Wyoming Mail Order Brides Boxed Set 1- 4 Read online

  "I know how to catch and tame horses," she told Richard one day as they were having dinner.

  "Annie told me that," Richard looked at her with his kind brown eyes. "It's a dangerous job for any man, let alone a woman."

  "Bart taught me well and I am very careful." Cora had looked around their sod house that Ruth painstakingly tried to keep dust free. "Besides, it's time I pitched in and helped with the household budget."

  "It is very dangerous Cora," Annie had said, her hazel eyes troubled. "You are already helping so much around the homestead. We'll make it."

  "I know that," Cora had smiled. "Let me try and if I get hurt then I'll stop."

  The couple had been reluctant and Richard had insisted on accompanying her out to the range. They caught one horse and Richard would not allow Cora to do much more. He watched keenly as she gently tamed the horse and once it was broken in he quickly found a buyer. He insisted on sharing the profits equally but Cora refused. "You need the money more than I do, besides, consider it as my contribution for my board."

  They caught and sold two more horses but still Cora refused to accept an equal share. Richard came up with the perfect solution. "We will be partners, equal partners then."

  "I'm still living with you so how can we talk of equal partnership?"

  "Cora," Annie touched her friend's hand. "You are our friend and we know that you also need to make your way. Please just accept Richard's offer. Because of you we have sold three horses and earned some very good money. And as you can see, Richard has already made some improvements to our house and is now putting up a second story. It's because of you that we are now prospering Cora, please don't refuse." Annie's eyes pleaded. "See how beautiful our new home is, with our new wrap around porch, enough room for Alex to wader around when he begins to crawl."

  "Alright then, but I will have to insist that I pitch in for the household budget. That way, I won't feel guilty about taking advantage of your kindness."

  Annie and Richard had not been able to change her mind and now Cora smiled as she thought about the Wests. They were deeply in love and Annie was so happy, after her terrible past. Richard loved his wife deeply and much as Cora was happy for her friend, she didn't think marriage suited her. She had experienced one rough go at it and was not willing to try for seconds. No sir, this girl was going to make money, and one day she would build her own home. Richard had promised her that when she was ready, he'd give her a few acres so she would always have a home close to them. She'd only agreed on condition that she would pay him for any land he allocated to her.

  This was the life, this was freedom, Cora laughed softly. She had money in the bank, a good roof over her head, enough food to eat and most of all, she was free to do as she pleased. There was a wide smile on her face as she listened to the distant sounds drawing closer. It was another herd and she was ready to pull in one horse. Richard had given strict orders that she was only allowed to catch three horses per week, skipping a day in between, and in that way she would get enough rest to be fresh and ready for her next horse catching expedition.

  ~#~#~#~

  Chapter Two

  Jeremy Paine rode up to Richard's house and stood for a moment to admire the handiwork. The wrap-round porch was finished and he had also added an upper level to the house. The walls were whitewashed, giving it a serene look. It was a beautiful house and Jeremy smiled, happy that his friend was doing so well. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago Richard West had been struggling financially, always broke and on the brink of despair. Then Annie Duvall came to Tipton.

  Jeremy sighed. It was getting easier to visit his friend and Annie, the gentle creature who had only smiles and kind words for him. He shook his head. She was supposed to have been his wife but he let his fear of his mother rule the day. He'd had no problem with the fact that she was a widow at the time and pregnant with her dead husband's child. He'd been prepared to offer her his name and home, but for his mother.

  Mama, he thought with another deep sigh. No woman was ever going to be good enough for him, not according to his mother. And it was not for lack of trying. She had rejected every girl he tried to introduce her to, even though the number of women in Tipton was small. Then he'd hit upon the idea of getting himself a Mail Order Bride and for a while she had gone along with his plans, no doubt thinking he wouldn't go through with it. When he told her he'd found the woman he thought most suitable for him, and that he'd already sent her the fare to travel to Tipton, Myra Paine went red with anger and spluttered. He feared she would have a heart attack, especially when he informed her that Annie Duvall, his intended bride was a widow and with child.

