Mail Order Bride 22 Book Boxed set: 22 Brides Ride West :CLEAN Western Historical Romance Series Bundle

by Faye Sonja

  There was a knock on Joshua’s door. “Come in.”

  U.S. Marshal James Edgar walked into the room. His boots made an authoritative sound as it hit the hardwood floor. He was the man who fought to give Joshua a chance to make amends with America. After all the nasty things Joshua had done, Marshal Edgar vouched for him, a stranger, after seeing Joshua stand up against Tobias Steele. Joshua would always be grateful that the man saved him a fate probably worse than death or close. “Heard you caught Day and Knight last week.”

  Joshua gave the man a simple nod.

  “Found Big Willie yet?”

  “Not yet,” Joshua said as he leaned back into his chair.

  Marshal Edgar took a seat. “Heard you arrested one of your old contacts.”

  Joshua nodded his head again. Rogg had actually been a friend at one point, but he didn’t have to say that part aloud. James’ next words surprised him. “He was set up.”

  Joshua narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Edgar’s mouth kind of tilted in a grin. “We were testing you, Joshua. Rogg works for us now.”

  Joshua stared at the man, trying to figure him out. He was remembering arresting Rogg and the turmoil that a part of him had felt while doing it. But now… “Why?” He had to know.

  “We had to see if we could trust you, Joshua. You’ve proven that you’d arrest people close to you and that you’d turn down any amount of money they could offer. It was a test. You passed.” A full grin on his face.

  Joshua was astonished. “What does all this mean?”

  James leaned back in his chair. “None of the boys in Texas believed you would pass, but I knew you would.” He was nodding his head like he could see something in Joshua that others couldn’t. “So, it means the job doesn’t have to be a temporary one if you want it.”

  Joshua lifted a brow. “You mean, you’re going to let me walk around with a star for the rest of my life?”

  “So help me God?” James asked, leaning in, studying Joshua’s face.

  James was asking him to take the oath he’d given a few years back, permanently. The oath of a United States Marshal. Before, Joshua did it to save his own life. But now, looking into James’ eyes, this was the real deal. Joshua took a deep breath. Did he really want this job? The answer was clear. “So help me God.”

  James smiled, stood, and held out his head. Joshua joined him and grabbed his in return. And just like that, the deal was sealed. James walked back to the door he came out of. “You look beat. Take a break, will ya?” Then he was gone.

  Joshua smiled. A break sounded good. He looked down at the letter on his desk. Faith’s letter. A break sounded really good.

  * * *

  Faith walked briskly along the town’s boardwalk, crossed through the snow of Perry Lake’s main road, and made it to the other side; her destination, the mailroom. “Morning, Liam,” she said, but didn’t spare the man a glance. Faith had a gritty smile on her face as she opened her box. She shuffled through some work orders, until she found what she was looking for, but felt her face slip when there was nothing there. There was no letter from Joshua. It had been two weeks since she’d written him. He only lived a day’s ride away. Surely, he received it. Faith hadn’t been by the mailroom in a while. Between the children and Hannah’s wedding, which would be in another few weeks, she’d been too busy to check. But now, Faith finally had a moment of peace. A moment to herself and she’d been looking forward to Joshua’s letter and there wasn’t one. Maybe he’d taken her advice. Maybe he decided to let her go. Maybe…

  “Hey, Firefly.”

  Faith swung her body around too quick and almost lost her balance. Her heart leaped into her throat, making it hard to breathe, or even to speak. Joshua.

  Joshua moved from the dark corner of the room and came fully into view. A pleased smile on his strikingly handsome face. His strong jaw recently shaved. He was wearing a black suit that fit his tall, toned statue perfectly, but also added to the dangerous aura he already possessed. He took off his hat, and his dark brown eyes twinkled down at Faith. His long lashes softened his features, but only by so much.

  One of Joshua’s hands moved through his short dark brown hair, pushing a loose lock back. The highlights caught the light from the open windows. Faith closed her eyes when she got a faint whiff of his cologne. Woody. Masculine. Her green eyes popped open. Joshua stood only a foot away now. He was close. Too close.

