A Rancher’s Bride on the Run (Preview)

Chapter One

St Joseph, Missouri

“Are you all right, Eliza?”

Eliza jumped and spun around, her heart pounding. Isabella was in the doorway to the kitchen, watching her curiously. Eliza tried to breathe normally, aware that her already flushed cheeks were getting warmer.

“Isabella! You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I thought you heard me.”

“I didn’t. I was…focused on cleaning the dishes.” Eliza nodded at the pile of plates that were in the sink behind her. “I hate being on washing duty.”

Her neighbor grunted.

“You’re not the only one. Anyway, I wanted to see how you were. You’ve been a little out of sorts lately, and I was worried.”

Eliza felt her chest tightening. She knew the young woman meant well, and normally she would tell her everything, but this particular secret she couldn’t talk about. Isabella was too loyal, and she would immediately go to Eliza’s father to tell him what his daughter was planning. Then Eliza would be punished and locked up until her father could trust her.

Eliza wasn’t about to let that happen.

“I’m fine,” she lied, her heart beating so hard in her chest that she was sure Isabella could hear it. “I guess I’m coming down with something. There’s influenza going around right now.”

Isabella bit her lip, immediately looking worried.

“You don’t think you’re ill, do you? If we get that around us…”

“Well, I’m not going to take any chances. As soon as I’ve finished here, I’m going to tell Father that I’m not well, and I should isolate myself from everyone just in case I make anyone else sick.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Isabella said quickly. “I can finish the dishes for you.”

“There’s no need…”

“If you’re not well, you should be resting immediately. I’ll tell your father right now, and you get back to your room.”

She disappeared before Eliza could respond. It made her smile to see her friend react in such a way. Isabella was terrified of getting sick, and she was always squeamish about blood. Why she was running around with Eliza’s father and the band of men that followed him like loyal hounds, Eliza had no idea. She was not cut out for their life.

Neither was Eliza, which was why she was doing something about it.

Slipping out of the kitchen, she headed to her room on the next floor, nodding at people as she passed. Pretty much everyone in the building worked for her father, so seeing her walking around was nothing to be concerned about. She could go about her business during the day, and nobody would bat an eye.

It was the nighttime that was going to be the problem. Especially when Eliza had every intention of running away.

She couldn’t stay here any longer. It was horrible, and Eliza hated it. But it was just her father now. Her mother died when Eliza was just ten, so for the last fourteen years, it had been the two of them. Well, not quite the two of them. The rest of his father’s gang was there, saying they were her family and they would look after her.

Eliza didn’t want them as her family. She wanted her mother. A woman she barely remembered, someone who died when Eliza was just ten years old, leaving her with a man who seemed eager to keep his daughter at his side. Treating her like a possession and not a person. Eliza was fed up with it. She wasn’t allowed her own freedom, and she craved that more than anything else.

At least she wouldn’t be surrounded by trouble with her type of freedom.

She was almost at her door when the door across the hallway opened, and Mrs. Blandy stuck her head out.

“Evening, Eliza,” she greeted. “You’re having an early night.”

“Yes. I’m not feeling very well.” Eliza decided against pretending to cough, knowing that Mrs. Blandy was not a woman easily fooled. “I’m going to rest in my room. Would you make sure nobody bothers me unless it’s a serious emergency? I don’t want anyone to catch what I might have.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll do what’s needed.” Mrs. Blandy gave her a toothless grin. “You can rely on me.”

Eliza knew that much. Mrs. Blandy wasn’t one of the group her father ran around with—not at her age of sixty—but she was a very good lookout for them when they needed someone who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. She was sharper than anyone gave her credit for, and Eliza didn’t want to set her off.

It was a good thing she had a separate escape route.

Smiling at her neighbor, Eliza snuck into her room and shut the door, leaning against it with a heavy sigh of relief. That was part one of her plan. Now she just needed to wait for it to get dark and things quietened down, after which she would sneak out of her window and run away. If she got to the stagecoach in town, then she would be able to truly get away.

Once she was on the train, nobody would be able to stop her. Dangerous as her father was, he’d never had any dealing with trains or robbed them. He was the type of person who had to have everything carefully planned out. Nothing was off-the-cuff. Her father planned for every eventuality.

Hopefully, he hadn’t planned for his own daughter running away.

And, if she was very lucky, she would be a few hours away by the time her family knew she’d gone.

