Boaz's Wager Read online

  Boaz’s Wager

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Boaz’s Wager - Smashwords Edition

  Published by Parchment & Plume, LLC at Smashwords

  Copyright © 2014 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime. www.dreamstime.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Published by Parchment & Plume, LLC

  www.parchmentandplume.com

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Other Montana Collection Books

  Other Historical Westerns at Parchment & Plume, LLC

  Dedication

  To Christy Swanson and her aunt Barb. You are two awesome ladies who are lots of fun. It’s an honor to know you!

  Chapter One

  July 1897

  Just south of Circle, Montana

  Eva Connealy glanced out of the stagecoach window. The journey from Nebraska to Montana seemed to be taking forever, but she knew it would be worth it when she arrived at Circle and started her role as a school teacher. She took note of the Montana prairie with the blue sky that seemed to go on forever.

  Turning to Rachel Larson who was her traveling companion, she said, “Are you excited about going to Jordan?”

  Rachel smiled and took a deep breath. “Excited and nervous. When I answered the mail-order bride ad, it didn’t seem real. But now that I’m a day away from meeting the man I’m going to marry, I don’t know whether I’m ready to run to Jordan or hightail it back to Omaha.”

  “Well, at least you get to be someone’s wife.”

  “You could have too if you’d answered an ad.”

  While that was true, Eva knew better than to think a man would be happy that she came. She knew she was still young at twenty-one but didn’t see any prospects for marriage on the horizon. All of the young men she’d been interested in had taken other young women as their wives. And though she’d never admit it to Rachel, her brother Isaac had been the one who’d hurt her the most. Eva had wanted to marry him, but he decided to marry Emily Craftsman instead.

  She patted her light brown hair and turned her brown eyes to the prairie. It’s better this way. There’s no sense in being with someone who doesn’t love me. Every time she started to feel sorry for herself, she repeated this sentiment, and the more she said it, the better she felt. The nice thing about being a teacher was that she was forbidden to marry while under a contract. That meant no one would ask her if she was courting or engaged or, even worse, already married. How she hated those questions.

  Rachel adjusted her bonnet. “I can’t believe how hot it is. You’d think going further up north, it’d be cooler.”

  “I think it’s just because it’s summer,” Eva replied, chuckling. Had it not been for Rachel taking the trip with her, it would have been unbearable. The train ride was doable, but the weeks in a stagecoach were wearing on her. “I’m glad we got to have this time together. It’s a shame we never got to know each other while we were in Nebraska.”

  “It is. I never realized you were such a nice person.”

  “Thank you. You are, too.”

  “Do you enjoy being a teacher?” Rachel asked, after a moment of silence.

  “I wouldn’t have agreed to be one if I didn’t.”

  “You were good at it. You did a better job of it than the current teacher.”

  “I hear she has a young man who can’t wait for her contract to end so he can court her,” Eva replied. “I don’t think she’ll be teaching much longer.”

  “I don’t know. She’s rather superficial, don’t you think?”

  “She’s beautiful. It doesn’t matter if she has depth or not.”

  “Of course, it does. A man won’t be happy with a woman who is unable to think of anyone beyond herself. Besides, you’re attractive.”

  “I’m not gorgeous.”

  “I’m not gorgeous either,” Rachel said, nudging her playfully in the side. “But we’re both pretty. You can’t deny that.”

  Eva shrugged. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Your problem is that you don’t have enough confidence in yourself. You’d make any man a good wife. You just need to believe you’re worthy of being loved with undying devotion.”

  “Undying devotion? I’d be happy with contentment.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You’d want someone who would walk to the ends of the earth to be with you, someone who would love you so completely that when you’re with him, you know you’re the most important woman in his life.”

  “And you refused Zack’s courtship because…?”

  “We weren’t right for each other.”

  “But he loved you.”

  “It has to be right,” Rachel said. “It can’t be forced. I felt like it would be forced with him.”

  “You’re taking a big risk as a mail-order bride.”

  “I know. It might not be what I hope.”

  Eva studied her newfound friend’s wistful expression. “And what do you hope?”

  “That I’ll have a marriage like the one my parents have. I’ve never seen two people more in love with each other.”

  She smiled. “That’s nice.”

  “It is. They love each other more today than the day they married. That’s what love should be, you know. Something that develops softly over time without even realizing it. My ma said she loved my pa as soon as she met him and he said looking back, he loved her right away too, but at the time he didn’t know it.”

  “Sounds like your mother was a little smarter,” Eva teased.

