Corsets and Cuffs: (Sweet Historical Western Romance) (Baker City Brides Book 3)

by Shanna Hatfield

  Brianna reached up and unfastened the buttons of Tully’s shirt. “You said you had another gift for me. Is it here?” she asked, pushing the shirt off his shoulders and tentatively running her hands over his chest.

  Her fingers seared his skin everywhere she touched and set his temperature on a fast boil. Flames burned bright in his eyes as he buried his hands in her hair and breathed in the soft rose fragrance of her. “The gift I want to give you is me.”

  “I can’t think of one I’d like better,” she whispered, pulling his head down until his lips connected with hers.

  Tully swept her into his arms again and carried her into the bedroom.

  Much later, as they both fought to keep their eyes open, Tully held her close and kissed her temple.

  “There’s one thing I promised you, wife of mine.”

  She tipped her head back to look at him. “And what might that be?”

  He trailed a hand down her side and along the length of her leg until he touched her foot. “Finding out where you’re ticklish.”

  She squirmed, trying to get away, but Tully held fast to her foot, tickling it until she giggled so much she had to work to catch her breath.

  He chuckled and drew her back into his arms. “You know what I think?”

  She feigned a perturbed look then smiled. “I have no idea.”

  “Being married to you is gonna be the most fun I’ve ever had. Even if I wouldn’t admit it, I knew the first time I saw you there was this amazing, special thing about you. Something more magical than snow flurries in June and more wonderful than a symphony of summer stars.” He kissed her tenderly and brushed the hair away from her face with a gentle hand. “I truly do love you, Brianna. With all my heart.”

  “And I love you, Tully.” She raised up on one elbow, trailing her finger across his tempting mouth. “You have to promise me one more thing.”

  “Anything, darlin’.”

  “Never stop calling me Fred.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head. “That’s a promise I’m happy to keep.”

  Chocolate Macaroons

  Although Brianna doesn’t cook, Tully does enjoy his sweets. This cookie is easy to make and so yummy. The recipe comes right out of my grandma’s 1903 cookbook!

  Chocolate Macaroons

  3 egg whites

  ½ cup sugar

  4 ounces grated semi-sweet chocolate

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

  Beat egg whites until very stiff. Add in sugar then gently fold in chocolate and vanilla. Place walnut-sized drops on the baking sheet and bake about eight minutes, until cookies are just firm to the touch but still soft in the middle. (It’s okay if they seem a little sticky when you remove them from the oven, they will harden as they cool).

  Remove from the oven and cool.

  Author’s Note

  The first time I wrote Tully Barrett’s name in Crumpets and Cowpies, I knew he needed his own story.

  After all, Tully, Thane and Maggie have been friends for years, so it only made sense the three of them would each need their own romance.

  Many of you thought Tully would marry Maggie in Thimbles and Thistles, but she was already in love with Ian MacGregor (even if she didn’t realize it yet!).

  Tully needed to fall for a girl far different from any he’d ever met, and that’s when the idea for Brianna Dumont came to mind.

  Brianna’s missing shoes came from an old advertisement I read about “leaving your shoes in the hall for a polish.” I thought it would be funny if someone like Brianna set out her shoes and ended up having them stolen.

  I used the historic Slater Mill in Rhode Island for the inspiration for her father’s business. It was the first successful cotton-spinning factory in the United States and was dedicated exclusively to the production of cotton thread until 1829. From then, until 1921, a variety of owners and renters used the facility to produce such things as tools for the jewelry industry, coffin trimmings, cardboard manufacture, and bicycle sales.

  As I wrote Corsets and Cuffs, I dove deeper into the history of Baker City and found some very interesting details.

  In July 1886, the weather bureau established a reporting meteorological station in Baker City. Reports of weather conditions were telegraphed to the chief office every day at 5 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. The office was equipped with barometers, thermometers, anemometers, rain and snow gauges to report all conditions of the weather.