Eliza sagged onto the bed, reaching under the mattress to bring out one of the letters she’d been exchanging with a man on the other side of the country. Nathaniel Brooks had been looking for a bride, and Eliza had spied his advertisement six months before. An idea had come into her mind then, and she’d been impatient waiting it out until she got the chance. If she could escape her father’s lifestyle and start out on her own, it would be a dream. The only way she could see that happening without really struggling was by becoming a wife. Eliza could cope with marriage as long as the man was decent.

And from his letters, Nathaniel seemed decent enough. He was a rancher, widowed with a young daughter, and was looking for another mother for her. Eliza liked to think she was good with children, so that would be something. Plus, she and Nathaniel seemed to get along in their letters. They hadn’t gotten to where they were expressing their love—Eliza thought that was mad when they’d never met—but they were able to write and keep the conversation flowing. They seemed to get along well enough.

Now Nathaniel had suggested that she join him in Texas. It was going to be a several-day journey on the train, but it would be worth it. This was what Eliza had been waiting for. She wasn’t about to beg for an invitation, but now she had it, she had an opportunity.

She just had to sneak out before she was caught. Her father would never let her go. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

Getting all of Nathaniel’s letters out, she stuffed them into a bag, along with a few essential items. She traveled light, as it was, but she knew that she couldn’t bring everything along with her. She needed to be able to leave swiftly without anything holding her back. It made her feel a little sad knowing that she couldn’t take everything, but Eliza reminded herself that she didn’t have any sentimental attachment to much. What she did—small items that belonged to her mother—were already in the bag.

A knock at the door made her jump. Eliza froze. Had she locked the door? She hoped so; her father had a tendency to walk right in when she wanted privacy.

“Eliza?” Sure enough, it was him. “Are you all right?”

Swallowing, Eliza’s voice trembled as she answered.

“I’m not feeling too good, Father,” she replied. “I have a bit of a headache, and I feel sick.”

“Do you think it’s influenza?”

The handle turned, and the door didn’t move. Good, she’d definitely locked the door.

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to take the chance. If it goes around everyone…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” He sighed. “I’m glad you’re taking precautions, but I’m worried about you being in there on your own.”

“Only because you can’t control me when I’m locked away of my own accord,” Eliza muttered to herself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” Eliza pretended to cough, which hurt her chest. “I’m just going to get some sleep and see how I am in the morning. I’m hoping that it’s nothing bad, but you can never be too sure.”

“Good girl. That’s the best thing to do. I’ll make sure you’re left alone tonight, and I’ll come and check on you tomorrow.”

Eliza wanted to say that he didn’t need to, but protesting too much would raise his suspicions. She didn’t want to make him wonder what she was up to, and her father wasn’t easy to fool. None of them were, which was why she had to be careful.

“Thank you, Father. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Eliza didn’t let out a breath until she heard his footsteps die away. She sagged onto the bed. That could’ve gone really differently if he’d come into the room.

She just had to wait now. It wasn’t dark outside, and she needed to use that as a cover. She wasn’t about to be caught and dragged back now, not when she had a chance to leave.

Escape was a better word, but it was something that she had to do. She couldn’t carry on like this.

Eliza stared at the ceiling as she waited for it to get dark and the night to fall silent. There would be a guard going around the area, but Eliza knew the route. She would be able to get away once she timed it right.

She was exhausted, but she couldn’t close her eyes. She wasn’t about to lose her chance. Otherwise, it would be another night, and Eliza couldn’t cope with that. She had to leave tonight.

Finally, after several hours, and with the moon shining through her unshuttered window, it was silent. There was a bit of shuffling around, and Eliza could hear snoring from other rooms through the thin walls, but everyone besides the guard was asleep.

Perfect.

Being as quiet as she could, Eliza got off the bed and picked up her bag. She tiptoed over to the window and looked out. She was on the second floor, so all she had to do was climb out of the window onto the low outhouse roof, slip down from there, and run. She just had to wait for the guard to walk by and then go; he made a loop of the building they were using, so that would be the best opportunity.

It felt like forever, her heart pounding in her chest, but soon the guard appeared and started prowling along the alleyway outside her window. Eliza pulled back, drawing back into the shadows. It was only then that she forgot about the shutters. She should’ve closed them. But it had been very warm lately during the night, and she’d been keeping the shutters open to get some cool air in her room. Hopefully, nobody would notice anything unusual with that.

Eliza barely breathed as the guard walked past, not even pausing as he continued on. She counted to twenty and then carefully opened the window, sticking her head out. The guard had just turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

She didn’t have long, but she didn’t need much.

