Once Upon a Mail Order Bride
Accused of crimes he didn’t commit, ex-preacher Ridge Steele is
forced to give up everything he knew and make his home with outlaws. Desperate
for someone to confide in, he strikes up correspondence with mail-order bride
Adeline Jancy, finding in her the open heart he’s been searching for. Upon her
arrival, Ridge discovers Addie only communicates through the written word, but
he knows a little of what trauma can do to a person and vows to stand by her
side.
Addie is eager to start a new life with the kind ex-preacher and
the little boy she’s stolen away from her father—a zealot priest of a
terrorized flock. As her small family settles into life at Hope’s Crossing, she
even begins to find the voice, and confidence, she’d lost so long ago.
But danger is not far behind, and her father will not be denied.
While Addie desperately fights the man who destroyed her childhood, a
determined Ridge races to the rescue. The star-crossed lovers will need more
than prayers to survive this final challenge…and find their way back to each
other again.
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Now an excerpt for your reading pleasure.
Ridge glanced at the woman sitting
next to Josie with a black lace scarf covering her head and
obscuring most of her face. She seemed to huddle deeper into the folds, as
though wishing to escape his notice.
He started around the wagon to help
his bride down and introduce himself when Luke Legend steered him
away from the others.
Luke kept his voice low. “There’s something you need to know before you meet Adeline.”
His chest tightened. Was she disfigured? Was that the reason for the veil? “What’s that?”
“She can’t speak.”
Shock jolted Ridge. “What do you
mean she can’t talk? Can’t for a medical reason? Did someone cut out her
tongue?”
He’d heard how bad prison was and
had once met a convict who shook and jerked all the time. Someone had used him
as a test subject for a new device, rigged up with paper soaked in
saltwater and something to do with zinc and copper.
A search of his
memory brought no recollection of Adeline mentioning
this in the few letters they’d exchanged.
“Nothing like that,” Luke assured
him. “It’s more like she won’t try. The doctor at the prison said they kept her
in isolation for the whole three years as part of her punishment. With no one
to talk to, she seems to have forgotten how. Anyway, she’s going to require a
lot of understanding.” Luke shifted and the silver conches running up the sides
of his black pant legs flashed in the sunlight. “There’s more.”
Good Lord, what else? What did that
prison do to her?
“Someone’s hunting her.”
A wave of fury crashed over Ridge. His voice held a sharp edge. “Who? And for what reason?”
“Don’t know, but Adeline does. I was waiting for her at the prison and overheard two men talking about her. One said the best time to grab her was when she came out, and that the money for the job would keep them well off.” Luke grinned. “I took her out the back way.”
“Dammit!” Ridge studied the faint
bruises on his friend’s jaw that said he’d had to fight to keep Adeline safe.
Anger rose. Ridge clenched his fist. Whoever wanted to harm her would now have
to deal with him.
“When they realized what we’d done,
they chased us. I was barely able to get her onto a train to Fort Worth.” Luke
paused. “Wish I knew more.”
“Makes two of us.”
“The question is…do you still want to marry a hunted woman? One who might never speak?”
Here was an excuse if he wanted to
take it. It was unlikely that anyone would fault him for it. Only one thing
wrong with that—he wasn’t happy the way he was. He needed more from life
than merely existing from one day to the next. And what about Adeline? His
rejection might finish the process of destroying her. Plus, she needed
protection—and that was something he at least knew how to give.
“Yes, I’ll marry her—if she’ll have
me.”
Luke slapped his back. “Then I’ll
introduce you and we’ll plan a wedding.”
Ridge took some nervous breaths and
matched Luke’s stride as they moved toward the wagon. Luke helped her
down. She didn’t lift her head. Ridge, well over six feet, towered above the
slim, petite woman.
Adeline wore a simple dress of blue
calico that hugged in all the right places. Ridge grew warm thinking about
running his hands over those curves. The strands of blond hair poking from the
heavy black scarf were golden in color, deep and rich.
Luke put an arm around her. “Miss
Jancy, meet your bridegroom, Ridge Steele. I personally vouch for his
character. I’ve fought by his side and know he’s a good man to have around.
He’ll fight for you until you’re strong enough to do it yourself.”
She stood rooted in silence. Ridge
wished he could see her face.
“That’s a promise, Miss Adeline.” Ridge cursed his suddenly raspy voice. She struck him as a wounded, exhausted little wren, battered by heavy storms. “Thank you for coming. I’m only an outlaw, a wanted man with little to my name. But everything I have is yours—if you want it.”
She lifted her head and removed the
black scarf. Kissed by the sunshine, her hair curled around her shoulders and
flowed down her back. Emerald eyes stared up at him, framed by thick dark
lashes and a jolt raced through him.
Here stood the brave, determined
woman he’d seen under a Fort Worth night.
Ridge sucked in a breath. He’d been
right in thinking she’d be pretty in the daylight. By God, she was beautiful.
Although the others stood there, they’d somehow melted away. Adeline
was the only person he could see. Shoulders squared, her determined gaze bored
into him and her chin raised a notch. Despite everything, she had fight left in
her. He’d probably find out how much if he didn’t watch it.
Did she recognize him as well? Her
expression didn’t indicate if she did. But then it’d been dark that night, and
his Stetson had shielded most of his face.
He brought her hand to his lips and
cleared his throat. “Miss Adeline, I’d be honored if you’d be my wife. Will you
accept my proposal?”
One jerk of her head confirmed her
answer.
“Is tomorrow too soon? Or would you
rather wait a few days?”
Panic crossed her face. Taking the paper and pencil Luke handed her, Adeline wrote, “Tomorrow.”
***
Excerpted from Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday. © 2020 by Linda Broday. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Meet the Author
A New York Times and USA
Today bestselling author, Linda has won many awards, including the
prestigious National Readers’ Choice Award and the Texas Gold.
She resides in the Texas
Panhandle where she’s inspired every day.
Her love of history and the Old
West was born from watching TV westerns and visiting museums and libraries. She
has always been an avid reader and books opened up entirely new exciting worlds
that seemed limited only by her imagination.
Cowboys have always fascinated Linda
and she often thinks she was born 150 years too late. She loves writing about
those men, their ladies, and the struggles they endure in trying to carve out a
small place to call home.
For more on Linda and her
writing, visit her website at https://lindabroday.com/
Thanks so much for stopping by
today. I hope the excerpt entices you to pick up this book. Also be sure to
enter the giveaway below. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up, you can
still enter by clicking HERE.
Isn’t there just something magical about the old west and the love stories inspired by it?
That poor woman. I hope she has found sanctuary and healing. I am confident that she has.
ReplyDeleteLinda Broday writes wonderful tales of historical western romance--my favorite genre. Addie's story sounds very compelling.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting premise for a book! And there's something about the possibility of a new start that can add a lot to a story. Thanks for sharing, Mason.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really unique story line.
ReplyDelete