Decision time. She stopped and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Only if she still lives. That’s all you are allowed to tell me.”
A huff sounded as he expelled a breath and nodded. Then he picked up a scrap of paper. “The child you sought perished in the fire.”
Gasping, Fantine covered her mouth. Evelyn—the shy, petite little girl with the big blue eyes that had always appeared too big for her face.
“Can I read you what your sister wrote?” He looked up. “I think you’ll want to hear it.”
Fantine nodded then moved to sit next to him on a tack box.
Pete slipped an arm over her shoulder. “'Her name is Evelyn Fantine Pomeroy, and my beautiful child was conceived in love. I am sad I cannot keep her with me, but she is better off in your care. Hold her like you would one of your own for as long as you can.’” He cleared his throat. “The child carried your name, yagodka. That is special.”
Fantine nestled against his chest and cried for the loss of a beloved sister and her sweet baby. All that remained was to write two somber letters, and she would have fulfilled her pledge.
“I look at the children with the same loving eyes. Soon, we’ll stand in front of a judge and make our guardianship legal.”
Their wedding Sunday, September twenty-fifth, finally arrived. Reverend Norton, a tall, thin man with kind eyes, rode in Nicolai’s wagon following services. Cinnia’s auburn hair glowed in contrast to a mint green gown that flowed around the curves of her expanding belly. The three Andrusha brothers were striking in their black suits and matching sky blue string ties. Dorrie’s cornflower blue dress set off her eyes and the ruffles swished as she darted here and there, putting the final touches on the decorations. Thanks to Cinnia’s and Dorrie’s help, Fantine had outfitted the boys in matching yellow shirts and the girls in yellow gingham dresses.
Eschewing a new dress for herself, Fantine had Cinnia do minimal alterations—ones that could be removed after her special day—on an ivory lace dress she’d found wrapped in muslin in the Hakon’s armoire. Not wanting what amounted to a legacy to get out of the boy’s reach, she’d packed it for safekeeping on the last day.
The big window of Valerik’s and Dorrie’s front room displaying fields of golden prairie grass and several hardy wildflowers created the perfect backdrop for a couple who’d fallen in love while traveling the countryside. The words Reverend Norton asked them to repeat hardly mattered, because Fantine knew the love she saw in Petya’s eyes was true and lasting.
As a gift, the children perform two songs, their voices sweet and melodic. All in attendance enjoyed their voices, and a couple women dabbed at their eyes with handkerchieves.
Dorrie circuited among the guests with the pitcher of lemonade for refills. She stopped in front of Fantine. “Have you ever thought of taking that choir on the road? I tell you, people would love to hear those sweet voices.” She grinned and winked. “I volunteer to help.”
After all the guests have left, Valerik and Dorrie opened the back door and pointed to the traveler’s wagon that had lantern light glowing from the windows and a big bow over the lintel of the door. “Our gift is for you two to have one night alone.”
With hasty kisses for the children, Fantine and Petya ran laughing across the yard and climbed the steps. In an instant, the shades were drawn and the windows went dark.
The next day, Fantine and Petya tip-toed back into the house and started gathering their spread-out belongings. With four adults working, the wagons were soon packed, and the children wandered downstairs.
Julian stood at the back door with his face pressed to the window as the adults came inside. “Another trip?”
“The last one for a while.” Petya tousled the boy’s hair as he passed. “We’re going home.”
“Can I ride Dandy?” Ander’s dark eyes danced. “I’ve gotten real good.”
Cheers erupted, and the children bounced around the kitchen then slowly one by one they stopped and looked between Fantine and Petya.
“But where’s that?” Erin asked, her head tilted.
“We will all be living on Garth’s and Kerr’s farm.” Fantine looked around the group to see bright expressions and exchanged a thumbs-up signal with her husband.
Grinning, the Hakon brothers punch each other on the shoulder.
“We need a better name.” Kittie rested her arms on the table.
“I think so, too.” Nara climbed up on a chair.
After a hearty breakfast and much discussion, the group of nine headed their wagons toward the newly christened, “Family Acres.”