  Speaking of the weather, I’ve been reading The Diaries of Harriet “Hattie” Dillabaugh. Hattie lived in the Baker City area during the 1890s and I’ve found so much helpful information in her brief daily entries in her journal. One I had to include in the story was a notation about a summer snowstorm.

  As for other details about the town, some of the history books I found stated that a creamery opened at the edge of town in 1889. A soap factory opened facilities in 1890 for the manufacture of fifty boxes of laundry soap per day.

  Hotel Warshauer is mentioned in the first two Baker City Brides books. It provided an important part of the setting in this story. The hotel was eventually purchased by the Geiser family. Today, visitors to town can stay at the Geiser Grand Hotel in one of the renovated rooms.

  One of the photos I happened across from Baker City’s 1891 history was of a Fourth of July rock drilling contest. As mentioned in the story, rock drilling was used to drill holes into rock and provide a place to set explosives. While the work was originally completed by hand, eventually machines took over the process. In the photo of the contest, a large crowd gathered to watch it, dressed in suits (can you imagine how hot it would be?). A few brave women stood around with parasols, observing the competitors. Several children (mostly boys) watched from the sidelines, too.

  Baker City was home to many Chinese people. They arrived in the 1860s during the area’s first gold rush. In 1879, the Chinese residents made up 13.9% of Baker City’s population. The number dropped in the next decade, then gained steam in the 1890s with the second gold rush period. Their population peaked in 1900 with 264 citizens.

  A “China Town” was located a few blocks away from the town’s main thoroughfare, near the river. There were a few Chinese stores, a gambling establishment, and a temple, also known as a Joss house. The area also boasted a garden. Most of the Chinese residents were men. Today, a Chinese cemetery is located near the freeway and visitors may stop there to learn more about the Chinese community in Baker County.

  Baker City was dubbed, “Queen City of the Mines,” and was also referred to as the “Denver of Oregon.” At one point, it was the fastest growing community in the old west as people flocked to the area, intent on making their fortune mining.

  It was the third largest city in the state and the Hotel Warshauer could proudly boast it installed the third elevator west of the Mississippi.

  Education was also important to the residents of the area. Baker City was home to Oregon’s second high school.

  I do my best to make my stories as historically accurate as possible, right down to the phrases my characters use. When I had Sammy say Brianna was “down for the count,” I decided I’d better make sure the phrase would have been used then. For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to the time when a boxer is knocked down to the mat and the referee begins counting. The earliest recorded use of the phrase is supposedly from the Newark Daily Advocate newspaper from 1900. In reporting a boxing match between Jack Root and Dick O’Brien, the reporter wrote:

  “O'Brien was in poor condition or probably the result would have been different, as he had Root down for the count three times in the second round.”

  Since it was close to the time of this book, I decided to keep it.

  Special thanks to Camilla U. for providing the name of the villain in this book and Kathy C. for choosing Rhode Island as his home. And huge thanks to Ann, Charity, Cindy, Danielle, Marcia, and Shauna — without
you ladies, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do!

  I hope you enjoyed Tully and Brianna’s story. Read more adventures with the Baker City characters in Bobbins and Boots!

  Thank you for reading Corsets and Cuffs.

  Now that you’ve finished Tully and Brianna’s story, won’t you please consider writing a review?

  I would truly appreciate it. Reviews are the best way readers discover great new books.

  Bobbins and Boots ( Baker City Brides, Book 4) - Born dirt-poor into a life of hardship, Allie Tillman seizes the opportunity to better her situation by answering an advertisement for a mail-order bride in the West. Upon her arrival in Baker City, Oregon, she discovers her intended is a low-down, lying thief. Determined not to marry him, she grasps at the one thing that will keep him from forcing her to be his wife — marrying another man.

  Good-natured cowboy Ben Amick had no idea a simple trip into town would completely change his life. When he happens upon a mail-order bride desperate to avoid marrying her fiancé, Ben does the first thing that pops into his head and marries her. Willingly, he gives her the protection of his name and his arms, never expecting her to capture his heart.

