  She remembered heading over to his table as soon as she saw that he was alone. She could remember his scraggly beard, the disgusting smell of his breath, and a horrible odor permeating his clothes. Anyone in the saloon that night could have killed him for the kind of money he was flashing around.

She remembered he kept buying round after round of whiskey for everyone that night, which seemed a bit unusual.  Someone told her he was throwing money around for several nights like he had tons of it, but she couldn’t remember who told her that. All Cassidy wanted was to get a share of his good fortune before it was all gone. Maybe it would be just enough to get her out of this place once and for all. The money the drunken man was waving around in his hand would fulfill her dream of a new life somewhere far from this place.

News had been spreading around town that there had been a relatively good strike of gold found close to Silver Valley. A few of her regulars had ventured off to get their share of wealth. Several men were talking about it, and they all said California was the place to head, so California was just where she planned to go. All she needed was a little more money to get her there.

She was furious at herself, frustrated and angry she had drunk so much that she couldn’t remember what had happened last night. She couldn’t even remember how she made it home? 

Vaguely she remembered a man bringing her home, but who was he? He was tall, wearing a red plaid shirt and a black cowboy hat. She felt as if she knew who he was, yet when she tried to make out his face, it was shadowed by the darkness of the night and blurred by the amount of whiskey she had drunk.

She was angry at herself that she could not remember how she got into the house or where her money was. Indeed, she should have gotten some money for her services. The stranger who brought her home must have taken her money. Why could she not remember his face? What a horrible man to have taken a hard-working girl’s money. She would have it out with him once she could remember who he was.

Chapter Two

Charlie pulled the wagon behind the Red Velvet Saloon. The new liquor shipment had arrived, and he needed to get it loaded into the storage area. Olivia opened the back door.

"I was wondering, Charlie? Just how long is this job going to take you? Olivia asked.

Listen, woman. I have been working all morning on this, and Jonathan has been with Nathaniel instead of helping me out here.

He has his lessons to do, Charlie. You know he needs to finish those lessons to get into medical school. It’s great that Nathaniel has decided to take him under his wing. Think how nice it will be to have a doctor in the family; he needs to finish schooling.

I know, but there are days when I need that boy’s help.

I will help, and so will David if you just let him, Olivia said, trying to appease her husband. 

"David needs to run the farm while I am here; I depend on him there.

You know that he idolizes you; he would do whatever you asked him to do. I wish you would spend more time with him.

Charlie stopped putting the bottles on the shelf and became silent. He turned and looked straight at Olivia, knowing she was right.

However, it was more important that David was at the farm taking care of things. Charlie didn’t want David at the saloon; he had an ulterior motive, and David was a part of that motive. Right now, David was the one he trusted to make sure the farm was doing well.

Did you hear about that big gold strike? Charlie asked Olivia as they put the whiskey on the storage shelf.

I heard, and just what are you thinking? she asked. She knew that Charlie had initially come to California due to the gold. He had full intentions of mining gold and had dabbled a bit before she and the children came into his life. Charlie was straight as an arrow, though, after marrying her. He tried hard to run the farm and be the father and husband she needed him to be, even though farming was not his true passion.

Charlie worked extremely hard for Rex and Leanna, and she never heard one complaint from him. He was everything she ever looked for in a man, but he still had this crazy desire that was always in the back of his mind. What if he had struck it rich? What if he hadn’t given up on mining so soon?

Charlie, you must take a break from all of this. She said.

What are you talking about, woman? Don’t you see I have a family to feed, clothe, and a farm to take care of, plus this? He said, looking at the whiskey bottles he was lining up on the shelves. We have a son who wants to be a doctor. For gosh sake Olivia, taking a break is out of the question.

Charlie, you know that I love you, right?

Of course I do, he replied as if there was any question about how she felt about him.

Then you need to take a break from all of this, from us, and go out there and do what you originally came here to do. I want you to take a few weeks and go out there and hunt for your gold. If you strike it rich, all the better; if not, you will at least know that you tried. I don’t want you always to wonder what if. I love you too much for that. We will be fine while you’re gone.

Are you sure? he asked as if this were a trick question.

Yes, Charlie, I am sure. Rex and Leanna can surely find someone else to help out while you’re gone.

Charlie stopped loading the bottles on the shelf, took his wife into his arms, and kissed her.

Whoa, what the heck is going on in my storage room? Rex yelled out as he walked in on Charlie’s passionate kiss with his wife.

I just told him that he can go and look for gold, Olivia replied, trying not to look too embarrassed at being caught in this compromising position.

Rex laughed, So finally, Charlie, I wondered how long it would take before you fessed up about your secret. I always wondered when you would finally do what you originally came here for.

Well, you have always been a good friend to me, Rex. I didn’t want to leave you shorthanded, especially after all you have done for both Olivia and me.

You’re not leaving me shorthanded, Charlie. We have plenty of help around here. Rex said as he winked at Olivia.

It will just be a few weeks, I promise, Charlie said, anxious to pack up his things and get out to the mine area before Olivia came to her senses and changed her mind.

We will be fine, Charlie, no matter how long you take. I would like to see you strike it rich. After all, I can brag about having a wealthy best friend then, he laughed. Just wondering how long you will be able to stay away from your family, he said, glancing at Olivia, now turning red with embarrassment.

Not too long, I hope, Olivia replied, looking back at her husband.

I could never stay away from you for very long, Charlie said as he smiled and winked at Olivia.

Her face turned beet red again as Charlie and Rex started laughing.

What in the world is going on here, Leanna asked as she heard the commotion in the storage area.

Oh, nothing, Leanna, nothing at all, Rex replied, pulling his wife into his arms.

Well, now I know that’s a lie.

They all laughed again as she slapped Rex on the chest. Quit making fun of me, Leanna replied.

You just got to know everything, don’t cha, woman,

Well, I need to know the important stuff.

Yeah, and the unimportant stuff, too, Rex replied.

Ok, Olivia, I know you will tell me what is happening here, Leanna asked.

Olivia laughed. "Oh well, we can’t keep it a secret