DEAR READER,
When I was offered the opportunity to participate in Debra Holland’s Montana Sky Kindle World, I was flattered and excited. I’ve been a part of this special fictional world, behind the scenes as an editor, since 2012. I’ve grown to love these characters as if they are my own family members.
So, I wanted to find a story that would bring new characters into the world that hopefully readers wanted to meet and would come to care for. I also wanted to have Debra’s beloved characters cross paths with mine in interesting situations. That was a given.
In my first story, Laced By Love, I created sisters who had to rely on one another after they were orphaned as young teens. That story features the younger sister, Cinnia, and her search for a home and love.
The second story, An Unlikely Marriage, featured the older sister, Nola York, who is on a quest that she hopes will lead her one step closer to her dream. After all these years of relying on one another, the sisters made choices that will put them at opposite ends of Montana Territory.
For the third story, Dance Toward the Light, I starred the third member of the set of vaudeville troupe friends, Dorrie Sullivan, and put her on a path to determine what came next in her life. Because vaudeville has filled her life for many years, she capitalizes on those skills.
In this story, I wanted to reconnect the last Andrusha brother with his family. Although Petya is technically the second oldest of five children, he’s the middle brother. As is common with middle children, he doesn’t do what’s expected. So when he received the telegram stating he no longer needed to be in hiding, instead of reaching out to his brothers or returning to his San Francisco home, he kept his American name alias and tried other ways to make a living. He developed a bit of wanderlust and a carefree attitude.
Of course, that meant I needed to put him with a heroine who was in an opposite situation. Because fire often swept through frontier towns (almost all first buildings in a frontier town were made of wood), I wanted the heroine faced with a devastating event that changed her life within minutes because of a fire. Suddenly, Fantine was responsible for the well-being of five children—the exact opposite of carefree.
For the next story, I’m researching other entertainment sources that might have been found in the territories. Look for the next launch of stories on July 18, 2017.
Thanks for reading Baling Wire Promises.
Linda Carroll-Bradd
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda grew up in northern California as part of a five-member family but loads of people in the neighborhood thought her parents had only two daughters. Why? Because she loved to read and was usually lying on her bed instead of playing outside with the other neighborhood kids. The summer she was twelve, she read Gone With The Wind and was hooked on romantic stories. She delved into the Phyllis A. Whitney and Dorothy Eden books of her mother’s and then discovered Harlequin. As a mother with young children, she would lose herself in stories of glamorous people in exotic places—so different than the day-to-day diapers and crumbly teething biscuits.
After years of working in secretarial positions, she decided to use the creative side of her brain and learn how to write one of the romances she loved reading. Easier said than done. Twelve long years and many contest finals later, and with the help of various critique groups, she received her first call and had a confession story published. She was hooked. Married with
four adult children, she now lives in the southern California mountains with their two beloved dogs. In addition to working as a freelance editor, she writes contemporary and historical stories that are heartwarming with a touch of humor, many with a tie to her previous home of Texas.
Learn more about her author life on her website. www.lindacarroll-bradd.com
To join her newsletter list to be notified of upcoming releases, click here
Titles of other Historical Stories
Set in 1173 Ireland
A Promise Kept in One Winter Knight anthology
Set in 1850s Gold Rush-era California
Between the Lines in Lariats, Letters and Lace anthology
Golden Moments in Christmas Caring II anthology for charity
Set in 1870s Wyoming Territory
Dreams of Gold
Set in 1870s Texas
Capturing The Marshal’s Heart (sensual)
Lone Star Angel (sensual)
Set in 1870s Texas—the “Dorado, Texas” series
Wandering Home
Storybook Cowboy
My Heart Knew
Sparked by Fire
Ione’s Dilemma (Book 8 of “Grandma’s Wedding Quilt” series)
Set in 1880s Aspen, Colorado Territory
The Ring That Binds
Silent Signals
Set in 1880s Morgan’s Crossing, Montana Territory
Laced by Love
An Unlikely Marriage
Dance Toward the Light
Set in 1895 Sweetwater Springs, Montana
Wishes on a Star in Sweetwater Springs Christmas anthology
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