Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Vanessa Devereaux
ISBN: 978-1-77233-196-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Kerry Genova
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To My Writing Students…I learn as much from you as you do from me, thank you.
SHAUN AND JON
Big Sky County, 4
Vanessa Devereaux
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Grantsville, Big Sky County-Present Day
“You probably know every single one of Grantsville’s secrets from the past,” said Jennifer, sitting on the rocking chair on Mrs. Hunt’s front porch.
“Yes, I probably do,” said Mrs. Hunt. Ninety-five years old, but still as sharp as anyone half her age. Fifth generation Montana resident and great-granddaughter of one of Big Sky County’s most well-known ranchers. The old lady picked up her glass of iced tea and gave it a stir to dislodge some of the sugar that had settled at the bottom. “Some tales aren’t for the faint-hearted and best left a secret.”
Yeah, sharp as a tack and probably guessed why Jennifer was feeding her tea and cookies. She wanted that job, had to get the scoop, and she’d do anything to land it. Well, with the exception of sleeping with the editor in chief. That’s where she drew the line and hence her desperation in trying to pry information out of the county’s leading historian.
“Really?” asked Jennifer.
Mrs. Hunt nodded. “Grantville had its fair share of houses of ill repute during the height of its copper mining days.”
That wasn’t the first time that Jennifer had heard that. In fact, a few residents claimed to be descendants of a few of those ladies of the night, but that wasn’t anything new. Jennifer needed an angle, dirt…anything.
Jennifer took a sip of her own tea before glancing at her watch. She’d already spent two hours with Mrs. Hunt hoping to find something, just one tiny skeleton in the closet she could use as a story for her upcoming series in Big Sky County Magazine which would focus on the past of all the candidates that were running for sheriff, the school board, and district attorney. So far, nothing meaty that she could sink her teeth into.
Mrs. Hunt leaned back on her chair, making it squeak. “Yeah, lots of stories most people want forgotten.”
Jennifer looked across the table at her. Now she was intrigued even more. She could spare another thirty minutes or so if Mrs. Hunt was willing to spill the beans.
“Any resident have any skeletons in the closet?” asked Jennifer, pouring Mrs. Hunt another glass of the sweet brew. Jennifer had never been one for diplomacy, and the main reason she was a damn good reporter. Although according to her mother, the reason she couldn’t hold on to a man long enough for him to think about settling down with her.
“Indeedy yes. Some folks have so many skeletons rattling around in the cupboard they haven’t room for even a pair of pants.”
Jennifer laughed.
“We’ve had our share of outlaws of course. But I think our biggest one might be the Nolan-Delaney one.”
“Nolan-Delaney? You mean as in Connor Nolan-Delaney who’s running for sheriff and his sister who opened the…”
“Sex shop. Yes, those Nolan-Delaneys. Most people think it’s some upper crust, double hyphened name, but I’ve read the journal. I know how that came about.” Mrs. Hunt took another sip of tea and tapped her fingers on the table.
Connor Nolan-Delaney, just thinking about him made her panties wet.
“Connor’s one of Grantsville’s most eligible bachelors,” said Jennifer, wanting to know more and hoping Mrs. Hunt would take the bait.
“Oh yes, he is. Fine looking man. All of the Nolan-Delaneys are blessed in that department.”
“So his family was involved in some sort of scandal?”
“I’m not too old to know that you’re trying to lure me into telling all. The topping up of the tea and yes, I will have another one of those cookies you brought along with you.”
Jennifer slid the plate of peanut butter cookies across the table.
“I’m not sure if Connor or his parents, or even his grandparents know about it.”
“Is it really bad?”
“Depends on what you consider bad. I’m not a prude by any means, but some are.”
Prude. It had something to do with sex. Now she was getting somewhere. Who didn’t love a scandal that involved sex?
“They had an illegitimate child?” asked Jennifer.
“Lot more scandalous than that.” She put her hand over her mouth again.
“If it’s more than that and that would have been what the late 1800s, it had to be pretty wild.”
“I guess so.”
Mrs. Hunt tapped her fingers again. “I can feel you looking at me, willing me to tell you and I won’t.”
“I love gossip.”
“Oh, this isn’t gossip. Sarah’s journal shares the whole story.” She put her hand over her mouth yet again. “Have you slipped something into this tea, the cookies maybe?”
“I’m a journalist so my stare alone makes people want to tell me everything.”
Mrs. Hunt stood and Jennifer thought she was going to tell her it was about time she left.
“I’m going to give you the journal that no one else has ever seen,” said Mrs. Hunt.
Jennifer followed Mrs. Hunt into the house, to the living room to be exact. She opened a safe by the gun cabinet and pulled out a well-worn leather bound notebook.
“When Katherine Nolan-Delaney died she left instructions that her collection of books on Montana history, along with her maps, be given to the Grantsville Historical Society. I don’t think she had any idea that her mother’s journal was among those items. Probably be horrified if she knew someone outside the family had read it.”
