by Vivi Holt
Her back ached, her legs felt as though they might detach from her body at any moment and her head throbbed with a dreadful ache. Just as she felt she could go no further on the bony back of that little pony, the group stopped once more. This time when they alit, she saw they were making camp for the night. The men wandered around, finding suitable places to lie down. It seemed they weren’t even going to allow themselves the luxury of a fire that night, probably for fear of pursuit. She shivered at the thought of an entire night spent on the cold ground with no fire to warm her back. The journey from east to west with Fred had been hard at times. Living in a wagon, wondering whether their food supplies would see them through, listening to the calls of wolves and other wild animals as they circled their tents at night. And yet these people seemed to live in a way that made the covered wagon seem almost luxurious.
Her captor pointed to the ground, and she settled down as best she could in the pine straw and dry leaves. She pressed her hands together and laid her head on them, watching as he sank to the ground close by, his back against the trunk of a tree. He watched over her like a sentry and seemed to have no intention of sleeping, though the others were half asleep already. She’d have no chance of escape that night, though she dreaded the idea of running through the dark woods alone in any case.
Sleep came quickly, but she tossed and turned on the cold hard ground. Her captor and another man took turns watching her, and each time she woke she glanced about to see one of them seated close by, staring off into the darkness, apparently lost in thought, or pacing back and forth beneath the sliver of moonlight that filtered through the leaves overhead and bathed the party in a pale, eery glow. Just the sight of them set her heart pounding and covered her goose pimpled skin in a cold film of sweat. Every time she stirred, she forgot where she was for a few moments, and wondered whether Fred had stoked the fire or if she should rise to do it, before the realization of where she was, and that Fred was gone, thundered into her foggy brain and fired a bullet of piercing pain through her chest. Then she’d settle back down again onto the cold, hard ground, and sob quietly against a soiled handkerchief held in one dirty, frozen hand.
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Historical Note & Author’s Remarks
When Kit Morgan approached me and asked me to be part of this wonderful series, I jumped at the chance. The concept of debutantes, falling from grace, and becoming mail order brides, was too tempting to pass up. Oh the fun we might have!
You may think that parts of the story line in Della are far fetched, but as with all of my books, there’s a little bit of truth behind every fiction.
When Honey Barnes carves up the saloon bar with an axe, she’s following in the path of a young woman who did the same thing many years earlier. Determined to make a statement about the immorality of drinking, carousing and gambling, she took an axe to the place. I thought it was such an interesting incident, I just had to include a similar one in my book!
Livingston was a gold mining town, and it grew up raw and quick in the wild years of Montana Territory’s youth. Many women, just like Abella, found themselves in difficult situations and had to turn to prostitution to earn a living. In fact, for a while, there weren’t many women in the area other than prostitutes, saloon girls and dancers.
There were also plenty of immigrants from Latin America, just like Francesca. They came up through Panama on steamers, and into California and beyond for the gold rush.
I’m excited about where this series will take us - there are plenty more stories to come, and they’ll weave through the generations in a new and fun way, unlike any other series out there.
I hope you enjoyed this little caper through the old west.
Warmest regards,
Vivi Holt
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Also by Vivi Holt
Paradise Valley
Of Peaks and Prairies
Winds of Paradise
Cutter’s Creek
The Strong One
The Betrothed
Cherished
Season of Love
Captivated
Orphan Brides Go West
Mail Order Bride: Christy
Mail Order Bride: Ramona
Mail Order Bride: Katie
Visit my website for an updated list of my books
