Mail Order Penelope (Widows, Brides & Secret Babies Book 23)

by Zina Abbott

  When she had originally made the trousers for Ross, she had cut the fabric pieces oversized. She left large seam allowances and deep hems to allow for his teenage growth years. Instead, those seams and extra fabric at the hem had allowed those pants to grow with her and her changing shape. Although Aunt Mena had flown into one of her screaming fits once she learned a baby was coming and insisted that Roslyn rid herself of Ross’s old clothes, Roslyn refused to do so. Instead, she hid them on a shelf she fashioned in the rafters of the storage shed that became Roslyn’s “room” once Penelope and Jeremy Humphry married. She had no idea what this man she was about to marry would think of her wearing them when she performed outdoor chores, but she had no intention of leaving them behind. She looked forward to wearing the trousers once more. Today. There has to be a livery in town.

  CLICK HERE to find Mail Order Roslyn

  Here is an excerpt from Mail Order Lorena:

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Prologue

  ~o0o~

  Little Rock, Arkansas

  November 24, 1864

  L orena Mayfield knew that when most people in the South thought back on this month of November in 1864, they would think of it as the month when General Stirling Price’s attempt to take Missouri for the Confederacy failed. However, for her, it would be the month in which she lost her father—her beloved papa—to the heart ailment that had plagued him for the past several years. As she gazed out the front window of the rectory, not for the first time, she mulled over the question of what the future held.

  Too unsettling a topic to dwell upon, she turned her memory once more to the day that not only changed her life for the worst, but led to her being forced from her home of the past twelve years—November second. Gray-faced and struggling for the breath needed to project his words beyond the pulpit to the smattering of congregants—mostly women, children and older men—Daniel Adams preached his last sermon. That afternoon, although he left most of his food on his plate, he complimented Lorena on the dinner she prepared. He rose from the table and settled in his favorite chair next to the window to catch the afternoon light while he read his Holy Bible.

  After she finished clearing the table and washing dishes, Lorena checked on her father. She discovered he had fallen asleep with his scriptures open and the bottom edge resting in his lap. His hand held the book pressed against his abdomen. She removed the book, straightened the page that had crinkled, and set it on the table. She next found a small pillow to support the side of his head, which rested at an angle in the direction of his right shoulder. She covered his legs with his favorite crocheted afghan her mother completed mere months before her death and tucked the top edges around his shoulders. She recalled sitting in her own chair by the other window that bracketed the fireplace. She embroidered a lavender floral design on a white linen handkerchief in preparation for the thirteenth month anniversary of the death of her husband, Edward Mayfield. At that time, she would enter six more months of half-mourning. She hummed several hymns she knew her father enjoyed. She rose from her chair to feed the chickens and coax them back into their coop for the evening. When she returned from that chore, she realized her father had entered his eternal rest.

  In an effort to return her thoughts to the practical, Lorena blinked and inhaled. The past few weeks had been consumed with responding to letters of condolence and sorting through her parents’ personal possessions. Several she had crated or packed in a pair of barrels. Not two hours earlier, shippers loaded them on a wagon to begin their journey to Arabella’s home, where she knew her sister and brother-in-law had a barn in which to store them. Once she arrived at her sister’s home, the two women could go through the items and decide who would keep what.

  She turned her gaze toward the foyer. She had already packed the majority of her personal clothing in her trunk and a valise, which now waited by the front door for her departure in the morning. The few clothes she would need for traveling as far as Carthage, Missouri, her needlework, and her Bible she would place in her carpetbag upon arising. After breakfast, she would leave the rectory for good. She planned to stay with the Osgoods over the weekend, listen to the new pastor’s sermon this Sunday, and board the stagecoach to begin her journey to her sister’s home on Monday.

  The Osgoods had invited her to come today, Thanksgiving Day, but she had declined. She gave as her excuse that she did not wish to intrude on their family celebration. The truth of the matter was, she could not bear a celebration of thanks. This past year, she had lost the two important men in her life. She must leave the home she had known as hers since she was a young girl—her home even after she married Edward. Since Edward enlisted when Arkansas entered the Confederacy in May of 1861, they persuaded her father to allow them to marry before Edward reported for duty. He gave up his rooms and stayed at the rectory with her.

  Edward, oh, Edward! I miss you so. And, Papa—you were my rock. Now both of you are gone. Lorena reached inside her sleeve and pulled out her handkerchief—dyed black, like everything else she wore. The comments, intended as compliments, she received that, with her dark brunette hair, dark eyes, and pale complexion, the black flattered her appearance rather than washed out her skin, brought her no comfort. She dabbed her eyes and then looked down at the dreary cloth square, now faded after several washings. The white handkerchief she worked on the day her father died now lay in the bottom of her trunk. Even though June third—the anniversary of the day Edward fell at Cold Harbor, Virginia—was a little more than six months away, she would continue to wear full mourning until then for her father, as well as Edward.

