Lazy Days

by Clay, Verna

  Within a month, he had harvested his crop, sold his animals and belongings, boarded his cabin up yet again, and packed his mule with necessities. Then he tied the lead of the mule to his saddle, mounted Sweet Pea, and headed out. However, instead of riding west, he rode south.

  Chapter 36: Not Just Another Day

  On a warm day, late in October, Hallie twisted the lid on the jar of apple jam that Lydia had brought the day before when visiting with Emmett and Sam. Spreading her freshly baked bread with a healthy dose of the treat, she jumped when Tim yelled, "Ma! Ma!" She rushed to the door.

  Thrusting the door open, she saw him running toward a man on horseback. Hallie's heart skipped a beat and then hammered like a runaway train. Cooper!

  She found herself racing across the yard but forced herself to stop and gather her wits. By now, Tim had reached Sweet Pea, and Cooper scooped him up and onto the back of his saddle.

  Hallie blinked rapidly to keep her tears in check. I will not cry. Cooper's seen me crying too many times. I am now a successful farm woman with beautiful land and maybe he's just passing through. Maybe he led another family to Oregon and he's on his return to Missouri. Hallie kept up a running conversation in her mind as Cooper trotted Sweet Pea forward. But maybe he's come back because of me.

  About ten feet out, he reined his horse in and lowered Tim down with one arm.

  Tim yelled, "Cooper's back!" Then he looked embarrassed. "Ah, I guess you can see that."

  Breathlessly, Hallie said, "Hello, Cooper."

  "Hello, Hallie." He dismounted.

  While Tim kicked dirt clods, Cooper and Hallie just stared at each other. Garnering all of her courage, Hallie finally asked, "Have you come to stay?"

  "That I have."

  Her eyes widened.

  His blue gaze never left her face. "If you'll have me."

  "Do you mean like husband and wife?"

  "That I do. Will you have me?"

  Hallie glanced at Tim to see his reaction. He stood with his foot poised above a clod and one of the widest grins she had ever seen. Tim's joy spurred her into action. With a shout of, "Yes! I'll have you!" she ran the distance separating them and launched herself into his arms.

  Cooper placed his lips against her ear and breathed, "Hallie, my love, I have spent the most miserable year of my life away from you. Will you give me one of your audacious kiss-"

  Before he'd finished his sentence, her lips were molded to his in a most audacious kiss.

  Tim kicked his dirt clod and shouted, "This is the best day ever!"

  Epilogue

  Holding their three-month-old daughter, Maddie, Hallie stood beside Cooper waiting for the train to come to a complete stop.

  "Would you like me to hold her?" he asked.

  Hallie noted his nervousness. "No, honey, you just watch for Jake."

  Tim said, "Okay, Pa, you watch that end of the train and I'll watch this end. I seen his picture so I think I'll recognize him."

  Cooper smiled. "Thanks, son."

  As passengers began alighting, Hallie inhaled deeply to steady her own nervousness. Since his return, Cooper had corresponded diligently with his boy. No, not a boy. He's a young man. And now she was about to meet Cooper's eighteen-year-old son for the first time.

  Tim pointed and shouted, "I think that's him!"

  Both Hallie and Cooper looked anxiously in the direction he indicated. A smile lit Cooper's face and he rushed forward, pausing in front of his son before offering his hand in a shake. Then, with their hands clasped, Cooper pulled his boy into a hug and without hesitation, Jake hugged him back.

  Cooper placed his arm around his son's shoulders and guided him toward Hallie and Tim, tears glimmering in his eyes. Hallie swallowed the lump in her throat. How she loved her kind and noble husband. Pride still welled in her heart knowing he had chanced heartbreak by traveling to Texas to seek reconciliation with his boy before returning to Oregon.

  As they approached, Hallie got a good look at the young man and marveled at how much he resembled his father, with the same piercing blue eyes and tall frame. Although not as muscular, she had a feeling that within a few years he would be as powerful as his father.

  Cooper said, "Son, I'd like you to meet my wife, Hallie."

  "Howdy ma'am." The boy's Texas twang was endearing.

  Cooper lifted the blanket to reveal their baby's face. "And this is your sister, Maddie."

  Jake said, "She's so tiny."

  Hallie laughed, "But she has a big voice. Just you wait."

  Beside Hallie, Tim stood silent. Cooper reached his arm to pull Tim against his other side. "And this is your brother, Tim."

  Jake said, "I always wanted a brother or sister and now I have both." He stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet ya."

  Tim grasped his big brother's hand and by the smiles on both their faces, Hallie knew they would forge a deep bond of friendship.

  Cooper squeezed the shoulders of his boys and when he turned his beautiful eyes on Hallie's, she knew he had finally lain to rest the ghosts from his past.

  With a heartwarming smile, he said, "Let's go home, family."

