by Cyndi Raye
Table of Contents
Rebecca: Mail Order Brides of Wichita Falls
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
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Rebecca: Mail Order Brides
of
Wichita Falls
by
Cyndi Raye
Copyright © 2017 www.CyndiRaye.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
Chapter 1
Rebecca nervously glanced at the two-story hotel. It would have to do. With gloved hands, she reached down and brushed the dust from her skirts, pushed strands of dark brown hair that had seen better days back under the brim of her hat. Squaring her shoulders, she grabbed the small carpetbag and marched across the street with a determination seen in many pioneer women.
She would get by. Somehow. She did it before in New York City, working in the factory alongside her best friend Hannah and living in poverty in a room at the Barger’s Boarding House. Back then she had made a promise to herself for a better life. No knight would ever come to her rescue, that was fairy-tales and nonsense. There had been no sweet, dear mother to tuck her in at night and read to her, either. She had done all her reading from the cold, hard window seat of the brick and mortar library when she had a chance to sneak away from the orphanage she grew up in.
When Rebecca turned of age, the orphanage had turned her out onto the cold streets of the bustling city. Without a plan she may have died on the streets. She was smarter than average and had planned well ahead of time for the day she was tossed out like a rotten apple. She had been forced to work at the factory for a year before she left the orphanage, so Rebecca had hid a partial amount of the earnings from the nuns. She had seen it before, how coming of age was a terrible way to homelessness.
Not for Rebecca. She didn’t even know her last name until the nuns at the orphanage told her they adapted the name Williams for her. She accepted it as fact even though it probably was made up. Those days were long gone, it had been awhile since she felt the cold streets of New York City under her boots. For all it was worth, she would make a new life here in the state of Texas.
Living in a shady, cheap boarding house, she had decided she didn’t want to be a slave to factory work in New York City for the rest of her life in a hot sweatshop. Rebecca had reluctantly answered an advertisement to become a mail order bride. That hadn’t panned out at all. The horrible man had even fooled the mail-order matchmaking services she had hired. Mr. Abbott had lied through his rotten teeth, claiming to be a widow with two children and a farm.
The letters he had written were so sweet they stole her heart at first. She had thought they would be a perfect match and she’d finally have a home with a yard and a family of her own. Rebecca had even looked forward to the unknown adventure of traveling westward on the railroad.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. What she got was hood-winked. When she had reached her destination, four ladies stood alongside her on the platform waiting for their husbands-to-be. To the surprise of each mail order bride, their husband-to-be happened to have the same name, John Abbott. As the four women put two and two together, realizing they had been duped, they realized all of a the sudden the man coming towards them with spaces between his stained teeth and a ruddy appearance was nothing more than a hustler. They all tried to scatter and flee but the four women were caught easily enough and with the help of another man were forced into a wagon against their will.
Rebecca knew how to get around the streets of New York City without being caught so it was nothing to find a hiding place easily enough. The small western town she was in was filled with areas that easily let her fit into crevices without being seen. She had waited hours crunched into a tight space between two identical buildings until the man gave up and took the other women away in the guarded wagon.
Shaking with fear of being caught, Rebecca heard his voice loud and clear as he led the wagon away from town. “I own you!” he had yelled in to the street. He said she owed him for the train ticket and he would collect. He laughed out loud, his scruff, mean voice causing a shudder and gasp to escape from deep inside. A hand flew over her mouth. She pressed it tight against her cheeks in case he could hear. She wouldn’t let him get to her. From her hiding place, she watched one of the girls yell out to a passer-by for help until that evil man turned from the bench and backhanded the frightened lady across the face. The poor girl’s head flung to the side and she sobbed uncontrollably until he yelled for her to stop crying or he’d do it again.
No one tried to rescue those poor, helpless women. She almost gave up her hiding spot to confront the townsfolk who wouldn’t lift a finger to help but stopped herself before she revealed herself and became a victim like them. Rebecca was not about to stay in this horrible place where people could care less about another human being. She had enough money tucked away for a train ticket away from here and to get by until she found work. She would go somewhere safe.
Rebecca found out the man was nothing more than a procurer of soiled doves. He was bringing women to the West under the impression they were to become brides when all he wanted them for was to work in his brothel. He even sold some in traveling auctions like a cage animal. She had accidentally overheard two passengers who were leaving town talk about the man who claimed to own her. They said everyone knew what he was doing. She gritted her teeth in anger. If the townsfolk knew this was happening, why hadn’t they stopped him?
Fear and loathing didn’t stop Rebecca from trying to embark on the first train out of the railroad town. She would not become another man’s property. Not a chance!
Now, here she was, in the city of Dallas, Texas, staring at a bigger than life three-story hotel across the street from the train depot. The dust from her long train ride lingered in her hair and face. Finding a bed to sleep in was priority, even if she had to dispense some of her stashed money. There was no sleeping on the train, even though her eyes had drooped shut several times. The rattling and noise from the loud steel ride made sleeping soundly all but impossible.
