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Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas
Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas
Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas
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Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas

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Under Primitive Conditions - Alone, a woman travels across the prairies to meet her cowboy fiancé in Nevada, but is unable to find him at first in the primitive tent town where he works. They get together and he and a drunken man who was on the floor of his shop travel to the man’s brother first to drop him off, then to the tiny cabin where they are to live. She’s a self-sufficient woman though and after they get married, tries to make a go of it until some bad news makes her wonder if they will survive the winter.

Worlds Apart - Trapped in a loveless marriage, and after her husband’s suicide, Emma decides to become a mail order bride and after finding a rancher, she boards the train headed for California. There’s only one thing on her mind though; the rancher wants a family, and she’s thirty-five.

The Shy Woman From Virginia & The Man With A Secret From North Dakota - A very shy woman from West Virginia leaves her home to head west to a man she’s never met, who lives in a small sod house in North Dakota. He tries to hold off telling her about his past, until someone from that dark past shows up to haunt him.

Abby Tames Two Mustangs: A Man & His Horse - When Abby saved a man who fell from his horse, little did she know as she looked into his gray eyes, that his past would hold a secret which almost drove them apart; from idle gossip and his lack of faith.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherSusan Hart
Release dateMay 21, 2017
ISBN9781370697861
Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas

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    Out From A Golden Dawn - Doreen Milstead

    Out From A Golden Dawn: Four Historical Romance Novellas

    By

    Doreen Milstead

    Copyright 2017 Susan Hart

    Under Primitive Conditions

    Worlds Apart

    The Shy Woman From Virginia & The Man With A Secret From North Dakota

    Abby Tames Two Mustangs: A Man & His Horse

    Under Primitive Conditions

    Synopsis: Under Primitive Conditions - Alone, a woman travels across the prairies to meet her cowboy fiancé in Nevada, but is unable to find him at first in the primitive tent town where he works. They get together and he and a drunken man who was on the floor of his shop travel to the man’s brother first to drop him off, then to the tiny cabin where they are to live. She’s a self-sufficient woman though and after they get married, tries to make a go of it until some bad news makes her wonder if they will survive the winter.

    Alliance, North Carolina

    1883

    Emily Joseph stood in the golden light of the rising sun. Even with the slightly chilled air she could feel the warmth of the sun on her face. She wondered if the sun ever wanted to sleep in. What would she do if she woke up to find only darkness?

    Emily closed her eyes and breathed deeply the scent of earth and hay, two things she was quite familiar with. She heard her mother calling from inside the house and ran for the door.

    When she entered the kitchen, her mouth began to water.

    Something smells good, she said, sticking a finger in the sausage gravy.

    Mama slapped her hand with a wooden spoon but chuckled as she did so.

    You know better than that, love. I don’t even let your father eat out of the pot.

    Papa let out a hearty laugh from his seat at the table. He was a big, strong man. He’d also only had daughters. Emily was as close as he’d come to a son and only because she could do the work of a man.

    Janey, you know we don’t mean any harm. We’re just hungry, that’s all.

    Mama rolled her eyes and called for Dotty and Carol. The two thirteen-year-olds ran into the kitchen, hair half braided. They had the same golden curls and deep blue eyes as Emily, but they were far daintier.

    Yes, Mama? the twins said in unison.

    They turned glares on each other at that. They tried so hard to be different, but they were also a lot alike.

    Girls, Mama said, interrupting their silent squabble. Set the table, then go and feed the chickens.

    The two set right to work, bustling about like miniature versions of their mother. Emily smiled lightly at the two. She’d miss them like mad when she went to Nevada.

    Suddenly, Emily felt her mother’s arms around her.

    You know I love you, right, dear one?

    Emily rested her head on Mama’s shoulder, her thoughts taking a sad turn. She was leaving to get married soon. What if she never saw her family again?

    I know, Mama. I love you too.

    Mama kissed her head, then returned to the task at hand. Mama was like that. She did what needed to be done, regardless of the situation.

    Emily sat at the table and waited with her father. She looked forward to meeting her fiancé, but the thought of leaving her family set her heart to mourning.

