Restless Cowboy: Friendly Valley Romance, #6

By Braylee B. Parkinson

Abraham Clayburn made some bad decisions recently and almost got himself thrown in jail. To avoid getting into more trouble, he decides it's time to turn his life around. Besides, he could be running a successful mine back in his hometown of Friendly Valley, but he passed up that opportunity because he wanted more excitement in his life. But after his oldest brother strikes a deal with a judge, Abraham must return to Friendly for two years.

 

Upon boarding the "fancy '' train his brother has booked for him, Abraham, scruffy and out of place, requests a maid to bandage wounds he incurred during a brawl at a saloon. Abraham finds himself attracted by Clara's enthusiasm and courage. Clara is inspired by Abraham's wild tales of his life rustling cattle and living a life of freedom. This reinforces Clara's belief that anything is possible if you're willing to take risks. As the ride draws to a close, Clara has to make a decision that could change the course of her life—but it also could put her in grave danger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Braylee Parkinson
• Release date: Dec 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223289159

Book preview

1

B e careful how you behave. Don’t go getting all sassy at your new job. You don’t want to be unemployed in a big place like Chicago. Della Whittenham said.

Clara wanted to tell her mother she was more than capable of handling whatever situation came her way, but she knew that wasn’t true. She’d grown up in Bacon Switch, Mississippi, where she lived with her brothers and parents, Della and Silus Whittenham. The family sharecropped on a large farm and Clara knew everyone in town. She hadn’t dealt with many strangers, and her new job would expose her to people and situations she’d never experienced before.  

Ma, I’ll be fine. You taught me well. Yes sir, yes ma’am, I know how to behave.

Della Whittenham sighed, and her forehead creased with worry. Clara thought of ways to calm her mother’s nerves. She knew this would be hard for her parents to watch their last child leave home. Her brother Amos had left three years ago and Clayton had left six months after that.

I know you do most of the time, but sometimes your head gets caught in the clouds and you start thinking that miracles happen every day.

They do! Clara thought, but she kept it to herself. She had never taken a step outside of Mississippi and here she was with a job in Pullman, Illinois. Her brother, Amos, who had become a Pullman porter, had put in a good word for her. Now she was packing a bag and heading north to parts unknown. This meant she wouldn’t have to continue to answer the inevitable questions about when she was going to get married. If that wasn’t a miracle, Clara didn’t know what was.

You’re a farm girl. I don’t know if this is the right thing for you, but I know you kids have always had big dreams. Hopefully, Amos can keep you out of trouble.

It depends on what you call trouble, Clara thought. She was excited about the Pullman maid job, but she secretly had another plan she hadn’t shared with anyone. She kept reading about people who had gone out west and made a fortune after a few weeks or months of panning for gold. Others had started businesses in prime gold rush areas and become wealthy because of the influx of people. Being a maid was respectable work, but her dream was to pan for gold, strike it rich, and live her days out on her own plot of land. She loved her parents and was thankful for the life they provided for her and her brothers, but she wanted more. The days spent milking cows, collecting eggs around the property, and riding her horse Jennings into town to buy candy had been the extent of her life experience. She’d read in newspapers and books that some people who were slaves just twenty years before were now living the high life. This made Clara wonder—why not me?

I don’t know how or why you and your brothers would leave Bacon Switch. This place just feels like home. Don’t you think you’re going to miss it?

Clara gave her mother a sympathetic smile. Yes, she would miss Bacon Switch, but she wanted something different. Her town was nothing more than a gathering of people who lived within a certain proximity. Things were slow and people were poor. Clara didn’t think she’d become rich from being a Pullman maid, but she knew if she saved what she made, she could leave the Pullman Palace Company in a few years. She’d head out west and start over.

None of that settling for me, she thought. She’d learned enough to know she could determine her own destiny. Clara knew she could achieve her goals if she didn’t give up was comforting.

 When Clara had a free moment, she spent her time reading about the exploits of Mary Ellen Pleasant, an Abolitionist who moved to California and accumulated a small fortune in gold. She’d used her wealth to make a difference in the world. Then there was Robert Reed Church, who’d started the Solvent Savings Bank, and many more who had been born into much harder times than her, but they’d made great strides in their lives. 

She spent the rest of her time helping around the house, cooking, and getting lost in books. Mrs. Randall had also let her hang out around the town’s school, even though she wasn’t officially enrolled. Now she was taking her smarts to the big city. A good job awaited her in Pullman, Illinois, and Clara couldn’t wait to get there. 

It’s about where you’re from, it’s where you’re going, Clara thought as she packed her suitcase. She felt like there was enough of an opportunity for everyone and she was going to prove it. 

It’s a big place, according to your brother. You’ll need to be careful, her mother told her. And there will be lots of things to buy. Don’t do it. Save your money. Every dime you don’t spend on necessities should be saved.

Her parents were thrifty and knew how to squeeze every drop of worth out of a penny. Clara had never had a dress from a store and her family grew almost all the food they ate. They also rarely went to shows or events around town. If she wanted new clothes, she found some fabric around the house and got to sewing, but her brother Amos had told her she wouldn’t have to do that if she didn’t live in a city.

"Clara, you won’t believe it. After work, we get to do what we want. We can go shopping, see a show, or have some beers at a tavern on payday. We have enough money to get us through to the next payday, and sometimes even further than that. You need to come to Pullman," Amos told her. 

Clayton, her other brother, had moved west to be a cowboy. He told her stories of trains and how people were traveling across the country. 

Trains are nice, but there’s nothing like riding a horse across the Plains. Cities are nice, but the country is better, Clayton told her. 

After listening to her brothers’ stories, Clara was ready to leave Bacon Switch, and when Amos secured a job, she took him up on his offer. Now she would be living in Pullman, Illinois and working for the Pullman Company.

Did you hear me about saving your money? Her mother asked, bringing her back to the present moment.

Don’t worry, Ma. I’ll be fine.

 The world is not that kind. You have to mind yourself while you’re out there.

Yes, ma’am.

Alright. Now let’s sit down to our last supper together. Lord knows when we’ll get to do it again.

That night they had roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and peach cobbler — all favorites of Clara’s. What she would miss most were the evening dinner and discussions she had every night with her parents. As the baby of the family, she’d had a unique opportunity to get to know her parents in a way her brothers hadn’t. With just the three of them in the house, they’d become friends. Maybe I can get them to move north, she thought as she helped her mother clear the table after dinner. It was unlikely, but if she made something special of herself, her parents might consider leaving Bacon Switch behind.

I’m going to miss you two more than you’ll ever know. Clara said, as they finished off the peach cobbler.

You know you don’t have to leave, Della said.

Do you know why Amos’s life is different? It’s because he takes risks. I don’t know that I want my little girl doing the same thing, Silus said. 

At 19, Clara was an adult, but still very respectful of her parents. She didn’t want to disappoint them. For a moment, anxiety rose