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Handpicked Family
Shannon Farrington
Father by DesignAfter the Civil War, newspaper editor Peter Carpenter insists he'll never marry or raise children in such a troubling world. His commitment to bachelorhood only intensifies as he and his lovely assistant, Trudy Martin, search the ravaged Shenandoah Valley for his missing widowed sister-in-law and her baby.Ever the optimist, Trudy refuses to embrace Peter’s bleak outlook. Unfortunately, that doesn’t diminish her deep feelings for him—feelings she knows he’ll never reciprocate. But when Peter and Trudy become responsible for two war orphans, will Peter still keep his heart closed to his newfound family…or can he find hope in fatherhood?
Father by Design
After the Civil War, newspaper editor Peter Carpenter insists he’ll never marry or raise children in such a troubling world. His commitment to bachelorhood only intensifies as he and his lovely assistant, Trudy Martin, search the ravaged Shenandoah Valley for his missing widowed sister-in-law and her baby.
Ever the optimist, Trudy refuses to embrace Peter’s bleak outlook. Unfortunately, that doesn’t diminish her deep feelings for him—feelings she knows he’ll never reciprocate. But when Peter and Trudy become responsible for two war orphans, will Peter still keep his heart closed to his newfound family...or can he find hope in fatherhood?
SHANNON FARRINGTON and her husband have been married for over twenty years, have two children, and are active members in their local church and community. When she isn’t researching or writing, you can find Shannon visiting national parks and historical sites or at home herding her small flock of chickens through the backyard. She and her family live in Maryland.
Also By Shannon Farrington (#uae58ad75-4a40-589a-89b7-56d7b718c610)
Her Rebel Heart
An Unlikely Union
Second Chance Love
The Reluctant Bridegroom
Frontier Agreement
Handpicked Family
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Handpicked Family
Shannon Farrington
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08446-8
HANDPICKED FAMILY
© 2018 Shannon Farrington
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“I am sorry for any inconvenience I have caused you in coming here, but I promise you my scheming days have ended.”
Peter drew in a breath, hesitant to acknowledge her former feelings.
“It’s over and done with now,” he said. “I have made my position clear. If you will accept it, then we will speak no more of it.”
Accept that he never wanted a family, that he didn’t want her? Trudy would be lying to herself to say his rejection didn’t still sting, but yes, she had accepted it. “Very well,” she said.
He offered her a curt nod. With no further business, Trudy turned and left.
Give her marks for candor, Peter thought as he watched her walk away. And for grit. She was fast becoming his right-hand man—or woman, rather. She was definitely staff material—efficient, freethinking... But it comes at a price. He stopped that thought, reminding himself then that the matter had been settled.
Still, his thoughts betrayed him. In another time, in another place...
Dear Reader (#uae58ad75-4a40-589a-89b7-56d7b718c610),
Thank you so much for choosing Handpicked Family, my final book with Love Inspired Historical. Writing this Civil War series has been a wonderful journey, one I could not have completed without the help and support of many people. I am so thankful to my family for their prayers and loving encouragement, and also my church family and friends for their enthusiasm. I am especially appreciative of my extraordinary editor Elizabeth Mazer, who was willing to take a chance on me, all of my readers who picked up one of my books, and Wanda Lee and Melinda, my faithful pen pals, whose kind letters always arrived just when I needed an encouraging word! Most of all I am grateful to the God of Heaven and Earth who holds each of us in the palm of His hand.
Writing may require solitude but it is hardly a solitary process. Each of you has played a crucial role in the crafting of my stories and in my daily life. For that I will forever be thankful! May your lives be blessed as much as you have blessed mine!
I hope you enjoyed Peter and Trudy’s adventure. For information on any of my future writing endeavors, please follow me on Twitter @_SFarrington (https://twitter.com/_SFarrington).
Until we meet again,
Shannon Farrington
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow... and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
—Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
For Erin
A modern-day, mission-minded angel of mercy
Contents
Cover (#ufff2a0c6-c97a-54ab-9e98-ec918e94bf54)
Back Cover Text (#ufb2e7f01-764e-510e-b9f1-161b79767956)
About the Author (#u2e115b45-1d80-5cd3-8840-7a3729b2cac1)
Booklist (#ubc83b49e-383e-5600-9258-9c56f03307e2)
Title Page (#u4fa4a083-9536-5923-ad6e-99716d67b54b)
Copyright (#uaef39c41-4674-570f-ac8e-b791552c51fa)
Introduction (#ud93dd69e-4393-5cd5-bb90-04bb10398418)
Dear Reader (#ud35ba246-30a0-51d2-b68a-24c1907b0f1d)
Bible Verse (#u52b32bf8-39a5-548b-8205-ee2991f3d630)
Dedication (#u59b1a9c4-8aee-57d0-a826-fcbb349f57af)
Chapter One (#u4bd3961d-0b3f-51b8-8400-6aba04f236d8)
Chapter Two (#ud2bfbaf4-58f9-5224-a2d5-3a7fbe8c201a)
Chapter Three (#ubb6ca498-687d-5bb1-a28e-ea0e3db50c82)
Chapter Four (#u242ad473-fcba-5859-b3bb-f7787e0ba860)
Chapter Five (#ufff4c14a-e7e5-5cc8-bc29-952916c32369)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uae58ad75-4a40-589a-89b7-56d7b718c610)
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia July 1865
Trudy Martin took one look at the ragtag collection of men blocking the road and pulled the wagon to an abrupt stop. She had not had much experience handling buckboards before. In fact, this was a first, and she had only learned to do so today out of necessity. Her friend Emily Mackay was teaching her because the teamster scheduled to drive had not showed. Neither had their armed Federal escorts, intended to protect this party from any thieves or malcontents they might meet along their journey.