  “She was. But maybe that just goes to show how two people can love each other when they first meet but one doesn’t know it while the other does. It comes softly to that one and grows stronger with each passing day until one defining moment when the person looks at the other and it hits them all at once. That’s romantic, don’t you think?”

  Eva would be lying if she said no, so she nodded. “I never realized you had such a romantic side to you.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t really think about love all that much, but since I’m going to be meeting my future husband soon, it’s been on my mind a lot during this trip.”

  “I can understand that. I’d be the same way if I was in your shoes.”

  The stagecoach pulled to an abrupt ha
lt, forcing them to buck forward. Eva didn’t hear the gunshots right away, but when she did, she stiffened, the cold hand of dread gripping her. Robbers? Murderers? Outlaws? But she heard this particular trail was safe from such things. She shot a startled look at Rachel who held her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream.

  Steadying her nerves, Eva dared a peek out the window.

  From next to her, Rachel grabbed her arm and whispered, “What do you see?”

  “Nothing at the moment,” she whispered in return.

  The flat prairie spanned before her, with only a tree or two dotting the landscape every few miles. She held her breath and listened. The gunshots had ceased almost as soon as they started. She could only surmise that the outlaws had killed the driver and gunman who were taking her and Rachel to their destinations. A horse neighed nearby and judging by the sound of it, it wasn’t one of the horses leading the coach.

  She turned to Rachel. “Can you see anyone on your side?”

  Rachel swallowed then scooted to her window so she could give a tentative peek out of it. She glanced at Eva and shook her head.

  Eva took a deep breath, not sure if she liked this. It was much too calm. Something was bound to happen at any moment. The question was when. She turned back to her window in time for a man’s face to pop up into view. She screamed and jerked back, accidentally pushing Rachel against the seat. The man’s nose and mouth were covered with a bandana, preventing her from identifying him, and she’d most surely would have identified him to the nearest sheriff if she knew what he looked like. Well, maybe she still could. He had hazel eyes with flecks of green around the pupils.

  “Get out,” the man called out. “And no funny business,” he added as he opened the door of the stagecoach.

  She glanced at Rachel whose face was as white as a ghost. Holding onto Rachel’s hand for comfort and support, she inched to the door.

  “Come on, ladies,” another man added in an impatient tone. “We don’t have all day.”

  “We’re coming,” Eva called out in a voice that sounded braver than she felt. Taking a deep breath, she offered Rachel an encouraging smile. “Maybe,” she whispered, “if we go along with what they want, they’ll let us go. They’re probably only after money anyway.”

  Rachel nodded. “I hope they don’t try to get familiar with us.”

  Eva hadn’t considered that. She inwardly shivered and prayed that these men were only interested in money and nothing else. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pressed forward. When they were out of the stagecoach, Eva saw that the other man was also wearing a bandana. He was sorting through their trunks, throwing their clothes aside and muttering under his breath. As much as Eva hated the thought of these men going through her things, it gave her a good measure of hope that this meant they truly were after money and nothing else.

  The man who opened the door searched the interior of the coach. Eva kept her grip firmly around Rachel’s hand, edging closer to her as they watched the man go through their drawstring purses. The men would be disappointed when they realized she and Rachel had little to their names.

  The man swore, threw the purses aside, and went over to them. They stepped back so he stopped and studied them. “Ain’t one of you Madeline Thompson?”

  They shook their heads and Eva cleared her throat to answer. “No, sir. I’m Eva Connealy and this is Rachel Larson.”

  The other man stopped going through their trunks and swore another word Eva hoped she’d never hear again for as long as she lived. “We got the wrong lady.” He glanced at them. “Well, ladies.”

  The man hit the side of the coach with his fist and uttered more words that made heat rise in her cheeks. She glanced at Rachel whose eyes were getting wider with each word. Eva guessed that whoever Madeline Thompson was, she must be wealthy for them to be this angry with the news that she wasn’t there.

  He stormed over to the trunk and the men lowered their heads to talk in tones too low for Eva to hear them. She took the opportunity to peer around the side of the stagecoach so she could see what happened to the driver and gunman. They were tied together with a rope and gagged, and a third bandit was near them, also masked so she wouldn’t be able to identify him.

  She knew this wasn’t ideal, but at least they were still alive and that meant these men weren’t murderers. They were after money but they weren’t willing to resort to killing someone to get it. Encouraged, she returned to Rachel who was only a couple feet from her and whispered, “I think we’re going to be alright. The driver and gunman are still alive.”

  Rachel nodded but hugged herself in a protective manner.

