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Pony Express Christmas Bride
Rhonda Gibson
Want Ad WifeMail-order bride Josephine Dooley’s trip west was supposed to end in marriage to her intended groom—not with the discovery that he hadn’t actually placed the bridal ad! Now her only choice is to convince pony express rider Thomas Young to wed her anyway, to save her from her scheming uncle.A bride shouldn’t be a surprise package and when Thomas finds out about his meddling brother’s ruse, he plans to send his would-be wife packing. However, when he realizes Josephine desperately needs his help and a marriage of convenience is the only way he can protect her, he vows to become the husband she needs. But he quickly learns that it will be hard to keep his new bride at arm’s length…because Josephine is his perfect match.
Want-Ad Wife
Mail-order bride Josephine Dooley’s trip West was supposed to end in marriage to her intended groom—not with the discovery that he hadn’t actually placed the bridal ad! Now her only choice is to convince Pony Express rider Thomas Young to wed her anyway to save her from her scheming uncle.
A bride shouldn’t be a surprise package, and when Thomas finds out about his meddling brother’s ruse, he plans to send his would-be wife packing. However, when he realizes Josephine desperately needs his help and a marriage of convenience is the only way he can protect her, he vows to become the husband she needs. But he quickly learns that it will be hard to keep his new bride at arm’s length...because Josephine is his perfect match.
“Look, I’m not sure what you are expecting from this marriage.”
Thomas took his hat off his head and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “But it isn’t going to be a real marriage.”
“We said vows, Thomas. Vows that I have been raised to keep.” Now that they were alone, was this his way of saying he’d changed his mind? How could he do such a thing?
His gaze met and held hers. “I agree, but this isn’t a real marriage, Josephine. The only reason I agreed to it was because I wanted you to be safe from your uncle and his evil plans. I have no intention of falling in love.”
All Josephine could think to say was “All right.” Inside she told herself she was happy that he harbored no desire to fall in love and live happily ever after.
Tension eased from her body. If he felt that way, then he couldn’t expect her to love him, either. How could anyone love another when they weren’t even sure they could trust them?
Still, a twinge of worry etched its way through her mind. “Does this mean you want to get out of the marriage?” She didn’t want to not be married to him; she needed the protection of his name.
“No, we’re married and you have the protection of the Young name, but that is all.”
Dear Reader (#ub214167c-c213-586e-8d44-76fa1a93a7fc),
When I was researching the Pony Express, I came across a letter from a little girl who asked if there were any girl Pony Express riders. The gentleman who answered her letter said, “not that history recorded but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t one.” That got me to thinking, and Josephine’s story was born. I enjoyed telling Thomas and Josephine’s love story.
Thank you so much for reading Pony Express Christmas Bride. I hope you are enjoying reading this miniseries as much as I am writing it.
Warmly,
Rhonda Gibson
RHONDA GIBSON lives in New Mexico with her husband, James. She has two children and three beautiful grandchildren. Reading is something she has enjoyed her whole life, and writing stemmed from that love. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, beading and playing with her dog, Sheba. You can visit her at rhondagibson.net (http://www.rhondagibson.net). Rhonda hopes her writing will entertain, encourage and bring others closer to God.
Pony Express Christmas Bride
Rhonda Gibson
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To everything there is a season.
A time for every purpose under heaven.
—Ecclesiastes 3:1
A special thank-you to my family.
I love you all very much.
James Gibson, your support means the world to me.
Father God, thank You for the stories You place on my heart and for being with me when I write.
Contents
Cover (#u4bd1ce74-3a3f-59f7-87be-02ea38b56933)
Back Cover Text (#ub46c5999-c27e-5a19-9f04-ab9dbdbc13b7)
Introduction (#u55ed61cc-bdd8-53e9-868b-646d2736b1de)
Dear Reader (#ud9472fcc-e08a-52ed-aec6-17ff3acb6f75)
About the Author (#u3a5a2b80-4d51-5eeb-b85a-2cfea41d083a)
Title Page (#u83fecd02-c3b0-58a1-bf20-bdd8636a93d8)
Bible Verse (#u2aff6d9b-d160-5c2f-9065-0880c917dafa)
Dedication (#ua45292ee-36b8-5345-9d0e-65c7c5796203)
Chapter One (#u4f464245-7d95-5f87-aaa1-6fe8c12b978c)
Chapter Two (#u16e62842-de61-5f55-ab92-87fad810602c)
Chapter Three (#ub23fb784-4795-5d5e-83d4-90a3c9594b0a)
Chapter Four (#uc3cbf1f7-d984-564f-b6d5-8fae85ec266c)
Chapter Five (#u689d8229-02a0-593c-b433-cebc427711ce)
Chapter Six (#uc92c11f3-b24d-5723-9598-42fd9820b4a0)
Chapter Seven (#u475e63e0-4ce1-5d79-ae9c-6d6e4e2aaadb)
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)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ub214167c-c213-586e-8d44-76fa1a93a7fc)
Dove Creek, Wyoming
October 1860
Josephine Dooly lay low over her horse’s back. She whispered soothing words in his ear, even though she felt sure he couldn’t hear them over the yells of the bandits in hot pursuit of her. Her heart raced, adrenaline ran full throttle through her veins and pounding heart.
She doubted the bandits were after her money; they wanted the bags of mail in her possession, but if they stopped her, they’d get both and it wasn’t in her to let them have either. She meant to keep the hard-earned money she had on her person—and her mother’s locket. Josephine had a wedding trousseau to buy and a household to set up. Bandits out for the thrill of the steal were not going to alter her plans one little bit.
“Just a little farther, boy. We’re almost there.” The Pony Express station just ahead was Josephine’s destination. Once she rounded the bend, she knew the men would stop chasing her. Ole Mac, the previous stock tender, had said so when he’d given her instructions about this part of her run.