How I wish for their presence now, Trudy thought.
Fear snaked up her spine, for even though the approaching crowd consisted mostly of gaunt-faced, frail-looking war veterans, some missing arms and hobbling on crutches, she saw the expression of determination on their faces.
They are just hungry people, she tried to tell herself, but Trudy knew full well that desperation often bred trouble.
Beside her Emily drew in a nervous breath. “They know we have food,” she whispered, “and I fear they intend to claim it.”
Emily’s husband, Dr. Evan Mackay, pulled a matching buckboard alongside them and paused. His lanky, rib-boned mare gave a snort as if to say she, too, was wary of the approaching men. With good reason, Trudy couldn’t help but think. Meat is meat no matter how poor the quality.
She scolded herself for the dark thought, but she knew from what the Mackays had told her, as well as from the articles she’d been proofreading for her employer’s newspaper, that here in western Virginia, food was scarce. The country had just endured four years of war and the Confederacy a humiliating surrender—but not before the land they had claimed as an independent nation had been ravaged by Federal forces. Families had been destroyed, and unemployment was widespread. Any soldier fortunate enough to return with his mind and body still intact was hard-pressed to find gainful work, but here, the devastation was particularly acute.
Desperation doesn’t even begin to describe this, she thought. How can the people expect to move forward when all they once had is in ruins? Nine months after the Federal army had scorched this land it was still as desolate as the moors of Scotland.
Trudy glanced heavenward, noting the angry gray sky. Rain is on its way, she thought, perhaps even a thunderstorm. She shivered, half because of the changing weather, half because of the still approaching men.
“Just keep on with the plan,” Dr. Mackay said calmly.
The plan had been to offer what help they could to a little community that had seen more than its share of hardship and horror. How exactly the town of Forest Glade had been chosen, Trudy could not say, but when she had learned this was to be the team’s destination, she’d jumped at the chance to be part of it. Her brother, George, had repeatedly marched and fought through this valley in his service to the Confederacy. He had also been wounded here. But for the grace of God and a kind minister named James Webb, he might not have survived.
George had been treated for his wounds at the church in Forest Glade. Her brother, who had told her about the events in subsequent letters, was currently in a Federal prison, still awaiting release. He could not come and express his thanks to Reverend Webb, but she could.
Also, as a former volunteer nurse from the Baltimore military hospital, Trudy had been confident that she could offer assistance. Dr. Mackay and Emily had thought so, as well. And yet while they had organized this relief mission, they had not initiated this trip. The original invitation had come by way of Trudy’s employer, Peter Allen Carpenter. As publisher and editor of The Free American, a Baltimore-based newspaper, Mr. Carpenter had taken it upon himself to report firsthand on the devastation leveled upon this once beautiful valley, and had sought to bring others who could provide different kinds of assistance.
He had asked for the Mackays’ help.
Mr. Carpenter had not asked for Trudy.
He had asked for assistance from Trudy’s brother-in-law, David Wainwright, wanting an additional writer to help with his coverage. What will he say when he sees that David has not come? she wondered. And worse, that I am here in his place?
David was a top-notch reporter with a nose for sniffing out corruption. He was as committed to justice and truth as Mr. Carpenter, but unlike their employer, he was also a family man. Elizabeth was now expecting her first child and suffering severe sickness. David, the anxious father-to-be, had been hesitant to leave his wife behind. For reasons not entirely concerning Elizabeth’s welfare, Trudy had persuaded David to remain in Baltimore and let her go to Virginia in his stead. Though she wasn’t a reporter, she should still be able to assist Mr. Carpenter in his work. She’d been doing so for quite a while, working for him at the paper.
She had boasted of her nursing and editorial skills as well as her ability to take orders and deal with privations. She had insisted Dr. Mackay and Mr. Carpenter would well protect her. She had assured her brother-in-law that she was the best person for the job. However, it wasn’t until Mr. Collins, the acting editor in Mr. Carpenter’s absence, contracted influenza that David finally agreed to remain in Baltimore. He would look after the newspaper, and all other concerns at home.
“This is best for everyone,” Trudy had told him, but now, admittedly, she was having second thoughts. Her brother-in-law had been a soldier. He knew how to marshal and manage unruly men. Her desire to help the people here was genuine, but her reason for wanting to come on this mission had not been entirely humanitarian. A romantic interest had initially played a part.
Her employer, Mr. Carpenter, was a sizable man with a commanding voice and a confident air. He was brave, honorable and wholly committed to the ideals of justice and truth. Never mind that he walked with a limp, an injury of birth. Never mind he was ten years her senior. She’d been smitten the moment she met him—right up until he had told her in no uncertain terms that he would never marry.
She had learned that the day before he had departed for Virginia, the day it had also become public knowledge that Elizabeth was with child.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Trudy had said to him when sharing the news.