Pushing the window open wider, Eliza put her bag strap over her shoulder and across her chest and climbed out. She then closed the window, making sure it was securely shut. The outhouse roof was slanted, and she immediately started sliding down. Bracing herself, Eliza managed to stop herself from tipping over the edge, gripping onto the gutter as she lowered herself to the ground. There was still a bit of a drop, and it made her stumble and sprawl on the ground, which made her freeze as she listened intently. Thankfully, she didn’t hear anything. Nobody was coming to investigate the noises.

She still needed to be quick, though.

Careful not to make any noise with her footsteps, she half-walked, half-ran to the outbuilding across the yard. If she could get there, she could slip through the hole in the fence and then make it three streets over to the stagecoach. After that, it was only a short journey to the train station in the next town, where she would get on the train.

She wouldn’t be able to breathe easily until she was pulling away from the station, knowing that her father couldn’t catch her by then.

Ducking into the shadows, Eliza waited with bated breath until she heard the guard coming around again. He was walking at a leisurely pace, doing something that was probably one of the easiest jobs they had. Everyone knew who lived in the building, so nobody came to bother them. Nobody was brave enough to steal anything from where Eliza lived.

Not when all the thieves and thugs lived in the same building.

The guard barely gave Eliza’s window a glance as he wandered past. Eliza peeked around the corner and watched him carry on, not seeming to be paying any attention as he turned the corner and disappeared into the darkness.

At least that was one thing dealt with. But Eliza was still feeling on edge. She couldn’t get caught now.

Slipping through the gap in the wall, she began to run. She felt her bag banging uncomfortably against her leg, but she kept going. She was sure someone would chase after her, demanding that she come back. But no one was shouting after her. She was alone.

But Eliza couldn’t stop herself from looking over her shoulder as she hurried on her way.

Finally, she arrived at the stagecoach station. It was only half a mile away, but it felt as if she’d been traveling for hours. Thankfully, it was there, getting ready to head off once more. Eliza dug her hand into her bag and brought out her money bag, handing the amount needed to the stagecoach manager.

“I want to go to the station, please.”

“Good timing. This is the last one for the night to the next town. You would’ve had to wait until the morning.” The manager nodded at the coach. “Get on. Be quick, we’re running behind.”

Eliza didn’t need to be told twice. She clambered up, squeezing between two buxom ladies who were pointedly not looking at each other. Three gentlemen openly stared at her blankly from across the carriage, and Eliza tried not to look at them. She didn’t want to be scrutinized too closely.

She just wanted to get out of there.

Chapter Two

El Paso, Texas

Nathaniel’s muscles strained as he tugged at the fence post, but it wasn’t going to budge. It was firmly wedged into the ground.

He tried to remember who had set up the fence in the first place. The ranch had been started by his wife’s grandfather and his five burly sons, including Nathaniel’s father-in-law. One of them must’ve buried the fence posts too deep into the ground. Now one was rotten and about to snap, and needed replacing.

Straightening up, Nathaniel used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face. The sun was high and warm, and he felt like he was burning up. But there were clouds in the distance, indicating that it was going to rain soon. He would definitely welcome that, although that meant he needed to get a move on. If he didn’t get the post out now, it would be practically impossible to get it sorted until the rain stopped and the soil dried a little.

If only he’d asked someone to come out and help him out. But Nathaniel had thought he could do it on his own. It should’ve been a simple job. Now he was beginning to regret it.

“Need any help?”

Nathaniel sagged with relief, slumping onto the ground as he heard a familiar voice. Looking around, he saw Thomas Reed walking toward him, giving him his usual easygoing smile.

“Are you psychic?” he asked.

“Why?”

“I was just thinking I should’ve gotten some help before I came out here.”

His friend chuckled, adjusting his Stetson on his head.

“Well, I did think you were mad when Lucy told me where you were. She was practically pushing me out the door to go and find you. I think she wanted to get rid of me.”

Nathaniel groaned. Lucy didn’t like having people around her, preferring her own company and refusing to let anyone to look after her. She went to school, where she was as good as gold, but as soon as she was home, Lucy declared that she could take care of herself. Nathaniel had tried to reason with her, but his seven-year-old daughter was adamant about being independent.

Normally, that wasn’t a bad thing, but it did worry Nathaniel that his child was pulling away from everyone, including himself. Recent months had been particularly bad, and he didn’t know what to do.