    Emily was taking her turn with the plow, her father following at the edge of the field. The crops should have already been in but they hadn’t had a dry day in weeks. You can’t plow well in the rain, no matter how much stubborn is in you.

    Emily, her father called, drawing her attention. She didn’t stop.

    Yes, Papa?

    Emily heard Papa’s sigh. She kept going. Keep the rows straight. Don’t let the horse rule you.

    Dear, you still have that pistol I gave you?

    She smiled. Papa had given her the pistol for her eighteenth birthday. It hadn’t left her in the five years since.

    Of course, Papa. I also have my hunting rifle. Why?

    If you get to Nevada and Mr. Darcy isn’t good to you, you can come home.

    Emily nodded and ducked her head so her hat hid her features. She had thought of that a lot. It was always a risk to go away on your own, especially as a woman, but Emily wasn’t some dainty little princess. She was five feet eight inches, and strong as an ox. Not exactly manly, but not helpless, either.

    Even so, she’d been praying for the Lord’s protection. She would be riding to Nevada. She hadn’t wanted to bother Mr. Darcy for train fare, and she knew she’d have been too stubborn to take it.

    When it came right down to it, she would have to trust God. She didn’t know what else to do.

    Goodsprings, Nevada

    Rylan Darcy held the letter in his clenched fist. He felt more disappointed than ever before. He was an absolute failure. He’d made a raw deal with Mr. Clancy. He had watched the man guide hundreds of dollars in cattle onto his silly little train. Clancy had given him a large envelope as he hopped on the train and the train was starting to chug away by the time Rylan had gotten the envelope opened.

    It had contained nothing but scrap paper.

    Now Rylan stood in his kitchen, the once lovely letter crumpled in his hand. His bride was coming. She’d said she was leaving at the beginning of May. It was June twenty-third. He couldn’t get word to her before she left because there wasn’t time.

    Rylan plopped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. He let out an exasperated groan. Why was everything so difficult? Why couldn’t things just be simple for him?

    If he’d known that America would be like this, Lord knew he would have stayed in Ireland. Of course, he’d been just a baby then, but the thought stood.

    What good was a man without his money? He’d lose his land. It had taken him years to earn what he had. Would he lose it all?

    Alliance North Carolina

    Emily tucked two split skirts and blouses into her pack. She’d also put in extra socks, soap and plenty of matches. She strapped a small pot, mess kit, and her rifle to her bedroll, and then lashed the whole thing to her saddle. She kept her pistol on her hip, along with her hunting knife. Her canteen hung from a strap across her chest.

    Mama, Papa, Dotty, and Carol stood nearby, as Emily made sure that her belongings were secured. She felt in her bag to make sure her most important belonging was still there. When she was sure that her Bible was safe, she hugged each family member tightly. She smiled sadly at her younger sisters. She might not get to see them grow up.

    You two be good girls for Mama and don’t let anyone make you otherwise.

    The girls nodded, wiping tears from their blue eyes. Emily looked away; sure this was as sad as any soul had ever been.

    I’ll miss all of you, she said quietly, mounting her horse.

    You ready, Sunshine? she murmured, patting the animal’s neck.

    Emily blew a kiss, and then started away from home, alone for the first time.

    When she’d been on the road for three hours, Emily came across a creek. She stopped so that Sunshine could drink and rest. Her father had always said you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their horse. She wondered how Rylan Darcy treated his horses.

    Emily took a big gulp from her canteen, and then sat in the grass, watching clouds trying to get closer to the sun. She smiled as she realized they looked almost like children trying to get the attention of their mother.

    She shook away thoughts of families and mothers. She was alone for now. Well, alone except for God. She looked at her horse, gnawing delightedly at the grass. Well, alone except for God and Sunshine.

    After an hour of rest, Emily mounted her horse. The beast sidestepped, not wanting to continue.

    I know, love. Just three more hours, and then we can rest for a while.

    Goodsprings Nevada

    Rylan counted his money. He came up with less than ten dollars. He knew he could go without spending for a while, but what would he do when his fiancé came? Women were frivolous things more often than not. She’d probably want new dresses and perfume.