  Research Materials for Hallie: Cry of the West

  Books:

  Portraits of the Riverboats by William C. Davis. Publisher: Thunder Bay Press (hardbound)

  Traveling the Oregon Trail, A Falcon Guide, Second Edition by Julie Fanselow. Publisher: Morris Book Publishing, LLC (paperback)

  Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail by Ezra Meeker in collaboration with Howard R. Driggs, Illustrated by F. N. Wilson. Publisher: World Book Company (ebook)

  The Oregon Trail by Michael J. Trinklein. Self Published (ebook)

  The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life by Francis Parkman. Public Domain Work (ebook)

  Websites:

  Books.google.com (Images of America: Kansas City's Historic Hyde Park by Patrick Alley and Dona Boley for the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association)

  Colecohistsoc.org

  Columbiariverimages.com

  Essortment.com

  Eudorakhistory.com

  Examiner.net

  Faithmemories.com

  Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com

  Frontiertrails.com

  Hillsboro.k12.mo.us

  Historicoregoncity.org

  Lonehand.com

  OCTA-trails.org

  Oregonpioneers.com

  Oregontrailcenter.org

  PBS.org

  Santafetrailresearch.com

  Steamboats.com (A special thank you to Nori Muster for replying to my inquiry email)

  Thefreedictionary.com

  Westporthistorical.com

  Wikipedia.com

  Youtube.com/watch?v=H616a6LcCxQ (Landmarks of the Old Oregon Country Episode 6, Part 1 / harold3w)

  Author's Note

  This has been quite a journey for me. I laughed and wept with the pioneers embarking on the adventure of a lifetime beginning in Missouri and ending in Oregon. I'm certainly relieved that Hallie and Tim made it to the Willamette Valley to begin their new lives and although it took awhile, Cooper eventually worked through his issues to discover the happily-ever-after he so much deserved. Of course, I'm always saddened to leave characters who have become my friends over months of writing, so...to prolong the parting, I often create a series of books. That way, I can revisit the characters from story to story.

  As for the next book in the Finding Home Series, I have entitled it Lilah: Rescue on the Rio. Hallie's younger sister, Lilah, has been on my mind a lot. After leaving home at the age of eighteen, the life she envisioned for herself never came to fruition. In fact, most people would accuse her of living an immoral life, what with being a wealthy man's mistress.

  Although the years have been kind to her beauty, she is saddened by what she believes to be a pointless existence and longs to see her sister. However, shame keeps her from traveling the rails that now make the journey to Oregon more easily accomplished.

 
It has been over twelve years since Hallie moved to Oregon, and although Lilah still receives regular letters from her, she has not responded for over a year.

  The fact that Lilah is now thirty-eight and will never have children of her own causes her much melancholia. And it is while she is in this state of mind that Rush Garrett shows up.

  Hired by his old army buddy, Cooper Jerome, to find Cooper's sister-in-law, Rush has been a bounty hunter, scout, and trail blazer for twenty years.

  In writing the romance of Lilah and Rush, I am attempting to create lonely characters that discover a love beyond anything they could have imagined. I also want to create a feisty woman, a chivalrous albeit no-nonsense cowboy, and lots of adventure that also includes some history of the Old West.

  Rescue on the Rio: Lilah (Excerpt)

  Finding Home Series

  Chapter One: Finding Lilah

  June, 1878

  Rush Garrett lifted his hand to knock on the elaborate door of the townhouse in a quiet community off the beaten path.

  Of course it's on the outskirts; the woman is a rich man's mistress.

  The door was opened by a large boned, harsh-faced, housekeeper wearing a white apron. Standing almost as tall as Rush's six-foot-two, she said, "May I help you?"

  Rush removed his Stetson. "Yes, ma'am, I'm here to see Miss Lilah Parker."

  The housekeeper stared at Rush with such animosity that he was taken aback. Before he could introduce himself, she said curtly, "Follow me," and started walking down the central hallway. She pointed at a hat rack. "You can stow your hat there." Rush did as requested and then followed the stiff-backed woman. His expectation was that he would be ushered into the library or sitting room, but she continued up a staircase at the rear. Following an upstairs hallway leading back toward the front of the house, she paused at a door and knocked three times before opening it.

  "Please go in, sir," she said with evident hostility.

  Rush lifted an eyebrow, nodded, and stepped past her into a bedroom. The housekeeper quietly shut the door.

  Immediately, Rush's attention was drawn to a woman gazing out one of three tall windows overlooking the street. From behind, he admired her upswept honey colored hair with corkscrew curls teasing her graceful neck and bared shoulders. Her lavender dress hugged generous curves and he found himself comparing her to her tiny sister, Hallie. He almost laughed aloud. Whereas his friend's wife was thin and reed like, this woman, at least from behind, was luscious. She turned and Rush's breath whooshed from his chest. Lilah Parker was exotically beautiful with the body of a goddess; a well-endowed goddess.

  For a second she seemed unnerved, but composed herself and stepped forward. "Welcome, sir. Please make yourself comfortable. Can I pour you a glass of wine, champagne, or something stronger?"

  Rush wanted a shot of whiskey, but he said, "Ah, no ma'am. Thank you, though." He stepped further into the room. The bed to his left was distracting and he wiped images from his mind. This was Hallie's sister and Cooper had hired him to find her and persuade her to come to Oregon for a visit.