  Humorous, heartfelt, and awash in sweet romance, Bobbins and Boots captures the tender and tumultuous emotions of falling in love.

  Turn the page for a fun excerpt!

  Chapter One

  Baker City, Oregon

  September 1891

  Fear churned in Allie Tillman’s nervous stomach like a butter paddle in a jar of thick cream. Since it was far too late to change the plans already set in motion, she stepped across the platform at the train depot and glanced around.

  Questions about her future husband’s appearance pecked at her thoughts from the moment she received Joe Lambery’s letter. The missive confirmed his acceptance of her as his mail-order bride and included a train ticket to Baker City, but didn’t contain a photograph. Would he be tall and handsome or short and balding? Was he still in possession of all of his teeth? Although he sounded nice enough in the one letter they’d exchanged, what if he was cruel and spiteful.

  A flicker of adventure nudged away a little of her anxiety as she glanced around the Eastern Oregon town she’d never heard of until she happened upon Joe Lambery’s advertisement for a bride. The sagebrush covered hills to the south and east, and the thick forest to the west and north was unlike anything she’d ever seen growing up on the flat prairie of Nebraska.

  A deep breath filled her nose with fresh, clean air. Redolent with a hint of pine and a sprinkling of sage, she also detected the delicious smell of roasting meat. If she hadn’t teetered on the edge of full-fledged panic at what she was about to do, she might have paid more attention to her gnawing hunger.

  In all her life, she’d never traveled more than ten miles from the sod house where she’d been born. Now, she was more than a thousand miles away from everyone and everything she’d ever known.

  A quick scan of the faces of those still waiting to board the train revealed none of them seemed to be the rancher she’d come to wed. Not one of them wore a hat like the cowboys she’d seen on the train. Like she imagined Mr. Lambery would wear.

  She pictured him as tall and broad-shouldered, with a friendly smile and a warm light in his eyes. Another glimpse around the depot confirmed no one appeared to be the right age for her intended. Two crusty old miners and a gentleman in a fine suit were the only people left outside, and they all busily gathered supplies into wagons parked next to the platform.

  Concerned, Allie hurried into the ticket office and stepped up to the counter.

  “May I help you miss?” The man barely glanced up at her as he shuffled papers from a stack on his left to one on his right.

  “Yes, sir, I’m looking for a man named Joe Lambery. Have you by chance seen him today?” she asked.

  The papers stilled in the ticket agent’s hands and he slowly raised his gaze. One eyebrow traveled upward and he gave her a long, studying glance. “What in the world do you want with Joe Lambery?”

  Startled by the disapproving tone of his voice and the disparaging look on his face, Allie took a step back from the counter. “He sent for me. We’re to marry and live on his ranch.”

  “On his ranch?” The man’s second eyebrow joined the first, stretching close to his hairline.

  Much to Allie’s dismay, the man guffawed loudly and slapped the counter with one hand. Tears leaked from his eyes and he bent over, holding his stomach as laughter rolled out of him in great, uncontrollable waves.

  Suddenly realizing she was quite serious, he curtailed his humor and straightened, giving her an apologetic glance.

  “I’m sorry, miss, but I haven’t seen Joe Lambery for weeks.” His eyes held a hint of sympathy. “To my knowledge, there is no way to get a message to him, so you’ll have to find somewhere to wait until he wanders back into town. If I see him, I’ll mention your arrival.”

  “Oh, I…” Stunned by Mr. Lambery’s failure to meet the train and the ticket agent’s odd behavior, Allie nodded her head. “Thank you, sir.”

  She shifted the worn carpetbag in her hand and returned to the platform. The few coins in her bag wouldn’t secure a decent place to stay for the night let alone purchase enough food to fill all the empty spaces in her belly.

  Tears pricked the back of her eyes but she held them in check as she stared down the train tracks, watching the train chug on its way to the next stop along the line. So much for her dreams of her future husband being a gallant, romantic sort. In fact, from the way the ticket agent acted, she couldn’t help but think Joe Lambery might be rather disreputable.

