by Etta Foster
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Etta Foster
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Table of Contents
Copyright
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Table of Contents
A Bride’s Unyielding Heart
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Epilogue
The Extended Epilogue
Rising Loves and Setting Suns-Preview
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
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A Bride’s Unyielding Heart
Chapter 1
The house that had held so much joy and safety for her these last six years now felt cold and empty to Coralee. As she walked through the stylish Caldwell family manor, the familiar, cheerful mutterings of the staff were now absent since the death of Jessica Caldwell.
Jessica, the daughter of the Caldwell house, had been a beautiful young girl with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. These were features Coralee and Jessica had shared, and Jessica had been quick to point out that Coralee could have passed as her twin in a pinch.
Coralee had always laughed it off, excusing it as the merrymaking of her lady mistress and never once believing that anyone could ever mistake the two. How could they, when Coralee was nothing but an orphan turned maid and Jessica was the daughter of a wealthy Boston businessman?
She was trying to go about doing her chores like she normally did, but there was no joy in it now. She had enjoyed the time spent with Jessica, the young socialite who had treated Coralee like a younger sister. They had shared many secrets. Now the only member of the Caldwell family remaining in the house was Lucas, the elder brother.
She shivered fiercely at the thought of the cold, lustful gaze of that weaselly conman. He was no doubt out getting drunk right now at the nearby gentlemen's club per his usual routine, making fool’s bets and losing out every single time. That drunkard won’t be content until he squanders every bit of the fortune his daddy earned and he’s either killed or bankrupt.
As she set her feather duster down on top of the fireplace mantle, Coralee took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I need to face facts here: There is nothing good that will come of me remaining here. With Jessica and her father gone now, I cannot even begin to imagine the sort of tyrant that Lucas will become. I do not wish to be around when that hammer falls.
In the dresser drawer, beside her humble mattress in her bedroom, was the letter that Jessica had entrusted to her before she died. It was from a man named Gavin Woodworth, a rancher out in Cripple Creek who had submitted a request for a mail order bride.
Jessica told me they had only shared a few letters, but anything was better than remaining here. He won’t truly know if anything is amiss if I simply play the part. I could very well do as she said and go in her place.
It didn’t feel right to her, though. What sort of person would pretend to be someone else, especially when it came to the matter of marriage? And should Gavin ever discover her lie, he would no doubt be so enraged that he would banish her from his presence anyway.
I’m in a time of desperation. I suppose I can’t be too discomfited about how I get away from here. Besides, he called it a marriage of convenience. I don’t think he should be too finicky about which bride he gets when he didn’t genuinely care about the woman he sent for.
That settled it. She would gather her things and prepare to depart for Colorado as soon as possible. A genuine smile slowly spread across her face, causing her dimples to stand out just a bit. Then the sound of the front door slamming caused her smile to disappear.
Lucas had just returned home.
“Ho now! Why isn’t anyone down here to greet me upon my return home?” His loud, slurred speech echoed up the stairwell, his displeasure still managing to seep into his voice, making it cold and wrathful.
“Isn’t the whole point of having hired you bloody clots that you be here to wait on me hand and foot? What else do I pay any of you for?”
Coralee jumped at the sound of his voice, busying herself once more with dusting the house, even as she heard Lucas stomping slowly through the front atrium of the manor.
The sound of his footsteps grew louder as he made his way through the house toward her. As she began to exit the room, a wide, slightly tanned hand suddenly appeared on the threshold of the door, startling her.
“Coralee? Is that you in here?”
Something in the tone of Lucas’s voice caused Coralee’s stomach to roll over, little warning bells flashing in her mind.
“Can you tell me what you’re doing that is so important you feel the need to ignore your master’s arrival and not greet him properly?”
“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Caldwell. I didn't hear you enter, as I am rather busy with chores now. Forgive me. Do you want me to get dinner started for you, Mr. Caldwell?” Coralee swallowed nervously as Lucas stepped into the room, his hazel eyes looking icy and cold, a stark contrast to how his father’s eyes had glowed with warmth.
“You know very well that I want that, Coralee. You should also know to prepare my meal, so it is ready upon my arrival. This deficiency shows a severe lack of foresight on your part. You should tell me how you plan to make up for this,” he said, moving close enough to Coralee that she could smell the foul scent of liquor on his breath.