She would afford herself one night in a nice hotel, wash up and then start a plan of action first thing in the morning. She had to wire Miss Aloise and let her know what that horrible man had done so the agency didn’t send anyone else. She hoped and prayed he wasn’t in this city. Staying low and hiding in plain sight was her best course of action for now.
Rebecca Williams was used to being alone. She would be her own knight in shining armor. A crooked smile played on her mouth as she stepped onto the dusty street towards the hotel.
<><><>
“You want me to do what?”
The older lady smiled. Sweetly. Too sweetly if his opinion was of any value.
Her delicate gloved hands were placed into the palms of his own hardened ones as he led them across the dance floor. Instead of answering, she pushed back and twirled, giving him no choice but to follow her lead. She was no pushover. He had heard about Miss Addie even before he stepped foot in Wichita Falls. She was one of the cornerstones of the small, budding city.
She was also a busybody.
A match
making busybody who practically brought every couple in this small town together in one way or another.
Who was now offering her services to him.
“You heard me right, Mr. Montana. Or, should I say Sheriff Jackson Montana?”
His feet came to a halt. “I’m not the Sheriff, yet.”
“All it takes is one more vote. Guess who has the deciding one?” She smiled her sweet smile once again, drilling those dark eyes into the depths of his very soul. She released her hand from the palm of his and wiggled her fingers in the air.
“Figures,” he mumbled under his breath, an understanding of what she was doing hitting him full force. He had wondered why they hadn’t finished the voting process. Maybe it was because the committee had something else in store for whoever became the new sheriff. It looked like she was about to offer him the position under dire circumstances. “You can’t bribe me, Miss Addie. I don’t care who you are. I’ve gotten along just fine all my life. Don’t insult me by trying to buy me.” Jackson was about to turn away when he felt her warm, ageing hand on his arm.
“I’m sorry.” Her simple words spoke volumes. She sounded sincere enough. “I have more respect for you than that. My apologies, please.”
He hesitated a moment before he turned back. He could at least listen to what she had to say. Taking her hand in his, he picked up where they left off, leading expertly across the dance hall. “My apologies as well, Miss Addie, but, I don’t want to get married.”
She tilted her head. “Why not, sir? You will soon be the new Sheriff in town. Your reputation as a gunfighter is impressive. Your history as a soldier will make this town feel safer. There may even be a chance to become mayor some day. I know you grew up in an orphanage. It must have been a lonely life for one so young, no?”
Jackson felt the distant dread begin to rise as memories of life in an orphanage overwhelmed him for a moment. He didn’t like to talk about his past or have anyone else discuss it, not even with this dashing woman who could charm the pants off anyone, young or old. Before he could say so, she continued on in her steady voice.
“I get the feeling you don’t like to talk about your childhood, but, may I just say that the only reason I know about your situation is because I am indeed on the town committee and read the application and hiring questionnaire. I don’t gossip so no one will ever know you were an orphan and sent out on the mercy train when you were so young. But, that is precisely the reason I have the perfect solution.”
Jackson grinned. “You are something else, Miss Addie. Go ahead, feed me your poison.”
She smiled back, her ageing skin crinkling a bit around the eyes. “I assure you, when you find out who I want you to marry, you will be so happy.”
“Is that a fact? Now why don’t you spill it then, Ma’am.” He twirled her around as the music picked up for the final chorus.
She stopped dead in the middle of the dance floor and grabbed his arm. “Follow me, this is serious.” She didn’t wait but scooted through the crowd of people dancing and milling around on the sidelines and stood away from the crowd, facing him. The older woman’s face became dead serious. “Here’s the deal, Mr. Montana. In order to save a ladies reputation, I am looking for a man who will marry her right away and rescue this sweet woman, to boot. Whom, I may add, is a close friend of one of our townsfolk. Although, I would keep that part quiet until she is returned here unharmed.”
“Who is she?”
Miss Addie stepped closer. “She is from your past. The girl grew up in the exact same orphanage you did in New York City. I realize you were but a child then, but you may even know her. Rebecca Williams, does that name ring a bell?”
Jackson shrugged. “Not one bell, Miss Addie. Girls and boys were in separate quarters. I tend to let that part of my past where it belongs, in the past. Now if you don’t mind, I have to go.”
“Please, Mr. Jackson, think about it. She is in dire straits in Dallas, waiting for someone to fetch her. The man she was supposed to marry turned out to be nothing more than a horrible, greedy sheister. I am in contact with all the matchmaking services from coast to coast. Everyone’s reputation is at stake. Since I am the closest, It is my duty to get her here right away and have her married immediately.”
Jackson stopped. “What makes you think you can keep her safe here?”