Jennifer ran her finger over the now scared leather.
“I read it and let’s just say my hair wasn’t this curly before.”
“Bodice ripper is it?”
“Erotic romance of its time…not that I ever read those sorts of novels.” Mrs. Hunt turned crimson.
“So I can borrow this and read it at my leisure?”
“Absolutely but what you read in its covers has to stay with you. I don’t want you using what you’ve found out about the family against Connor or his sister or any of the other Nolan-Delaneys for that matter. He’s a nice young man and he’s going to make one hell of a sheriff.”
“What’s between these covers won’t pass my lips.”
Chapter Two
Somewhere between Kansas City and Montana, 1886
Sarah looked back one more time before the train left the plains of Kansas. Maybe she’d see it again, maybe not. She had a new life and a husband to be awaiting her in Montana. She closed her eyes trying to imagine what the mountains and streams would really look like. So far, they’d only been described to her by her future husband. He’d called the scenery surrounding the homestead as breathtaking.
She looked up to see Nina returning to her seat. She still looked pale. Maybe Sarah should have insisted that they delay the journey until her cousin had completely recovered from the nasty cold she’d had for what seemed like forever.
“Did your walk up and down
the carriages do you some good?” Sarah asked her.
“I think it did. Although the smoke billowing in through the windows has made my chest hurt with all the coughing I had to do.”
Sarah reached across and put her hand on her cousin’s knee. “You look hot. Are you sure you’re not running a fever?”
“I believe I am, but I think it’s because so many people are on this train. Who would have thought this many would be traveling west.”
She reached into her tapestry bag and pulled out the dark brown bottle in which Dr. Hattesby had mixed a tonic to get her through the long journey. Nina twisted off the top and took two big gulps before pulling a face. The train chose that moment to shake from side to side, sending some of the liquid down the front of Nina’s dress.
“Oh no, what will my groom think of me arriving with a stained dress?”
“We’ll get it cleaned up,” said Sarah.
Nina yawned. “This stuff does make me very sleepy. I think I’ll shut my eyes for just a little bit.”
“Here, take my shawl and use it as a pillow.” Sarah rolled her blue shawl into a tight wad and handed it to her cousin, who laid down and put it under her head.
The train rocked from side to side and soon Nina was asleep. Sarah wished she could rest as easily too, but she couldn’t and not just because of the noise and hard wooden seat. She was still nervous about the decision she’d made. To accompany her cousin to the west, and like her, be a mail order bride and be joined in matrimony with a man she’d never met.
Sarah lifted her bag and placed it on her lap. She rummaged through it for the last letter her soon-to-be husband had written to her. She found it underneath her spare hat, took it out, unfolded it, and sat it across her lap.
He had nice penmanship. And that coming from a teacher was a compliment.
You will not believe the beauty of this place. It takes your breath away every single day and seeing it never grows old. There’s a lake by the property. It’s pristine and crystal clear. I know that you will love it here. What a wonderful thing that my friend and neighbor asked your cousin if she knew of any other young lady who would also like to venture out west, and that she immediately thought of you. It was almost as if it was fate for me to gain a bride too.
Back in Kansas people thought them crazy for wanting to settle in a land known for its untamed wilderness and sometimes brutally cold and snowy winters.
Even though Sarah loved teaching, since Nina had lost both her father and husband, the two ladies felt there was little to keep them in Kansas. She’d been basically raised with Nina like they were sisters so it seemed fitting that wherever one ventured the other would follow too.
“He has a friend who owns the land next door. He tells me he is a fine and decent gentleman and would make a wonderful husband. Oh please say you’ll go west with me. We’ll be neighbors and our children will grow up together.” Nina had tugged on her arm and she’d never heard her cousin sound so excited about anything ever before. Not even when her late husband, had proposed to her.
How could Sarah say no? The poor young woman had lost her father and husband in the space of one year. Maybe a new beginning is what they both needed and like Nina had said, they’d be there for one another always and forever.
She carefully folded the letter and put it back in her bag as the train rattled along the tracks. Seemed like they’d been on it for weeks and her back and buttocks were sore from sitting on the wooden seats. The dust too was thick on the floor and her clothes were covered in grime. Maybe that lake would be the ideal place to bath and rid herself of the last remnants of the east.
She looked out of the window. She’d be a married woman soon. There’d be a husband to cook and sew for and she’d be obliged to provide him with pleasure in his bed. There’d be a wedding night. By what she’d heard the first time was hell but by the sound of his letters, Jon seemed a nice and tender man. She was sure he’d be gentle with her.
And not that she knew much about the act of sex. Only things she’d picked up from hearing Nina talk about her life with her late husband. Jon would have to teach her and show her how she could please him.