  "Spoiled goods Jeremy," she had hissed. "I will not allow you to waste your life and money on a woman who belongs to another."

  "Ma, Annie's husband died, it isn't anyone's fault she is a widow."

  But his mother would not be won over, and rather than subject an innocent woman to his mother's waspish tongue, he'd asked Richard to help him out. Richard had accepted and now here they were, deeply in love and one of the happiest couples that Jeremy had ever seen.

  Alexander West their four month old son was a delight and Richard had asked him to be the boy's godfather. At first he'd been uncomfortable, given the way in which Annie had ended up as his best friend's wife, but the two assured him that all that was behind them. God knew best what He was doing and they would be eternally grateful to Jeremy for enabling them to meet, marry and fall in love.

  In a way Jeremy understood his mother's fears. She had been queen of his home for so long, that she felt any woman who he ended up marrying would usurp her position as the lady of the house. She was a clingy and nervous woman with a sharp tongue, and she was a snob. Her husband had been doing well as a farmer, and when Jeremy took over after his father's death around seven years ago, he'd turned the ranch from a small outfit into a large and prosperous one. Without being vain he knew he was one of the richest ranchers in Tipton. But he was lonely and his mother would not let him marry in peace. She demanded his undivided attention and woe to any woman who caught his eye.

  His brother Paul had returned to his army job in Washington DC and sometimes Jeremy wished he had the courage to leave home and make his life away from his mother as well. Then he would regret his selfishness. His mother needed him and she was lonely after her husband died and her eldest son had gone off to join the army.

  Shaking his head sadly he got off his horse and tethered it to the railings on the porch. He could hear Annie singing somewhere in the house. It was a happy song and he smiled when he heard his godson gurgling in delight. This was a happy home and lately he had started spending a lot of time over here. It was one way of escaping his mother's smothering presence and while he admitted it enabled him to keep the peace at home, it was also the only way he could prevent her from taking to her bed with the sulks and insisting on his attending to her as if she were an invalid.

  "What am I going to do with my mother," he muttered to himself as he took the steps up the porch. It was smoothly laid with polished wooden planks so that Alex would not injure himself as he learned to crawl. As it was, the little boy liked to roll on the floor at any chance he got. He was like a little puppy and Jeremy found himself smiling as he thought about his godson. The boy might have been his, he sighed with regret.

  The door opened before he knocked and Richard smiled when he saw who the visitor was. "Come right in Jeremy, I saw your horse a while ago and was wondering whatever was keeping you outside."

  "I was just admiring the porch," he stepped back and walked around it, Richard following at a leisurely pace. "Richard, you have done well for yourself."

  "The Lord's doing, and the woman He gave me as a wife, and also Cora our friend," Richard watched his friend on the sly, knowing that Jeremy's sudden regular visits had as much to do with Cora O'Malley as the fact they'd been very good friends for almost seven years now. The two men were of the same height and buil
d, but whereas Richard had brown hair and brown eyes, Jeremy had thick dark hair and gray eyes. People often told him that he looked like his father.

  Jeremy's heart beat increased when Richard mentioned Cora. The woman had him thinking a lot about finally settling down. From the first moment he'd seen her when he came to visit Richard and Annie after Alexander's birth he realized that she was special. She barely gave him a glance though especially when she found out he was to have married Annie. Apart from the usual greetings whenever they met, she totally ignored him and it irked him. He couldn't understand why it was so important that Cora take notice of him. He was not used to being ignored.

  Before he could say anything they heard Cora shouting from the back and they hurried around the porch. She was riding Thunder and sitting astride the horse as she always did, but it was the horse she was leading that caught their attention. He was beautiful with a shiny black coat and a thick flowing mane. Its teeth were bared and he was straining at the rope around his leg but Cora would not let go. In spite of the seemingly rough treatment of the horse, he was not bruised or hurt in any way.