  The two men headed for the front of the stagecoach to talk to their third partner. Again, Eva couldn’t make out what they were saying, but one gestured to them then the bound driver and gunman who struggled against the ropes to no avail.

  “What do you think they’re going to do?” Rachel whispered, ignoring the strand of blonde hair that had found its way out of her bonnet.

  “It’d be nice if they let us go. We’re not the person they’re looking for and we have no money.”

  “But you’re not sure they’ll let us go?”

  As much as she’d like to argue that of course they’d let them go, she just couldn’t do it. “I don’t know. I hope they do.” She was praying they did. But who knew what they could expect from men who seemed desperate for money?

  One of the men left the group and headed over to them. She inched closer to Rachel and braced herself for whatever they had decided.

  “Get up on that horse,” he told Eva. Turning to Rachel, he said, “Get on that one.”

  “You’re not letting us go?” Eva blurted out before she had time to think over whether it was wise to speak without his permission.

  He stood quietly for a moment then finally spoke. “We can’t. We need money.”

  “But we don’t have any.”

  “I’m well aware of that, but you two can bring in a pretty penny when we sell you.”

  Rachel gasped and Eva asked, “Sell us?”

  “This area needs women. There’s bound to be men who will fight over the right to purchase two brides.”

  “But…but,” Rachel stammered, clutching the edge of her bonnet, “I’m already promised to someone in Jordan.”

  “It’s true,” Eva replied, hoping that if nothing else, they’d let Rachel go. All she had to look forward to was a teaching contract. Rachel had a man and a future to build with him, and he’d undoubtedly be upset when he learned she never made it to marry him.

  “You’re already married to him?” the man asked Rachel.

  “Well, no,” she slowly replied.

  “She’s a mail-order bride,” Eva clarified. “That’s as good as if they are married.”

  “Nothing is final until the vows are exchanged,” he said then pointed to the horse. “Get on.”

  Rachel looked at the horse where one of the men had already gotten on it. “What if my intended pays you?”

  “Men in Lewistown will pay more if there’s a bidding war over you. And I fully expect there to be a bidding war.” He glanced at Eva. “You too. You go over to that horse.”

  “What if no one bids on us?” Eva asked, knowing her chances of winning the argument was small but having to try anyway.

  He chuckled and led Rachel to his friend’s horse. “Oh, they’ll bid,” he called out to her. “You’ll be surprised to find out how much.”

  Chapter Two

  Lewistown, Montana

  Two weeks later

  Boaz Grady sat on his brother’s porch after enjoying the supper he’d been invited to. As much as he tried to focus on what his brother Mitch was saying, his gaze kept going to Leroy and Hannah. Leroy would be five in two more months, and Hannah was already three. They looked happy as they played in the lawn, and though he came out twice a week to see them, it wasn’t often enough. They were his children, after all. But after his wife died in childbirth, he turned to alco
hol for comfort and now he could only visit them. At least until he got married.

  And that was proving to be a harder task to accomplish than he thought it’d be when he posted an ad for a mail-order bride three months ago. So far he’d gotten no replies, and it didn’t look like he ever would. He was beginning to think women didn’t want to come out West to marry a man who already had two children. And he didn’t feel like waiting any longer to take them back. But his brother’s wife was right. The children were too young to go without a mother, someone who could watch them while he was working.

  His gaze went back to his children. They had the same golden hair his wife had. The girl looked so much like her, something that used to make it especially hard to see her. But every time he saw Leroy and Hannah, it got easier and now he looked forward to coming out here. He would prefer it if he brought them out here to visit Mitch, Heather, and his mother, though.

  “Then I flew off the roof until I landed in the purple hay,” Mitch said.

  Blinking, Boaz turned his attention to his brother. “What?”

  “I didn’t think you were paying attention to what I was saying,” his brother replied with a chuckle. “What’s on your mind tonight?”

  “The same thing that’s been on my mind for the past month.”

  “I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don’t see what else you can do except post another mail-order bride ad.”

  “I’ve already posted two.” Boaz leaned his head against the back of his chair. “If Ma didn’t get so sore from time to time, I’d take her to my house so she could watch them. You’re lucky. Heather just fell into your lap.”

  “I wouldn’t say she fell into my lap, but she did come when I least expected it. Women in these parts are hard to come by.”

  “I had no idea how hard.” After a moment, he asked, “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to go into a saloon and see if there’s another woman whose brother is trying to sell her in a game?”

  Mitch grimaced. “I hope you’re joking.”