“Is Abigail with her?” he asked as Thomas shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

“She is, although Lucy didn’t seem very happy about it. I know they’re fond of each other, but when Lucy knows what she wants…”

“I feel awful that she’s like she is.” Nathaniel took off his Stetson and tossed it aside. He couldn’t see anything when it kept slipping over his eyes. “I’m away from the house for long hours at a time, and she’s mostly on her own with the exception of Abigail. I haven’t been able to interact with her properly due to all the work on the ranch and everything else…”

“It’s not your fault, Nathaniel,” Thomas cut him off gently. He jumped down into the hole Nathaniel had dug and wrapped his arms around the post. “You’ve done all you can. Lucy just needs a firm hand, someone who’s there regularly, and that can’t be Abigail.”

“I wouldn’t want her to be there all the time if I’m not paying her,” Nathaniel said quickly.

Thomas grunted.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Abigail is fine, even if Lucy is a pain a lot of the time.”
Nathaniel winced.

“Thank you for making me feel better.”

“That’s not on you. Lucy knows what she’s doing. She’s smarter than we give her credit for.” Thomas tensed, looking like he was bracing himself. “Now, are you going to help me or not? You need to get this out, right?”

“Oh. Right.”

Nathaniel clambered down into the hole and took hold of the post further down. He wasn’t looking forward to this, not with his body feeling as it was with all the work he’d already done that day, but at least Thomas was with him. His childhood friend was bigger and stronger, so that worked in his favor. He’d seen Thomas tackle a runaway cow and come away with barely anything except bruises. The man was strong and tough.

And he showed it yet again as they lifted the post out of the ground. Nathaniel’s body was screaming at him, and he thought he was going to collapse with the post on top of him. Somehow, they managed to get it on the ground, the post partly bouncing with an echoing thud. Nathaniel slumped onto the ground beside it.

“I thought that was never coming out,” he panted.

“Who was the fool who put them in that deep? It might be a good idea to stop knocking them over, but…”

“Knowing my luck, my father-in-law likely did it.”

Thomas gave him a wry smile.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at that, either. He did overdo things on the ranch. You’ve been redoing everything since you took over.”

“At least you can’t say he wasn’t thorough,” Nathaniel added, using his shirt sleeve to wipe his face again. “I can’t wait for that rain to come. It’ll be a bit cooler.”

“Let’s hope it cools off a lot. It doesn’t always do that.”

“I know.”

As he lay back on the grass and stared at the blue sky, Nathaniel thought back to Lucy and what she might be up to. It wasn’t a day she would be at school, so she would be doing her own thing in the house. He felt bad about leaving her alone all the time, but he had to focus on the ranch as well. He had employees who were working near the house, and Abigail was always over to keep an eye on Lucy, so his daughter had plenty of people to help her.

Not that she wanted help. Lucy was a very independent girl. She liked to do things her way, and she wasn’t happy when things changed. That little girl knew her own mind, and Nathaniel had to be proud of that. Her mother would be proud as well.

If only she was here now. Then Nathaniel wouldn’t feel as bad about leaving to go to work.

“What are you planning on doing this evening?” Thomas asked, picking up the new fence post and carrying it with ease to the hole. “Do you and Lucy want to come over to our place and have dinner? I know Abigail would be delighted to have you.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m going to be entertaining a guest.”

“Oh?”

Nathaniel hesitated before responding. He’d mentioned it to Thomas before, but he’d been too embarrassed, so he hadn’t said anything beyond that. He just wanted to do this on his own without any outside input, and Thomas had a lot of things to say about it.

“You remember when I put in an advertisement in the newspaper?”

“What ad…?” Thomas blinked at him. “Do you mean when you were advertising for a wife? I thought I said that was going to put you in trouble because you have fortune-hunting harlots coming out of the woodwork.”

“Come off it, Thomas. I’m not well-off enough for that.”

“You might as well be. And if someone hears the word ‘rancher’, they immediately assume that you’re incredibly wealthy. Remember what happened with John Turner on the other side of El Paso? You haven’t forgotten about that, have you?”

Nathaniel sighed.

“That was horrible, yes, but that’s not going to happen to me. Not everyone who answers an advertisement for a wife is going to be a fortune hunter who kills people for their money.”

“No, but you can’t truly know them when they can write whatever they want, can you? They can lie when they put pen to paper. Lisa certainly did.”