  Lorena fought down the anger that threatened to rise. In spite of her grief over losing her husband and father, and as unhappy as she felt over losing her home, she knew God had not abandoned her. Others besides her suffered a similar, if not even more distressing, future. After all, she did have her sister to go to for the short term. Why must I keep reminding myself of my blessings? I must have faith. Surely, in the overall scheme of things, all would work out for her good—would it not?

  A knock on the front door snapped her out of the downward spiral of grief and despair she fought to keep herself from sinking into. She stood frozen in place, wondering, who could be calling? Did they not see the black draping around the door signaling a recent death? However, since her father no longer lived in the house to answer the door, and since George, Betsy and their two sons no longer were there, it now fell to her to see who came to call. She must decide whether or not to open the door.

  Fingering her mourning brooch with a lock of Edward’s hair inside, Lorena quietly stepped over to the window and parted the curtain. A man with his back to her stood outside. He wore a camel-colored, wool suit coat over dark trousers. Above his collar, she made out the white stand-up neckband of his shirt and the edge of a black necktie. A fringe of slightly too long, dark blond hair brushed the top of his clothes.

  The man turned until he faced her, his gaze locking on the part in the lace curtain.

  Lorena dropped her hand and stepped back. A wave of warmth spread up her neck and onto her face. He, no doubt, realized she watched him through the window rather than coming directly to the door. She straightened and inhaled. Why should she not be cautious? She was a woman alone now. City residents had spent over four years living in uncertain conditions. First, Arkansas abandoned its initial resistance to leave the Union. Second, after suffering defeat by Union forces, which took over the state government here in Little Rock in 1863, the city found itself surrounded by a large hostile populace who recognized a different Confederate state capitol—first in Hot Springs, and then in Washington, Hempstead County.

  Lorena squared her shoulders and moved to the door. Now wishing she carried her father’s Colt pocket pistol hidden in her clothing, she opened the door to greet her visitor. As he turned to face her, she jerked her chin up and leaned back. From his appearance, he looked to be someone she should recognize, but sh
e felt certain she had never met him before. She kept her face expressionless as she watched his gaze roam over her from her brunette hair, worn parted in the center and pulled back into a conservative chignon, to the hem of her now-fading black gown. “May I help you?”

  A hint of a smile on his lips, his gaze met hers and held it. “Mrs. Mayfield?”

  “Yes, I am Mrs. Mayfield. Please state your business, sir.” She still could not place him.

  His smile widened into a grin. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

  Lorena straightened her body to her full height and, curling her fingers, hooked her hands at her waist. “I’m afraid not, sir. If we have met in the past, I do not recall the occasion.”

  “We are family, Mrs. Mayfield. My father told me of my brother’s death once I returned home from the war.”

  Lorena sucked in a breath. Of course. This was Edward’s younger half-brother by his father’s second wife. Lorena never met Timothy before, although among Edward’s possessions she packed away in her trunk was a daguerreotype taken in studio a few years before the war. The senior Mr. Mayfield sat in a wooden chair with an upholstered cushion, flanked by his current wife and a teen-aged Timothy wearing his hair much shorter than at present.

  Edward had been ten years older than Lorena. He told her Timothy was her same age but born two months after her birth. Now, he was no longer a boy, but a mature man.

  She studied his face. She guessed his blond hair, blue eyes, prominent cheekbones, and more rounded face he inherited from his mother. Lorena knew she descended from one of the German families that settled in St. Louis, Edward’s home city. However, the shape of his jaw, his eyes, his eyebrows, forehead, and hairline—they came from his father. She saw in them the same features Edward had inherited. No wonder he looked so familiar. “Welcome, Mr. Mayfield—Timothy—it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, come in.” She opened the door wider and motioned him into the foyer.

  Lorena began to lead him into the parlor with furniture now bereft of the packed-away personal photographs, table scarves, and knick-knacks she once used to decorate it. She stopped and turned back to face him once she realized he failed to follow her. She stiffened her posture and lifted her chin as she watched him, his hands on his hips, peruse her once more.

  “So, you are Edward’s widow.”

  The tone he used, one she sensed held a hint of derision, prompted a shudder of unease to course through Lorena. Did she imagine he held something against her? How could he? She had never done anything wrong or hurtful to him or anyone in the Mayfield family.

  CLICK HERE to find Mail Order Lorena

  .

  .

  .

  .

  My books that are part of a Sweet Americana Sweethearts multi-author series:

  ~o0o~

  Grandma’s Wedding Quilts:

  2.Kizzie's Kisses

  Running from hostile Indians attacking Salina, Kansas in 1862, feisty Kizzie Atwell runs into freighter Leander Jones traveling the Smoky Hill Trail.