  "Shouldn't you go out and help her?" Jeremy asked, watching in fascination as well as fear. Cora looked so small in comparison to the two horses but she had no fear on her face, only a fierce determination to break the horse in.

  "Cora is perfectly capable of breaking in a new horse. If I step in it'll only spook him into being rougher than usual."

  Cora led the horse into the corral they had built for the purpose of breaking in horses. It was a wide area and she closed the gate, slackened the rope and never took her eyes off the horse for a single moment. Her wide brimmed hat hid her face but Jeremy could see that the cotton shirt she was wearing was plastered to her back with sweat.

  Cora gave a fleeting glance to the two men before turning her attention to Black Mist. She had named the horse out on the range when she first saw it, before following and catching it. He was three years old, just the right age for her to break in and they already had an interested buyer. She normally named the horses she caught because it was easier to work with a horse when you were friendly with it. Sweat was pouring down her face and she wiped it with the edge of her shirt, but her hand never left the rope. The horse had winded himself out on the range so all she had to do was gently teach him how to walk around her in a large circle. It took her about a week to break the horses she caught, since she never used force or violence on them.

  "Black Mist, careful," she whispered as he stumbled. The horse was tired but she had withheld water from him until he'd cooled off. After about half an hour she gently tugged at the rope and tethered it, then walked out of the corral to get him a bucket of water. As he drank she continued speaking to him in a soft voice and after a while he gave a soft neigh.

  "Good boy," she stroked him. "You are so handsome and strong," she crooned, careful to keep within his sight even as she skillfully looked him over to see if there were any bruises he had acquired out on the range, or from the rope. There were none and she sighed in satisfaction. When he was sufficiently calmed she would take him into the stables so he could meet the other horses, and also to help him become used to being around people.

  "That was remarkable," Jeremy called out to Cora when she had finally taken Black Mist into the stable. She was tired but exhilarated. The horse was a good catch and she beamed generously at Jeremy who almost swooned. He chided himself for letting this wild and spirited woman get to him like that, but he couldn't help it.

  "Thank you, I like working with the horses. They are such gentle and lovable creatures."

  Jeremy looked at her in amazement. Most women he knew were afraid of horses, leery of coming too close to them. The closest they came was to ride them, but not without some measure of trepidation. His mother seemed fearless around horses just like Cora, but from the time his father was gored to death by a rogue bull she was wary of all animals, chickens included, claiming that animals were too temperamental and could turn on a farmer when they least expected.

  Cora seemed to have no such fears. He followed her around the barn like a faithful hound as she cleaned the stalls and chicken pens. "If you insist on following me around you are going to have to make yourself useful," she tossed a shovel at him and he chuckled self-consciously. "Scoop up the chicken droppings into that bucket. I'll spread them out in Annie's garden when I'm done here."

  Jeremy couldn't believe he was being ordered around by a woman, and what's more, he liked it. Cora was so different from most of the women that he knew, she had no airs about her nor did she mince her words. He was just glad that she was letting him closer to her than she had done before. If his hired hands could see him now they'd howl with laughter at seeing their boss submitting to a woman. But they were not here and there was work to do.

  They worked in companionable silence until Annie's voice called out. "Jeremy Paine, why are you overworking Cora?" Both turned around to find Annie holding her hands at her waist. "She barely came in from the range and here you are now making her muck the stalls."

  "I'm sorry," Jeremy said with a cheeky grin. "It's so peaceable out here in the barn that I lost track of time."

  "Well you both can just put down those shovels and get cleaned up. Lunch can't wait for much longer and Cora needs to take a break."

  "Yes ma'am," Jeremy said meekly, earning a sideways, narrowed look from Annie who made a sound and left the two alone once again. He turned to Cora. "You heard the woman, finish up and get cleaned up so we can go enjoy her sumptuous lunch."

  "You go on ahead. There's something I need to do."