Miss Addie inhaled. “Why, if she were married to you, then she would never be in any harm.”
“I don’t intend to marry.”
“Think about this. Becky is scared and alone. No one wants to feel that pain.”
Jackson froze. “Did you say Becky?”
“Yes.”
“From New York City?”
Miss Addie nodded, her eyes intent. “The same area you grew up in and the same orphanage.”
Jackson’s hairs stood on end. He could feel them through the coarse dark button down shirt he wore. It couldn’t be little Becky, his best and only friend, the girl he remembered so well. The Becky he hugged that last day in the library and promised he’d be back someday and help her get away from life in an orphanage? New York City had tons of people there. There was no way it could be that Becky! Impossible!
“I can see the interest resting in your eyes, sir.”
“I may have known a Becky once.”
“It may be the Becky you remember. At least help me get her safely away from that horrible man.”
“Why are you so interested, Miss Addie? What is this Becky person to you?”
Miss Addie sighed. At first Jackson recognized the guilt shaming her face but she quickly composed herself. “I may have taken a part in finding her a husband, only to find he fooled us all. I take my position serious, sir. This man not only duped all of the agencies across the land, but a young lady who didn’t deserve it.”
“I don’t understand.” Although, he was beginning to get the full picture.
“This horrible man is posing as a widowed farmer, going through several agencies to find brides. He’s been duping many agencies for some time now, pretending he needs a bride for his motherless children. He even set up a fake address so when we inquire about him, it all looks quite legit. All his credentials seemed to be true to form. When the bride is sent to him, he shows his true self and they either find themselves sold in auctions or working for him in an improper way, if you get my meaning, Mr. Montana.”
Jackson groaned. He did get it. This low-life wouldn’t stop until he was brought to justice. He had seen it many times before. “You won’t stop him, Miss Addie. He’ll just start up somewhere else in another town.”
“You may be right. What isn’t right is leaving a poor stranded girl out on her own with nowhere to go. This may or may not be my fault but I intend to make it right. Even though I wasn’t directly involved, I feel as if I am responsible for her. I need you, Mr. Montana. You have the experience to bring her back here safely. Will you do it, please?”
Jackson didn’t want to. “I came to Wichita Falls to start a new life, Miss Addie.”
“I understand, truly I do.” She leaned in closer. “I hold the winning vote. I’ve done some investigating of my own, Mr. Montana. I know you are trying to escape the hangman’s noose over in that awful outlaw town of Mill’s Ridge. That whole town is crooked. It didn’t matter if you were defending that sweet family or not. Taking the position as our newly sworn in sheriff will make a big difference. We will vouch for you as a whole town. You won’t be alone.”
Jackson had always been alone. He’d always found his own way, fought his own battles. War, hunger, beatings from the nuns. Somehow, he’d managed to survive through it all.
Then he showed up in Wichita Falls. From the start, the people treated him like a real person. Even though he’d only been here for a short time, he made some friends. Friends. Like the ones who would have your back in a fight. Something he’d never had. Or, inquiring about his well-being. Now that was new to him.
At one point, a suggestion for sheriff was made. Somehow
he got caught up in it and filled out the application. Now this lady, who practically helped to run this town, was offering to back him if anything ever came of the Mill’s Ridge fiasco. She was promising for the whole town.
He always thought he wanted to live his entire life on his own. Since he had no love from the start, he didn’t have any to give.
The town of Wichita Falls and the people in it were feeling like a real family. They were getting under his skin. In his blood. He rather liked the fact he had others who seemed to give a care if he lived or died.
There had only been one other person who had ever cared.
Becky.
He had never forgotten her. Even though at one point, he had returned as promised to find her betrothed to someone else. He had left then, never to step foot in New York City again. His intentions were to free her from the orphanage, offer his hand in marriage to get his best friend away from the horror of life there. When he found out she was already taken, he knew turning away was the right thing to do. She deserved so much more than a no good drifter like him. Besides, he was eleven years old when he had left that city behind the first time. There was no way she’d hold on to a promise he made so many years earlier that he would be back for her.
He was eighteen when he returned the second time. She had been sixteen when he went back only to find her engaged to someone else.
Now, he had a chance to see her again.
If it was truly her.
Intuition said it was.
His head said no. It couldn’t be.
Yet, he had to know.
He sighed then raked a hand through his hair. Jackson nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
A knowing smile played upon the older woman’s face. As if she knew all along he couldn’t say no. “Thank you.”
Jackson closed his eyes, sending a dire prayer to the man upstairs.
Chapter 2
Rebecca pushed the covers back the moment the sun peeked through the drafty windows. The make-shift dark curtains didn’t do a good job hiding the sun. She pushed them aside, letting in rays of sunshine, placing a smile upon her face. Indeed, it was a glorious morning. She was alive and grateful.