    Why does she need perfume? he grumbled to himself, shoving the money into his pocket.

    He knew he was likely being irrational, but he didn’t care. Why had he asked for a bride? He might not have any place to put her when she came.

    Rylan went into his room and slumped into bed. He’d probably end up giving the girl his bed. He’d probably sleep on the kitchen floor. No, that wouldn’t work. He’d be in her way no matter what he did, so he’d just as well sleep on the floor in his own room.

    What if she was offended by that?

    Rylan pressed his palms into his eyes and let out a groan. He shouldn’t worry about that yet. What he needed to do was sleep. He spent the rest of that night wide-awake, saying that very thing.

    Emily was tired. She hadn’t bathed properly since leaving home. She’d been days without seeing a town, but she knew she was somewhere in Missouri. Sunshine was oblivious to these facts. The beast didn’t know that Emily was stiff when she dismounted every three hours or that her hair was an absolute mess.

    She stopped riding near noon, deciding it was time to hunt something to eat. She’d mostly eaten plants the past few days, trying to avoid overly long stops. Truth be known, though, she needed more than roots and leaves to feel full.

    Emily tied Sunshine’s reins to a tree, leaving her there for the time being. She took down her rifle and moved through the grass as loudly as she could knowing a bird would get spooked and fly up soon enough.

    The grass whispered warning to the creatures that took shelter beneath it, telling them a hunter was nearby. Emily smiled when she noticed a patch of waist-high grass twitching not twenty feet ahead. She picked up a rock and threw it at the spot, then quickly raised her rifle to her shoulder.

    A pheasant flew out of the grass, all flapping wings and hoarse calls.

    Emily took aim, following him across the sky. She took her shot in the space between breaths and heartbeats. The shot rang out with a bang as the bird fell to the ground.

    Emily giggled, giddy with the thought of so much meat. She ran to her fallen prey, noting that the bird was a rooster. It was always sad to look at such a lovely creature and know you’d taken its life. However, that was the way of things.

    She took her bird over to Sunshine, holding him high for the horse to admire. She turned away and Emily laughed.

    We can’t all eat grass and leaves, Sunshine.

    Emily dressed the bird, and then cooked it over a nice fire. The scent of cooking meat set her mouth to watering and she was glad for the skill of hunting her father had provided. As a little girl, she’d always been impatient while stalking a deer or waiting in the grass for a turkey. Now, though, she valued the patience it had taught her.

    She understood why such things were important.

    As Emily wolfed down her food, she wondered if anyone had taught her fiancé the things she’d been taught. Did he look fondly on memories of his father?

    She shook off the thoughts. There would be plenty of time to learn such things later. Right now, she needed to eat, drink, and be on her way.

    Emily rolled her eyes when she came to the river. She’d known it was coming. She’d heard its rushing waters from a mile away. It wasn’t big like the Mississippi River was, but the Mississippi had rafts to take you across. This nameless little nuisance didn’t.

    It was wide enough and deep enough to be dangerous and Emily didn’t like the idea of drowning. She knew she had to cross. She knew it was a necessity. Even so, she was mildly relieved when Sunshine refused to enter the water. It gave her a few sweet moments to think.

    Emily already knew what to do. She just didn’t like the idea.

    She unbuttoned her blouse, removing it and leaving her arms bare. She still wore her camisole, but if anyone happened upon her, it would be humiliating.

    Emily put the blouse over Sunshine’s eyes, tying the sleeves under her head. She grabbed the reins and slowly led the horse towards the water. The river rushed by in a whirl and Emily felt her heart go numb. This could be where she died. She would have never imagined drowning before then, but it seemed to be all she could think of now.

    When Emily first stepped into the water, the coldness immediately shocked her to rigidity. She realized that her boots were still on and let out a sigh. She’d have to dry them before she could move on.

    When Sunshine stepped into the water, she started to panic a bit. Emily spoke softly to the beast, leading her further in. The water swirled around her waist, making her split skirt billow around her thighs. They weren’t even half way across.

    The

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