“Forgive me, Mr. Caldwell. It’s rather difficult for the kitchen staff to always have a meal hot and ready when your hours are so uncertain. The cook waited as late as she could before she had to leave for the night. Let me just go get something started for you, shall I?” Coralee replied hastily, attempting to step past him. She swallowed hard when he inserted his foot in front of her to stop her, and his hand moved out to halt her progress.
“I haven’t excused you yet, Coralee,” he said in a menacingly soft tone, which caused her to feel f
ear well in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not done with you. Not by a long shot.” Coralee did her best to keep her face neutral as she turned her gaze back to him, forcing a smile to her lips.
“What else did you need, sir?”
He was suddenly very close to her, his hand wrapping around her wrist. As Coralee held his gaze, she was reminded of the sensation a deer must feel when in the presence of a natural predator.
She could see the hunger in his eyes and was unable to help the gasp that escaped her lips when she felt his hand move down to grope her derriere. “I crave the kind of attention that only a woman is capable of giving me.”
Coralee didn’t like the sound of that one bit. She took a step backward, away from Lucas, surprised that he would take such liberties with her.
“I’m afraid I am ill-equipped to help you with such things. You will have to find another woman to give you attention.” Coralee tried tugging her arm away from him, but his hand felt like a vice on her forearm.
“Oh, I think you will be able to help me just fine. If you aren’t willing to do it voluntarily, then I’ll just have to force you!” he growled, attempting to push her toward the nearby sofa. Her legs immediately locked into place, the remnants of her fear giving way to a sudden surge of anger.
Placing her unrestrained hand on his chest, she gave him a hearty shove backward. She was surprised to feel his grip on her loosen, her atypical defiance managing to catch him by surprise. He stumbled back, losing his balance when he encountered the nearby coffee table.
Coralee heard the loud “clunk” his head made as he fell to the ground. Lucas now lay on the floor, still and unmoving.
Coralee stared down at him with horror rising in her throat. His eyes were closed, and his face was still contorted in the angry look that had occupied it since his entrance.
A strangled cry escaped her lips as panic began to well up inside her. If someone were to come in right now, this would look awful.
Oh God, I’ve killed him. My life is over. I'll be arrested and thrown in jail, possibly worse! I wouldn't be able to last in prison. And he's wealthy. They could accuse me of trying to steal his inheritance and hang me. She knelt down next to Lucas and placed her fingers gently on the side of his neck, relieved when she found his pulse still thrumming in his veins.
Okay, I didn’t kill him. I just gave him a damn good bang on the head. He’s probably not going to wake up for a good while.
And what would happen when he came to? Coralee could only imagine the rage he would have toward her, and he wasn’t known for keeping his rage under control.
Whether from the law or from Lucas, her actions would have extremely undesirable ramifications from the two authorities. Fate, it seemed, had made Coralee’s decision for her. She would have to leave now, before Lucas had a chance to regain consciousness and inflict his assuredly horrible punishment on her.
Whatever reservations she had about impersonating Jessica, she would simply have to face them. If she did not take this opportunity, she would be sentencing herself to a life of misery. I must leave, and I must make sure no one sees me.
It took a few moments for her to race to her bedroom and grab the few belongings she owned. She managed to stuff what she could into one of Jessica’s old suitcases. She took some of Jessica’s outfits as well, reasoning that she couldn’t show up in a maid’s dress if she was trying to convince her husband-to-be that she was a well-off Boston socialite.
She pulled the letter from Gavin containing the train ticket from the envelope and hugged it gently to her chest, biting her bottom lip as she cast one final glance back at the room that had been her home for the past six years. I really am going to miss this place, despite how I feel about Lucas.
Slipping out of the manor proved to be much easier than she had originally anticipated, the dark night offering her the perfect cover to make her escape from the house.
She knew there would be hell to pay once Lucas awoke, but her plan was to be gone before he'd have the chance to know she was on the run. I just hope he stays passed out for a while.
Coralee hiked down the hill toward the city proper, intent on making her way to the only place that she knew for certain she could spend the night safely - Agnes Brown’s house. Agnes had been one of the head waitstaff in the household back when Jessica's father was still alive. Since his passing, the household had lost its staff one by one when Lucas made it clear he didn't intend to pay them anymore.