  Faith’s eyes darted to Liam. The man’s interest was clear. Faith’s eyes quickly flew back to Joshua’s the moment he took that last step, bringing himself terribly close to Faith. He spoke in his low rumble of a voice that vibrated from his throat. “You scared, Firefly?”

  Faith blushed. The arrogance. Yes, she was. She was scared of Joshua for sure, but she was also scared of gossip. Liam took mental notes of the scene. She’d have to get Joshua out of here and somewhere private. She couldn’t afford anyone to overhear their conversation. If Faith had relatives, she would have a chaperone with her at all times. But the only people Faith had were her children, meaning she was her own woman. The law said a single woman could buy property, sue, and even own firearms. Faith owned her own shop. Faith answered to no one. She could talk to Joshua in private if she wanted to and if he tried to get frisky, she had no qualms with hitting him again.

  Faith discretely threw her eyes in the direction of the door, then skirted past Joshua and headed toward it. He got her signal to follow, but stayed back for a moment so that they would appear less conspicuous. Faith didn’t answer to anyone, but she had a reputation to uphold.

  Joshua walked a few yards behind Faith, making sure people wouldn’t see them together. She was a classy woman. Joshua liked that. He respected that… as much as he could. She was beautiful. He watched from a few feet back as she talked to a woman who stopped her. He watched the way her hands held on to the edges of her cloak’s hood, the way her long red hair covered her shoulders and continued down her small form, the way her green eyes glittered.

  Faith glanced at him, quickly, and the second had been enough to make his heart flutter. He watched as color came to her pale cheeks. Faith quickly moved across the street, and Joshua followed. She opened a door and walked in. After a full minute, Joshua followed. Faith closed and locked the door behind them, flipping a sign so people would know she was closed. He’d seen her do all of this from behind her, but she didn’t turn around to meet his face.

  Joshua placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned his chin on top of her head and breathed in her scent. He’d ridden through a blizzard to get here, just for a chance to see her. It was worth it. To know she was real was enough. Joshua was so in love with her that at times, he felt like he was drowning, losing himself. He couldn’t explain it, it was all he had.

  “Why?” she asked in the quiet, as if she could hear his thoughts.

  Still, Joshua wanted her to ask the question. “Why what?”

  Faith turned around then. There was a fire in her green eyes. She placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back a step. She did it gently. The touch of her fingers communicated to Joshua just what she wanted and he obliged. His hand fell to his sides.

  Faith’s hand fell as well. Her shoulders slumped. She shook her head and looked away at nothing in particular. “Do you really love me?” Her eyes returned to him once the words were out. She looked into his eyes, looking for truth.

  Joshua took a step towards her. “You already know the answer to that question.”

  Faith looked away. She did, but she didn’t understand. “Why?”

  Joshua took that final step and was finally back where he started. His hand cupped her chin, bringing her face towards his. Faith looked into his eyes. His were serious, almost mad. “Because you make me feel.”

  Faith drew her brows together. “I don’t understand. Feel what?” she whispered.

  “That’s just it. I can feel in the general sense of the word.”

  Faith pulled back out of his hold. She w
rapped her arms around herself. “I don’t understand that, Joshua.”

  Joshua sighed. “I haven’t felt anything in a long time. Most of my life, all I’ve felt was anger or sadness, but after a while, nothing. Almost to the point where I wasn’t sure what the meaning of life was or if I was even human.”

  Faith shook her head. “That sounds awful, Joshua.”

  Joshua shrugged. “I never thought so. I’d been told it was good. I was the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper doesn’t feel, he just does.” Joshua felt his face go blank and watched Faith’s eyes widen at the expression. He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew what she was experiencing. Fear. Joshua brought fear to so many people over the years that after a while, nothing affected him. Not until he saw Faith. She was a desert mirage of paradise. His light in a tunnel of darkness. A guiding light on a treacherous night. A firefly.