Nina turned over, her face now toward Sarah. Her nose twitched and her breathing looked somewhat labored, and her brow thick with perspiration. Water. Nina needed water. Not only to drink but to cool her face and head.
Sarah stood, remembering she’d seen a jug of water for general use in the next carriage. She dug into her bag again and pulled out a white handkerchief and stood. She made her way down the aisle with the train rocking so badly, she had to hold on to the edges of the seats to keep her balance. She walked farther along and opened the door to the next carriage, holding on once again as the train rocked steadily on the tracks. She saw the jug in question and made her way toward it. First dampening the handkerchief and then taking a tin cup and pouring some water into it. She held it close to her as she made her way back to her seat. She sat and glanced once again at her cousin.
Nina looked fast asleep now, so peaceful that Sarah hated to disturb her, but she figured her cousin could get dehydrated if she didn’t drink something.
“Nina,” said Sarah, touching her arm gently. “I’ve got some water for you and a damp handkerchief for your head.”
Nina did not answer or stir.
“Nina, I have some water,” repeated Sarah, pulling on her arm a little harder. With that, Nina’s arm went limp and her hand slumped downward and now rested on the carriage floor.
Something was wrong. Sarah got on her knees and looked at Nina again. She wasn’t breathing. She felt for a pulse in her wrist and then her neck, neither place had one.
“Is there a doctor on board?” Sarah shouted, knowing it was probably too late for her cousin, but she couldn’t completely give up hope.
There was a hush and even the train itself seemed to have grown quiet. All eyes were upon her.
“Anyone know if there’s a doctor’s on board?” asked Sarah again.
“I’ll go ask the train master,” said a man hurrying to the next carriage.
“Is there anything we can do to help,” said an elderly lady who was sitting with a man.
“I think my cousin has passed away in her sleep.”
“Oh dear lord,” said the lady.
The train master arrived with another man in tow.
“Miss, you wanted a doctor and I’ve found one on board for you.”
“It’s my cousin, she’s been unwell. She went to sleep and I can’t feel a pulse.”
The small bald man got down on his knees and held Nina’s wrist and then put his ear onto her chest.
“I’m so sorry, Miss, but your cousin has passed.”
A tear slid down Sarah’s face just as there was a general grasp throughout the carriage.
“Are you both traveling to Montana?” asked the train master.
“Yes, yes, we are.”
“Perhaps we can move your cousin to someplace where you can sit with her and have some final moments together,” he said.
The old lady and man walked over and wrapped their arms around Sarah.
“Honey, if there’s anything we can do, you just let us know.”
Sarah nodded. “Thank you.”
There wasn’t anyone to inform back home about Nina’s death. Sarah was suddenly scared, not only of making the rest of the journey on her own, but of having no one else in the new land she was traveling to. Maybe she should get off at the next stop and head back to Kansas City.
Chapter Three
Jon looked at himself in the mirror and straightened his shirt collar. The train with the future Mrs. Delaney would be arriving in town in less than an hour. His neighbor, who lived a mile away due west, was coming by to collect him so they could ride together. He was heading to the station to pick up his bride.
Slicking his hair back one more time, he heard a wagon approaching and glanced out to see Shaun pulling it up outside. He took one more look around the place. He
’d tidied up somewhat and hoped she wouldn’t look at the place and decide to head back on the next train out.
Right now, it wasn’t much to see but in time it would look like a palace once a woman put her feminine touch to it. He grabbed the flowers he’d picked for Sarah. Shaun had thought it would be a good idea if they greeted the ladies with something girly, and flowers seemed to be the best thing.
He opened the door and headed out, the cool wind picking up as he walked toward Shaun’s wagon. He climbed up and noticed that Shaun had placed pillows and a blanket in the back seat.
“I hope the ladies will be comfortable back there,” he said pulling on the reins and urging the horse to move forward.
“I’m sure it will be just fine. Looks like we might get some rain later.”
“Let’s hope it’s not until after we have safely delivered the ladies back here,” said Shaun.
Jon put on his hat and tried to get as comfortable as he could for the journey into town. It had rained last week when he’d ridden to the general store to pick up supplies. Now he’d have a companion to ride with him each time he did that. How quickly his life was about to change.
Sarah had said she knew how to cook and that was one of the reasons he’d selected her. Even if she wasn’t attractive, he’d have a good meal waiting for him at the end of each day.
“They’re probably both going to be dead on their feet,” said Shaun, jarring him out of his train of thought.
“You remember how we slept for days when we first traveled here?” asked Jon.
“Do you ever regret leaving New York?”
“No, nothing for me back there. How about you?”
“Same here and now we’ll both have wives. Children too one day soon.”
Jon swallowed. A wife and kids. Less than a year ago, he’d never thought of himself as a family man. A loner if anything but there was something about the sheer beauty of this place that made a man what to share it with another human being.
Shaun and Jon Page 1