Thankfully, this was Josephine’s last ride for the Pony Express. She still couldn’t believe that cutting her hair and shortening her name to Jo had gotten her employment with the Pony Express. But she thanked the Lord that it had. There’d been some close calls and a few lonely days, but she’d made it by the grace of God.
As promised, once she rounded the bend, the bandits turned back the way they’d come. She let out several loud whoops of her own and patted the horse’s neck as she sped into the Pony Express station, where another rider waited to take her place.
She handed off the mochila and slid from the pony all in one motion. The other rider raced away, leaving Jo and the station manager standing in the yard in front of a tall barn.
The Pony Express station stock tender turned to look at her. “Boy, you look plum tuckered out.” With a good-humored laugh, he slapped Josephine on the back and only her quick reflexes kept her from flying through the air and falling on her face.
He motioned toward a building a few feet away. “Welcome to the Young family home station. I’m Andrew Young. My brother Philip is in the bunkhouse. Head on over. He’ll make sure you get something to eat and show you to a warm bunk, where you can bed down.”
Josephine nodded. This was her first time at this station, but she knew that in another ten miles she’d be in Dove Creek—and that was her final destination. She’d hired on as a Pony Express rider simply to get here.
She lowered her voice to sound like that of a young boy’s. “Thanks, believe I will.” Her legs felt as if she’d marched through mud and it had dried on her boots, weighing them down. She walked to the small bunkhouse, happy for a little time to rest after her last run.
A smile tilted her lips. She’d made it to the Young Home Station. It had taken a couple of weeks, but she was here. And her uncle was none the wiser. She’d managed to escape his plans to marry her off to a distasteful gambler as payment of a large debt he owed. What kind of uncle did that to his niece? Apparently hers, as that was exactly what had happened. But she’d outsmarted him.
Answering Thomas Young’s ad for a mail-order bride had been her saving grace. And the scariest thing she’d ever done in her young life. Well, that and signing on to be a Pony Express rider.
Her forehead puckered in thought. What would Thomas’s brothers Andrew and Philip think when she revealed that she wasn’t a boy but their brother’s mail-order bride?
Josephine hoped Thomas would be as happy to see her as she would be to see him. She’d not had the luxury of time to wait and see if he’d send her money to travel to the West, but had of necessity found her own way to Wyoming.
Josephine knew she’d had no choice. After her mother’s death, her father had become depressed and one day just disappeared. Leaving her behind to fend for herself. At first her uncle had paid little attention to her, but soon he’d realized that she could become profitable to him. To escape her uncle and his plans, she’d signed on with the Pony Express and never looked back.
Josephine pulled her shoulders back and raised her chin, readying herself to meet Philip Young. She touched her hand lightly against her chest, comforted by the warmth of her mother’s locket. The jewelry was the only thing left of her mother, besides Josephine’s memories, and she cherished it above all her possessions. Fortunately, her uncle hadn’t known she possessed it or it would have been long gone.
She pushed the sad thoughts aside and entered the bunkhouse. She yawned and weariness filled her. Josephine knew that once she told Philip who she really was, she’d need a couple of hours’ sleep before heading to the town of Dove Creek. She hadn’t waited for Thomas’s letter and now only hoped that she’d be given the directions to the relay station that he ran. If she understood correctly, it was a mere five miles on the other side of Dove Creek, so shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Nerves warred with hunger as she thought about this new life she planned to carve out for herself. Josephine prayed once more that she’d made the right decisions in answering a mail-order-bride ad, joining the Pony Express to escape her uncle and then marrying a man she didn’t know. Some might say she’d jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire; Josephine didn’t know, but she was about to find out.
* * *
Thomas Young leaned against the stone fireplace, watching snow drift silently to the ground in light, fluffy flakes. Living at a Pony Express relay station was the perfect life. He and his brother Philip had everything they needed. They attended to the Pony Express station that rested on the far side of the Young Home Station, which was always their first and last stop on their rides. Their ma liked this because it meant she got to see her adopted sons at least once a week. The home stations offered a bed and meal, whereas their small station offered only a fresh horse and more miles to ride between home stations.
Thomas heard the bugle blow seconds before the young man came into sight. The Pony Express rider came in fast and hard. Not all the riders used the bugle, but this one did. Thomas pushed himself away from the fireplace wall. He hurried to the barn and pulled out the already saddled horse that the rider would exchange. He’d take care of the exhausted horse as soon as the Express rider was on his way.
The young boy rode low over his horse’s neck. The powdery snow lifted from the horse’s hooves like steam from an overheated kettle.
Thomas braced himself for the horse exchange. The boy practically leaped from one horse to the other in one motion. Thomas recognized him as Juan. “Adios!” he called after the retreating back. The pony beside him heaved. Juan had ridden him hard.
The rider waved and shouted back. “Buenos Dias, Senor Young!”
He smiled and then gently tugged on the reins of the spent horse. “Come along, boy. We’ll have fresh oats in your belly in a few moments.” Thomas took the horse to the small barn that housed six Pony Express horses. His own gelding was behind the barn in the lean-to it shared with Philip’s horse.
The smell of hay and oats filled his nostrils. The warmth of the barn wrapped around his chilled body. Philip had been gone for almost four days. He’d planned to ride his part of the trail and then stop in at their adoptive mother’s home station near Dove Creek.
As he worked, Thomas talked to the horses. “Philip should be home later today, boys. I’ve missed his constant chatter. How about you?”
One of the animals kicked its stall door in answer. Thomas laughed. “Well, at least one of you missed him, too.” He took off the Pony Express–issued saddle and began rubbing down the horse that had just arrived.
“I see you are still talking to the animals.”