  Joshua opened his eyes when he felt a hand touch his cheek. Faith’s eyes held an emotion he hadn’t seen directed at him in a long time. It was the look of someone who cared. No pity. No disgust. Just comfort. Joshua grabbed Faith’s hand as if it were the last life raft on a sinking ship, holding it where it touched him. His next words were soft. “But the moment I saw you, I knew.”

  “Knew what?”

  Joshua smiled. “That God sent you to me.”

  Faith pulled her hand from his. Joshua didn’t stop her. Some of the light slid from behind Joshua’s eyes. “You can’t be serious, Joshua.”

  “Your wagon broke down in the middle of nowhere.”

  Faith shrugged. “It happens.”

  “You lost a horse you didn’t let loose.”

  Faith glanced away from him. “He probably slipped from the strips.”

  Joshua narrowed his eyes. “He slipped from his strap, wandered out into the hot desert, and couldn’t be seen for miles on a flat surface?”

  Faith narrowed her eyes. “You think God took the horse and loosened my wheel?”

  Joshua smiled.

  Faith rolled her eyes. “You’re crazy, Joshua.”

  “Everything I’ve written you still stands.”

  Faith blushed, remembering some of her favorite lines from his letters, especially the fact that he loved her. “You’re crazy for that as well.”

  “Maybe.” He grinned.

  Faith smiled too. They didn’t say anything else for a moment, allowing the silence to wrap around them. The faint sound of builders down the road could be heard. Footsteps of people passing by filling the quiet every now and then, but not much else.

  Joshua broke the silence. “Will you marry me, Faith?”

  Faith looked up into Joshua’s eyes. He said the words, but what Faith had heard was ‘save me’. And with that thought, Faith more than ever, wanted to say yes. She wanted to do whatever the man in front of her wanted her to do. She hated to admit it, but she started to feel something for him. It had been easy to reject him with letters. The only memories of him in person were short and very public. The only other time they’d been even remotely alone was the day she punched him.

  Yet, now, the things Joshua shared were so intimate. Joshua trusted her with his dark side. There is nothing more sacred than confessed sins and worst nightmares. Joshua, with his words, gave her power over him. Ammunition. Things she could throw back in his face if she chose to. He opened himself up to her and Faith, now only wished to cradle this big strong man in her arms and tell him that everything would be all right. But it wouldn’t be. “I can’t have children,” Faith said. Now he had ammunition, too.

  Joshua’s eyes widened, right before a grin spread over his face. He laughed.

  Faith leaned back as though she’d been struck.

  Joshua calmed and grabbed her shoulders. He was still smiling when he spoke. “Is that it?”

  Faith narrowed her eyes. “Is that it? That’s everything. There’s no other reason to marry but to procreate.”

  Joshua rolled his eyes in the most adorable fashion. “I think you’ve got enough kids for the both of us,” he whispered, a smile still on his face.

  Faith’s heart sped up. He was so handsome, yet dangerous for so many reasons. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have to say a thing. A hard knock on the door behind her startled them both.

  It was Samantha. Her face looked ready to fight, until she spotted Joshua. Then, there was nothing but stars in her brown eyes. Her tough little Sam, softened by the smile of a man. Faith shook her head. Did Joshua affect every woman in this way? “Hi, Marshal.” All the kids called him that. He visited a when he would show up in town to visit his brothers, but Faith would try to avoid him, though not the girls. Since the first day they met him, they’d all fallen in love with him. The fact sometimes bothered her. It did nothing to help her stance on not getting married, which seemed to be the only thing all her friends wanted from her. Some of her friends, Hannah and Katherine, had even been bold enough to suggest her marrying Joshua. They had nerve.

  “Miss Sam,” Joshua said, giving her a small bow. “Please tell me that your day has been just as bright as your smile.”

  Samantha blushed. Faith’s eyes widened and turned to Joshua. “You’re just as bad as Mark.”

  “He learned from the best.” Joshua winked one of his crystal black eyes at her.

  Faith stopped breathing. Sam’s words got her breathing again.

  “Peter’s been arrested.”

  Faith’s heart stopped once again.

  * * *

  4

  “You Like Her?”

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  “ … but she couldn’t marry a man.

