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An Unlikely Mother
Danica Favorite
Bound by a ChildHoping to overcome her reputation as Leadville, Colorado’s biggest gossip, wealthy socialite Flora Montgomery offers to help a miner care for an abandoned child. But her growing affection for the sweet boy’s handsome rescuer could be a problem. Especially since her parents insist she must marry for money.Undercover mine owner George Baxter is digging himself into a dilemma. The once-spoiled Flora has become a delightful, generous woman, and she’ll be devastated by his deception. Yet if he can’t discover who’s sabotaging the mine, George will lose any chance of making a home for Flora and Pierre. Can the little boy who holds both of their hearts help them lay claim to a new dream of family?
Bound by a Child
Hoping to overcome her reputation as Leadville, Colorado’s biggest gossip, wealthy socialite Flora Montgomery offers to help a miner care for an abandoned child. But her growing affection for the sweet boy’s handsome rescuer could be a problem. Especially since her parents insist she must marry for money.
Undercover mine owner George Baxter is digging himself into a dilemma. The once-spoiled Flora has become a delightful, generous woman, and she’ll be devastated by his deception. Yet if he can’t discover who’s sabotaging the mine, George will lose any chance of making a home for Flora and Pierre. Can the little boy who holds both their hearts help them lay claim to a new dream of family?
“He wants me to sing, doesn’t he?”
George looked over at Flora, who smiled broadly.
“It would appear so.” She gave the little boy an affectionate look and, once again, George was struck by how readily she opened her heart to a child who needed it.
Pierre tugged at his hand. “J’enseigne!”
George looked at Flora for translation.
“He said he will teach you.” Her words came out with a slight giggle, like she found the prospect delightful.
Fortunately, almost every child probably knew the familiar folk song, or at least that was what George thought. “I don’t sing as well as you, but I think I can manage.”
He began to sing the first few bars, then Flora and Pierre joined in.
Maybe it was wrong of him to think so, but as they strolled through the crowded area of the mine, holding hands with Pierre, who was exuberantly swinging his arms, probably in hope that they’d pick him up and swing him between them again, this felt like everything he’d always hoped for in a family of his own.
Dear Reader (#ub96cbda0-4629-5bba-82b7-c86782c1804f),
We all know Flora was the nemesis of a lot of our Leadville ladies. Why couldn’t I have left well enough alone and let her be the horrible woman everyone hated? Because, as a good friend and I discussed, it’s in my nature to want to redeem everyone. I want to believe that someone like Flora, whom everyone hates, has something good in her, and that God can transform all those bad places to reveal that beautiful thing inside her no one else has seen.
Can everyone be redeemed? I believe, with all of my heart, that if you want to be redeemed, and you seek God’s guidance, then you absolutely can and will find redemption.
My prayer for you is that if you find yourself far from God, regretting mistakes of your past, that you will turn your face toward Him, and you will realize the light of His love shining upon you.
I always love hearing from my readers, so feel free to connect with me at the following places:
Website: www.danicafavorite.com (http://www.danicafavorite.com/)
Twitter: Twitter.com/danicafavorite (https://twitter.com/danicafavorite)
Instagram: Instagram.com/danicafavorite (https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/)
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor (https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor)
Abundant blessings to you and yours,
Danica Favorite
DANICA FAVORITE loves the adventure of living a creative life. She loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily-ever-after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun. Find her at danicafavorite.com (http://www.danicafavorite.com).
An Unlikely Mother
Danica Favorite
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
—Philippians 4:11–13
The Harlequin.com online community has been a part of my writing journey since day one. You guys are not just my job, but a second family, and I love you all dearly. I’ve been waiting to write the perfect book that encapsulates what a precious part of my journey you’ve been, but I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I’d need at least a thousand books to tell each of the very wonderful stories I’ve gotten to be a part of. Thank you all for the role you play in my life, each other’s lives and in the books you’ve brought and will bring to the world.
And, Rae, your time is coming!
Keep the faith. Love you!
Contents
Cover (#uaa4f2a9f-952b-5519-afaf-ade8eebf0d02)
Back Cover Text (#u841ae282-4009-59eb-8fdd-1b028a004c29)
Introduction (#u839ed0b0-93b1-5156-aba0-02f79a4d15a5)
Dear Reader (#u8b75114c-9e6c-50b2-b91a-3bef8f6dd80e)
About the Author (#uc7c03b6d-ac82-5d31-9998-a54ec6bdf181)
Title Page (#u66896f1d-df5b-5f96-8b3b-54c002191d54)
Bible Verse (#u2e59cb55-e3ca-520a-894f-41f019585a91)
Dedication (#u773ea31f-d2a9-5bc3-9400-c7d920880fe0)
Chapter One (#u517f211a-b913-50bf-88a6-c6b48e8f61b2)
Chapter Two (#ua7399c6a-45f6-505e-aa45-9afda4ed57a6)
Chapter Three (#u31b1af93-3e47-5143-b251-1f9b9814f170)
Chapter Four (#u4a4e9fd0-95df-5d18-a17c-57acd63fe363)
Chapter Five (#u92897618-536f-59ce-b92d-214d50bb71a4)
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)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ub96cbda0-4629-5bba-82b7-c86782c1804f)
Leadville, Colorado, 1883
Stark raving mad. If Flora Montgomery had to describe herself in this latest scheme, that’s what she would say she was. Oh, she’d done some crazy things in the past. Horrible things. But nothing so insane as agreeing to spend the summer in a mining camp helping the less fortunate.