  "No way," he shook his head. "I am not going into the house without you and have Annie yell at me. Whatever you have to do, we can do together. Then together we shall walk into Mrs. West's house."

  "Alright then, I won't be a minute," she called out as she collected eggs from the pen. She was proud of this project she'd been able to improve upon. When she first got here Annie kept very few chickens, but now they had almost one hundred of them. Their plump hens laid eggs at different times so she was always keen to collect the eggs before they were accidentally broken by the chickens. Jeremy carried the half full bucket of eggs to the house and carefully placed them on the large table in the kitchen. Cora left him to go to her room and freshen up.

  The house had changed and he closed his eyes to absorb the aroma wafting from the large stove where two cooking pots bubbled merrily. He would never get tired of coming to this place, and it filled him with a deep longing, especially when Richard walked in a few minutes later, carrying his son in his arms. Annie was just emerging from the pantry and for a moment it was as though Jeremy ceased to exist, as the husband and wife looked deep into each other's eyes, their love bringing a glow to their faces. Alex squealed when he caught sight of his mother, ending the moment.

  "Cora has gone to her room to freshen up," Jeremy broke the silence. "May I use the bathroom down here to do the same?'

  "Go ahead," Richard waved with one hand and Jeremy made his way to the common bathroom downstairs. He knew this house as well as he did his own since he'd helped Richard carry out the major renovations and repairs to it. The ground floor included the kitchen, pantry and scullery where Annie did laundry and washed her dishes. The original two bedrooms had been knocked into one large room and combined with the original living room to form a parlor, dining room and large sitting room which had new furniture with beautiful upholstery and matching curtains. This was clearly a woman's house and he thought about his own mother and the way she painstakingly kept everything clean and tidy to the point of obsession. While Annie's house was clean, it had a well lived in look and he could see toys and other baby items lying about, giving it a homey atmosphere.

  As he made his way to the bathroom at the end of the hallway he could hear Cora singing off key somewhere upstairs and he smiled. He looked up at the stairs and to the landing but he saw no trace of her. Of the three bedrooms upstairs he k
new which one was hers and he wondered what it looked like. Did she like flowers and soft colors? He shook his head. He had been upstairs when they were working on the rooms and also when Richard bought his wife some new furniture for them, but he knew that women liked to collect things and in the two months since the house was completed, he wondered what changes Cora might have made to her room.

  "Stop it," he chided himself, quickly cleaning himself up.

  Lunch in the West household was as usual, a cheery affair with Richard and Cora discussing their business. Annie's focus was on the baby who was she was weaning, but from time to time she contributed to their discussion. The Wests' kitchen table was large, though there were only four chairs around it. Annie sat opposite her husband, with Jeremy at her right and Cora at her left. Shiny pots and pans were lined up along the wall and on one side Richard had built his wife a cabinet with glass windows where she stored her beautiful dishes.

  "Mrs. Miller will love the new horse," Annie told Cora. "Her old one has been put to pasture and the poor woman doesn't have too much money to buy another. She's willing to pay in chickens and pigs or a cow, if that is agreeable."

  "Black Mist might be a handful for her, what I will do is see if I can catch a gentle gelding and break it for her. Maybe she could pay us with pigs since we have so many chickens already. How many do you think she would be willing to give up?"

  "She said right now she has two sows that she can spare. The other two are breeding and she hopes to sell the piglets and make some money for repairs to her house."

  "Alright then, when you see her, tell her that when I get the gelding she can come and look at it," Cora turned to Richard. "Is that a fair trade do you think?"

  "Certainly," he nodded.

  Jeremy enjoyed meals in the West household since it was a time for everyone to catch up on their activities. Meals at home were such a formal affair with the barest of conversations, and his mother insisted on the servants laying the large dining table which seated ten people, even when it was just the two of them for lunch or dinner. And she would insist that he sat in his father's chair at the head of the table, while she took her place as hostess at the foot of the table. Conversation was almost always impossible and many times he found himself hurrying to get through the meal and leave.