  She would never marry. ”

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  Joshua was right behind Faith when she rushed through the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Graves greeted them immediately. “Marshal Reaper. Didn’t know you were in town.”

  Joshua shook the man’s hand as he spoke, but his eyes stayed with Faith as he went over to the temporary holding cell. “Sheriff, what’s going on?”

  Sheriff Graves sighed and he placed his hands on his hips. He was whispering. “Peter has gotten himself into another fight.”

  Joshua narrowed his eyes at the younger man. “What happened?”

  “Him and that John Miller Jr., that everyone calls JJ. They got into another fight. The boys are the same age. Fifteen. But Peter is a lot bigger.”

  “So, why the fighting?” Faith was hanging on to the bars, talking to Peter. Samantha stood beside her ma. Joshua couldn’t see Peter from this angle, but knew today would be the day he’d finally meet the boy. From what Joshua had always been told when he’d come to visit, Peter didn’t hang around the rest of the family, He kept to himself, wandering around town if he wasn’t working. Everyone always had a worried look on their face when he was brought up. Joshua didn’t like that. From across the room, he could hear the tears in Faith’s voice.

  The sheriff sighed. “Well, JJ’s got quite a mouth on him.”

  Joshua averted his eyes back to the man. “So, it was a fight. Why isn’t JJ here?”

  “The fight happened at Mr. Miller’s shop this time. Apparently, Peter went over there lookin’ for one. I had to arrest him. Mr. Miller wanted it done.”

  Faith came back over. “Can’t you let him out?” The plea was clear in her voice and on her face. Her green eyes glittered with unshed tears. “He didn’t mean anything, Sheriff. It’s just two kids fighting. That’s all.”

  “I’m sorry, Faith,” the sheriff said. “I’ve got to hold him for this one.” He turned to Joshua then. “But I might be able let him out by tonight if the Marshal wants to take him.”

  Joshua looked over Graves. The young man was studying him. Joshua knew what was going on. The sheriff was trying to do him a favor. He’d probably want something in return later. It’s how law enforcement worked sometimes. Scratching each other’s backs and helping one another out… things of that nature
.

  Faith placed her hands on the arms of his coat. “Please, Joshua. He can’t sleep here. It’s not right.” Her expression begged him to agree.

  Joshua would give Faith the moon if he could. He’d do just about anything for her and a part of him considered doing her words. He’d consider them alright. But first, he wanted to meet this notorious Peter for himself.

  Joshua walked over to the cell and looked at the young man who sat in a chair in the back corner. His back was to the cell. Faith was beside Joshua. The small group followed him. Her fingers went back to the bar. “Peter. Come over here, please. Please talk to me.”

  Peter didn’t move. He didn’t even acknowledge that anyone was talking to him. All he gave everyone was the back of his dark brown, hair covered head.

  Faith continued anyway, “Peter, please.” Joshua watched as a nervousness went through Faith as she looked at him. Maybe she could see something in Joshua’s face. Maybe his facial expression was clear. He’d do anything for Faith, but he’d let the boy rot in jail if it were his decision.

  Faith turned back to Peter. “The Marshal is here, Peter. He’s getting you out.”

  Peter turned in his chair. That got his attention, but not his gratitude. The young man turned angry eyed towards Joshua. Joshua smiled. So this was Peter in the flesh. He had small dark eyes hidden with the swoop of his long, wavy dark brown hair. His arms were crossed over his chest. Evidence of the fight was on him, but there were no cuts or bruises. Sheriff Graves might be right. Maybe Peter had walked into the shop with every intention of fighting. No way to know if he started it, but he obviously finished it.

  Faith was talking again. “Peter, thank the Marshal for his kindness so we can go.”

  Peter got up then and came to stand by the cell bars. He was a few inches shorter than Joshua. The kid was quite tall for his age. He was a giant. He’d probably pass Joshua in a few years, but not today. The two men stared at one another. A challenge. Joshua’s favorite. He let his face relax, going into his comfortable nothingness. He watched as something flicked in Peter’s eyes before the kid turned away.