  The beauty stepped closer and Rush's brain felt like mush. He was just about to introduce himself when she stopped only a hairsbreadth from him. The top of her head reached the middle of his chest. She glanced upward. Now he had a close up of this stunning woman. He knew she was well into her thirties, and although her face was enhanced by women's paints, tiny lines could be seen at the corners of her eyes. Even so, to him, the lines only made her more desirable. Hers was the face of a woman who was anything but simpering. And although she lived in a lovely home, she did not give the impression of being spoiled. She seemed sure of herself, a woman who could hold her own in the world. Oddly, that fact increased her sensuality. However, he never mixed business with pleasure and he needed to reveal the reason for his presence.

  Unexpectedly, she reached a hand to the stubble on his face and he stared into gray-green eyes so pale as to seem otherworldly. His gaze roamed her aristocratic bone structure and straight, thin nose. On this woman, a cute up-tilted nose would have been an atrocity.

  Her hand moved from his face to the top button of his shirt, and was joined by her other hand. She said, "Would you like me to undress you?"

  "Excuse me, ma'am?"

  She sighed and her sweet breath distracted him. With nimble fingers, she unbuttoned his top button and moved to the next one. Although he still wore his duster, it did not detract her intent to undress him. Mesmerized, Rush lowered his lids to stare at her pink lips. When the top half of his shirt was unbuttoned, she slid her hands inside and caressed his upper body. For a second, he closed his eyes and wanted to give in to the craziness of the moment, but loyalty to his friends, as well as his gentlemanly instincts, would not allow it.

  Lifting his hands, he grasped her wrists to still her movements. "Ma'am, I think you've confused me with someone else. My name is Rush Garrett and I've been hired by your brother-in-law, Cooper Jerome, and your sister, Hallie, to find you and bring you to Oregon."

  The courtesan's eyes widened and she jerked her hands from inside his shirt at the same time she jumped backwards. Her foot caught on a throw rug and she started to topple. Rush grabbed her by the waist and jerked her forward, which brought her body flush against his, and he almost groaned as the lushness of her breasts molded to his lower chest. Lifting her hands, she pushed against him and backed away again.

  Her voice sounded breathless and her lips trembled when she said, "I-I don't understand."

  Patiently, Rush buttoned his shirt, and said, "I'm a friend of your brother-in-law. We served together as Northerners in the war, and, well, I'm sort of in the business of finding people, so he hired me to locate you." He reached into the pocket of his duster and retrieved an envelope. "This letter from your sister will explain everything." He stepped forward and the woman stepped backwards. Rather than approach her, he laid the letter on a nearby table.

  "Ma'am, I'll just wait downstairs while you read it."

  Abby

  Mail Order Bride

  Unconventional Series

  By

  Verna Clay

  This book is dedicated to those who do not always follow the dictates of convention.

  Abby: Mail Order Bride

  Unconventional Series

  Copyright © 2012 by Verna Clay

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  For information contact:

  VernaClay@VernaClay.com

  Website: www.VernaClay.com

  Published by:

  M.O.I. Publishing

  "Mirrors of Imagination"

  Cover Design: Verna Clay

  Pictures: Dreamstime

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

  Preface

  The year I chose for beginning the love story between Brant Samson and Abigail Mary Vaughn is 1886, and the setting is Central/Eastern Texas, a place of rolling hills, many trees, and lush vegetation. In my research, I discovered that the winter of 1886-1887 was severe and didn't bode well for the cattle industry. That fact worked well with my story.

  Except for the obvious cities of Philadelphia, Abilene, Dallas, and Ft. Worth, the towns and geographical places I describe are figments of my imagination.

  This story is first and foremost a romance, the body of which revolves around the sorrows, dreams, and emotional healings of its characters.

  Enjoy the Romance,

  Verna Clay

  Order of books in the Unconventional Series:

  Abby: Mail Order Bride

  Broken Angel

  Ryder's Salvation

  Chapter 1: Courage or Folly?

  Abigail picked up the newspaper advertisement for the hundredth time, read it again, reread it, and tossed
it back on the desk in her library. Smoothing her hand over the sides of her auburn hair and the bun at the nape of her neck, she pushed her chair back and walked from the library to the parlor. Pacing the length of the lovely room, she stopped occasionally to straighten a vase or lift a family photo, all the while contemplating something so crazy it made her heart pound.

  After an hour, she squared her shoulders, returned to the library, sat at her desk, slipped a piece of stationary from the drawer, reached for her ink and quill, and wrote:

  March 18, 1886

  Dear Mr. Samson,

  I am writing to introduce myself. My name is Abigail Mary Vaughn and I read your classified advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer seeking a wife to help raise your three children. I would like to recommend myself. By trade, I am a teacher and that would benefit your children.

  I have never been married and I am thirty-eight years old. I have lived in Philadelphia all my life and taught school for the past eighteen years. I am an only child and my parents died last year so there are no responsibilities keeping me here. I have always desired my own family, but circumstances of caring for my elderly parents prevented that.

  I do not believe in withholding information, so I have been candid in my response to you. I hope to hear from you.

  —Miss Abigail Mary Vaughn

  Before she could react and change her mind, Abigail enclosed the letter in an envelope and asked Harry Puffins, her old servant, to walk it to the post office not far from her home near the city's center.