  (Also Book 2 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  ~o0o~

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs:

  3. Aaron’s Annulment Bride

  Believing she’s unworthy to be any man’s wife, Andrea Dalton marries Aaron Brinks so he can get title to a mining company house. But now she wants an annulment. Can he convince her to stay?

  6. Cat’s Meow

  Catherine Everett loves tall, lanky miner, Harold Calloway. She wants to marry him, but there is one “meowly” little problem.

  7. Bargain Bessie

  Bessie Carlson, a confirmed spinster, meets Zeb Jacobson, a successful Monarch Bend rancher who is NOT pushing forty.

  11.Dead-Set Delphinia

  Delphinia is dead set on being married within a week before her father can track her down. Bennett is dead set on continuing to muddle through life on his own.

  15.Evasive Eddie Joe

  Cowboy vs. the miners – who will marry the bride?

  18.Two Sisters and the Christmas Groom

  Annie comes to Jubilee Springs to work as a maid. Kate comes as a mail order bride to marry a local miner, Michael. What could go wrong?

  19.Nathan’s Nurse

  Will she marry a man too damaged by an injury to know who she is?

  20.Kate’s Railroad Cook

  (Coming 2020)

  ~o0o~

  Zina Abbott’s Independence Day 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 1 of her first three books in the

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs series.

  Zina Abbott’s Harvest Dance 1881

  Zina Abbott’s Collection 2 of her fourth and fifth books in the

  Sweethearts of Jubilee Spring series.

  ~o0o~

  Lockets & Lace series:

  0.0The Bavarian Jeweler

  The Lockets & Lace series prequel:

  The back of her locket read, “My heart is always with you.”

  19.Virginia’s Vocation

  Will Virginia’s vocation fill the empty spaces of her heart?

  (Also Book 1 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  3.Otto’s Offer

  Will Otto’s offer still stand when trouble from Libby’s past catches up with her?

  (Also Book 3 in my Atwell Kin series.)

  26.Hannah’s Handkerchief

  She wants to be an officer’s wife. He must establish his career with the Army first.

  (Also Book 4 in my Atwell Kin series)

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Other Zina Abbott Books

  ~o0o~

  Widows, Brides & Secret Babies series

  9.Mail Order Roslyn

  She and her baby need a new start; he needs a purpose.

  17.Mail Order Lorena

  Trusting the acceptable wrong man led to ruin. Can trusting the unacceptable right man restore what was lost?

  23.Mail Order Penelope

  She’s determined in spite of the challenges. She’s just what he needs.

  ~o0o~

  Kendrick

  Book 9 in the series, Bachelors & Babies

  A bachelor, a butcher—what’s he supposed to do with a baby girl?

  (Also Too Old for Babies in the Too Old in Columbia series)

  Escape from Gold Mountain

  Threatened by two unscrupulous men, he never wished to abduct her. Can he help her escape?

  ~o0o~

  The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series

  3.Nissa

  Two romances. Following the mine disaster that killed most of the men in town, two women—one a widow with two children, one never married—wonder if they should plan a future in Wildcat Ridge

  14.Diantha

  Two romances. Following the mine disaster that killed most of the men in town, two women—one a widow with no children, one never married—are determined to stay in Wildcat Ridge. Will their decision mean they face a future without love?

  ~o0o~

  Charlie’s Choice

  Prequel to the Atwell Kin series:

  Charlie, it would be easier to stop the flow of the great Missouri and Kansas Rivers than to prevent the Americans from coming to Kansas. Will he stay with the white Americans, cling to the past with the Kansa tribe, or try to straddle both worlds?

  Millwright’s Daughter

  The past held her future hostage. He risked future to save hers.

  Hannah’s Highest Regard

  Book 5 in the series, Atwell Kin

  If she could choose between two Army officers, which would earn her highest regard?

  (Scheduled for release September 2020)

  ~o0o~

  Christmas Stories

  A Christmas Promise

  The gift of second chances and a promise for a brighter future in this novelette set during Christmas in 1873 Wyoming.

  Too Old For Christmas

  In 1854 Columbia, California, Sean Flood meets the widow Ona McNair on one of the worst
days of his life, and then he meets the widow’s two sons. At nine years of age, the oldest has been told he is too old for Christmas. Sean knows exactly what he wants for Christmas that year.

  About the Author

  Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels.

  The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She is a member of Women Writing the West, Western Writers of America, and American Night Writers Association. She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.

  Please sign up for her Newsletter to stay informed of upcoming releases and special offers.

  Please visit Zina Abbott on her Website.

  Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

  Visit and follow her Amazon Author Page.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Disclaimer

  Map

  Chapters 1-23

  Epilogue

  Author’s Notes

  Thank you for reading Mail Order Penelope

  Excerpt Mail Order Roslyn

  Excerpt Mail Order Lorena

  Zina’s Sweet Americana Sweethearts books

  Other Zina Abbott Books

  About Zina Abbott