  A pleasant, masculine voice spoke from beside her. “Pardon me, miss. I couldn’t help but notice you seem to be waiting for someone. May I be of assistance?”

  Allie turned and smiled at the man in a suit she’d seen loading his wagon with supplies. He appeared to be in his fifties, with gray touching his temples. It gave him a distinguished appearance while his British accent made him seem like royalty. If she’d known how to curtsey properly, she would have.

  “I came to town as a mail-order bride, but the gentleman who sent for me isn’t here. The ticket agent said he had no idea how to get word to him I’ve arrived. It seems I’ll have to wait for him to come to town.” Allie looked into the man’s friendly face and kind eyes, hoping he would be more helpful than the chortling ticket agent had been.

  The man doffed his hat and grinned. “Edwin Greenfield at your service. You must come home with me. My wife and I run a boardinghouse and we’d love to have you stay until your intended arrives in town.”

  “Oh, Mr. Greenfield, that’s a lovely offer, but I’ll tell it to you straight. I don’t have any money for a room. I don’t think I have enough to even buy a decent meal.” Allie hated to admit it, but her mother had taught her to tell the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

  Greenfield settled his hat on his head and rocked back on his heels. “Would you be interested in a job while you wait for your fiancé?”

  “Would I?” Allie’s blue eyes lit with hope. “You bet your britches I would. I’m a hard worker. If I don’t know how to do something, Ma says I learn real fast.”

  “Splendid. Come along then, and we’ll get you settled.” Edwin took her elbow in his hand. She started to jerk away, but realized he was only being kind and helpful. He guided her down the steps and offered his hand as she climbed up to the seat of his wagon. “Do you have any trunks?”

  “Nope. This is it.” Allie set her carpetbag at her feet.

  As he drove through town, Edwin pointed out Mr. Miller’s Mercantile, Maggie MacGregor’s dress shop, and Mr. Palmer’s saddle shop. He waved at the sheriff as he strolled down the boardwalk with his arm around the waist of a beautiful woman while a little girl skipped along beside them.

  Edwin stopped the wagon outside a large two-story residence with a lush yard and wrap-around porch. The fancy trim dripping from the house caused Allie to won
der if her shoes were clean enough to step foot inside such a grand house.

  “Welcome to our home,” Edwin said. He wrapped the reins around the brake and climbed down. When he offered her a hand, Allie’s fingers barely grazed his as she jumped down then followed him up the steps and inside the front door.

  “Hattie, my love, we have a special guest.” Edwin smiled at Allie and motioned her to precede him into a parlor. A woman his age sat on a tufted velvet sofa cuddling a curly-haired child. Across from the duo, on a matching sofa, a lovely auburn-haired woman smiled as she held a cup of tea in her elegant hands.

  “Hello!” The older woman set the child on the cushion beside her and rose to her feet. “Welcome, welcome. I’m Hattie Greenfield. This is Lady Jemma Jordan and her daughter, Lily.”

  “It’s right nice to meet you, Mrs. Greenfield, Mrs. Jordan. I’m Allie Tillman.” Allie tipped her head toward Edwin. “Mr. Greenfield said you’d hire me for a few days until the man I came to marry makes it into town.”

  “Did you just arrive on the train?” Hattie asked, gently pushing Allie down into a side chair and pouring her a cup of tea.

  Without any past opportunity to drink tea out of a china cup, Allie tentatively took it, puzzled by what she should do with the saucer. Covertly, she watched Mrs. Jordan as she held the saucer in one hand and daintily took a sip from the delicate cup.

  Emulating the woman’s posture, Allie took a drink of the sweet, rich brew then returned the cup to the saucer. “Thank you. I did just arrive. The man who sent for me wasn’t around to meet the train. The ticket agent didn’t seem to know when he’d show up in town, although he seemed to find the notion of my husband-to-be getting married quite funny.”

  Eager to participate in the conversation, Lily skipped over to Allie and leaned against her chair. She tilted her head one way then the other before grinning at her. “You’re tall,” she said.