Like everything else in her life, it had seemed like a good idea at the time.
The baby’s wail pierced her ears again.
She stared at the little creature in her arms. “I’m sorry. They should have asked someone else to hold you. I’ve never held a baby before, and I know I’m doing a terrible job, but could you please have a little mercy?”
Unfortunately, her words only served to send more tears rolling down the baby’s cheeks, making Flora want to cry herself. Please, Lord, I know I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, but surely this poor child doesn’t deserve to suffer because of it.
Why had the other women thought that leaving Flora alone with a baby was a good idea? When they’d gone to unload a wagon, Mrs. Willoughby handed her this baby and told her to stay at the cabin with her.
Flora sighed. It wasn’t that they’d thought having her take care of a baby was a good idea, but that none of them wanted to be stuck with Flora. Which left Flora here with this tiny creature she knew nothing about.
Surely the other ladies would return soon.
Glancing down the well-worn path the women had taken only left Flora feeling more miserable. If they returned and saw what a terrible job she was doing in minding the baby, they’d have one more crime to throw at her feet.
That was the trouble with being the most hated woman in town. Once people found an excuse to hate you, it seemed everything else only served to validate that opinion. She should know. Not too long ago, Flora’s words were the ones the women hung on, her opinions dictating everyone else’s place in society. But she had been cruel in her judgments of others, shunning women who were now the ones everyone else looked up to. When Flora had hurt one too many people with her actions, they’d turned on her. And rightly so. But no matter how many times Flora said she was sorry, or tried to show that she’d changed, it didn’t seem to make a difference.
How, then, was Flora supposed to redeem herself?
Surely it wasn’t impossible. After all, Emma Jane Jackson, once tormented for being poor, uncomely and awkward, was now one of the most respected women in their group, married to one of the handsomest, wealthiest men in town. A man Flora had once hoped to marry. Virtue over beauty. Apparently that was what men valued in women these days. And since Flora had little of the former, and a great deal of the latter, she’d finally begun to accept that unless she changed her ways, she’d never find a husband of her own.
Since the baby had yet to cease its crying, Flora walked toward the nearby stream. Maybe the sound of water would soothe the poor thing. Not finding a husband was the least of Flora’s worries. After all, a husband meant children, and clearly, from the way this one carried on, Flora would make a terrible mother.
Prior to the great social revolution in Leadville, Flora would have been confident in the idea of motherhood; after all, she would hire the finest nanny from New York, or London or perhaps even Paris. But now, the women in her circle all chose to raise their children themselves, bringing even the smallest babies to help out at the mission, tied around them in some sort of apparatus to hold them against their bodies, leaving the women’s hands free to work.
One more reason Flora didn’t fit in. She’d had a nanny growing up, as did all the girls she’d known, but she’d also had no siblings, no babies to tend. Which was why she had no idea what to do with the squalling creature in her arms.
“Is everything all right, ma’am?” A miner, dressed in work clothes that were shabby but clean, approached.
“I...” Flora looked down at the baby. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
The man reached for the child. “Let me see what I can do. I’ve been told I have a way with little ones.”
Glancing toward the path the women had taken, Flora’s stomach dipped. What would the other women say if she handed the baby over to a strange man? It didn’t seem possible that they could hate her any more, but they always seemed to find a way.
“I shouldn’t,” Flora said, trying to ignore the way the baby’s face turned redder and redder. “Her mother might not like me letting a stranger take her.”
Smiling, the man took a step toward her. “A wise decision. I’m...” He paused. “George. George, uh...Baxter.”
The man, George, looked nervous. Flora had learned that many people came to these parts to escape a past they were ashamed of. Unfortunately, when one’s past was in a place where everyone else came to hide, there was no hiding it.
So this George Baxter, probably not his real name, well, Flora wasn’t going to judge his secrets. But she wasn’t going to simply hand him someone else’s baby, either.
Even if she wasn’t sure her ears would ever recover from the high-pitched screaming.
“Flora Montgomery. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Baxter. I do appreciate your offer, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be proper.”
Another smile filled his face. “Could I make a suggestion, then?”
“It would be most welcome. I’m sure it couldn’t hurt at this point.” Flora sighed, looking at the wailing baby once more.
“You’re holding her wrong,” George said. “Cradle her gently next to you, like so.”
He bent down and picked up a large stick and demonstrated.
Flora shook her head. “I tried that, and the baby cried even worse.”
“Does she need to uh...” George shifted, looking more uncomfortable than he had at saying his name. “...belch?”
She wasn’t allowed to say that word in polite company. Let alone discuss those particular things with a man. But she did need to find a way to get the baby to quiet down.
“How am I supposed to know that? The baby doesn’t talk.”
If he sensed her irritation, he didn’t show it. His face held a look of kindness and gentleness. Patience. The kind of man Flora would like to get to know, were he not so far outside her social station. A pity, since the harder Flora had worked on improving her character, the less appealing those in her social station seemed to be.