Agnes had been one of the last to leave, the death of Jessica serving as the last straw for the old woman who had been quite affectionate toward Jessica. She was panting from exertion by the time she got to the neat little one-bedroom home that Agnes called her own.
“You look as though the devil himself has been chasing you,” Agnes said as she came to the front door and ushered Coralee into the house. She fastidiously re-engaged the locks on her door. “What sort of horrible incident has happened to cause you to show up on my doorstep this late at night?”
“Lucas tried to force himself on me,” Coralee blurted out, covering her mouth just a moment too late.
“Good heavens, no! Was he drunk when he accosted you?” Agnes had a steely look in her eye as she awaited Coralee’s response. The young brunette merely nodded and rubbed her arm uneasily. Agnes took her silence as an answer, shaking her head gently as she ushered Coralee inside. “Well, I can’t in good conscience have one of my former master's servants running around alone in the middle of the night.”
Coralee filled Agnes in on what had transpired in the last few weeks, including the bit about the mail order bride ad and Gavin in Colorado. She left out the part about how she would be pretending to be Jessica, not wanting Agnes to think poorly of her.
Agnes agreed with her that leaving was probably in her best interests, promising to arrange a ride to the train station for Coralee first thing in the morning. “Just be sure that you write me a letter when you’ve managed to get yourself settled comfortably out in Colorado.”
Despite how nervous Coralee felt about meeting Gavin, she also felt excited. She went to sleep that night with his picture resting on the bedside table, hopeful for her future.
Chapter 2
The strong breeze that whipped across his field came as a sweet relief to the man currently sitting astride his horse, beads of sweat dripping down his thin, slightly sunken-in cheeks. The back of his gloved hand slid across his forehead, droplets of sweat being flicked away as he looked up at the sun shining brightly in the sky.
He’d been working on his chores for the better part of four hours now, and there was still plenty for him to do before he could consider himself finished with the day’s work.
This was all a lot easier when Pop was well enough to help me maintain everything. The thought was a wistful one, and he quickly shook his head to clear the myriad of sad thoughts attempting to flood his mind.
Come on now, Gavin. It isn’t going to do you any good to sit here and cry like a young schoolboy. People get older and sometimes they get sick. Can’t say that fact makes it any easier to accept, though.
Gavin raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light streaming down on him from overhead, eyes squinting as he attempted to gaze into the distance. He could just barely make out the glittering blue waters of the lake that sat at the edge of his property.
He could see a faint shape off in the distance but dismissed it immediately. Probably just a cow that wandered over to try and get a drink. I suppose that’s what I get for being neighborly and telling Virgil he could allow his cattle onto my property to drink. It’s probably going to bite me in the backside at some point that I’ve given him so much liberty, but it doesn’t seem worth getting into a territory dispute over. At least not yet.
Digging his heels gently into the side of the even-tempered Spanish Mustang named Zorro that he currently sat astride, Gavin started to make his way back toward the ranch house.
After dismounting Zorro and seeing to his c
are, he was greeted at the door by Harland Farley, Gavin’s best friend and one of the most hardworking cowhands that the Woodworth family could have ever asked for.
The Farley family used to live on the right side of the ranch before hard times had forced Harland’s father to sell their ranch to pay the family’s debts. Gavin’s father, Isaac, had been kind enough to give Harland a job on their ranch to prevent his son’s best friend from having to move away with the rest of his family.
“How’s the old man doing?” Gavin asked as Harland held out a glass of lemonade for Gavin, who took it thankfully and gulped it down without hesitation. The sweet liquid felt like the elixir of life as it poured down Gavin’s throat, satiating the dryness that had been plaguing him while out in the fields that day.
When he finished drinking, he returned his attention to Harland, awaiting the response he realized had not yet come from his long-time friend.
“He wants to see you,” Harland replied shortly, and shrugged his shoulders in response to the question Gavin had not asked yet. “I don’t know what he wants, and he wouldn’t say. Just that it was urgent you come see him when you were finished out in the fields. I was about to ride out and grab you when I saw you riding up.”