Nathaniel hadn’t forgotten about Lisa Turner. She’d been a young woman from Boston who had answered John Turner’s advertisement for a wife. She’d claimed that she was an orphan who’d never married, and wanted to start fresh elsewhere. What she hadn’t told John was that she’d become an orphan by poisoning her parents for their money, along with her two siblings and her first husband. She wanted to leave Boston to get away from the police, who were already suspicious of her. It wasn’t until John was in bed sick just months after getting married that it all came out, and Lisa was finally arrested and taken away. John had recovered, but he was so wary of people around him, even those he’d known for years.

Nathaniel could understand how trust could be severely shaken after that. But he was certain that was not the case every single time.

“Anyone would think you didn’t have any faith in an activity that’s been going on for years, Thomas,” he remarked.

“Well, wouldn’t you have concerns after witnessing that yourself? I was lucky to marry a local girl, as were you. There are plenty of young ladies in El Paso who would be delighted to become your wife, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel snorted at that.

“They’ve made themselves clear, as have I. I don’t want to marry any of them. This was my choice, and I’ve made a decision about it.”

“What sort of decision?”

“My future wife is arriving by train this afternoon.”

Thomas did a double-take at him, almost dropping the post. Nathaniel scrambled up and grabbed the shovel.

“Let’s get this sorted first, otherwise you’ll be grilling me all day without us doing any work.”

“I think what you’ve just said is more important.”

Nathaniel shot him a glare, telling him to stop, and then he began to throw the earth back into the hole, packing it tightly around the post and making sure it was upright. Once he finished, he stepped back to inspect their work. It was standing straight, just what they needed. At least it wasn’t on a slant. Now they just had to wrap the wire around the post to stop the animals from going in and out.

That was a less pleasant job, one that he wasn’t looking forward to. It always cut into his hands, and the wounds stung.

“What do you mean, your future wife is arriving this afternoon?” Thomas demanded as he clambered up the slope. “You can’t say that you’ve chosen someone and you’re going to bring her back home?”

“I am saying it. I’ve been writing to her for six months now, so I thought it was about time she moved here.” Nathaniel shrugged. “It’s nothing unusual. If it was a month, I would’ve thought it was too fast, but it’s been six months, and things are developing naturally.”

“So, you’re in love with her, are you?”

Nathaniel frowned. He couldn’t bring himself to love anyone, other than Lucy. He didn’t even truly love his wife. Lillian had been an arranged match for him, and Nathaniel had reluctantly gone along with the marriage. He hadn’t wanted to disappoint his uncle. At least he’d married someone who was kind and caring. They might not have loved each other, but they certainly had a friendly companionship. Things were pleasant enough, and Nathaniel was content when they had little Lucy. Unfortunately, Lillian’s health hadn’t been very good, and she’d passed away from tuberculosis when Lucy was three. Four years on, and it had just been Nathaniel and Lucy ever since then. He didn’t want to think about anyone else.

But now Lucy was getting harder to handle, and he felt guilty about Abigail watching her whenever Lucy wasn’t at school; Nathaniel knew he needed to find himself another wife. Someone who could help with the ranch and look after Lucy at the same time. The problem was that, because of his decent wealth, the unmarried ladies in El Paso were only interested in that and not him or his daughter. Some of them treated Lucy with contempt, although she did the same back, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

He’d needed to look farther afield for a potential wife, even if that had been more precarious.

“I’m not, no,” Nathaniel admitted. “But we get along really well, and I think she would be a good addition to the ranch.”

“How can you be so sure?” Thomas asked, folding his arms. “How do you know she’s going to be good on the ranch?”

“She says she’s a hard worker, and she’s helped with the children at the orphanage that she grew up in. Those conditions are tough, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for her to adapt out here.”

Thomas arched a skeptical eyebrow.

“I really don’t like this, Nathaniel. You’re bringing a stranger here, and you don’t truly know what she’s like.”

“I was a stranger once, Thomas,” Nathaniel pointed out. “I’ve only been in El Paso eight years.”

“You’re not a stranger to me.”

“I was once. And you welcomed me with open arms.”

His friend rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“We’re just going to go around in circles here. And seeing as she’s practically here, I can’t really stop you from bringing her around the ranch. But you do realize that Lucy isn’t going to like it. She sees it as just you and her against the world.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“What if she and your future bride don’t get along? What then?”

Nathaniel was aware that this could happen, but he hadn’t thought about it. He’d been more focused on getting her to Texas and marrying her before he lost his nerve. This was for the future of his family, and his ranch, and he needed to do it. Lillian would understand; she wouldn’t be upset that he was doing this.

She would want someone to be a mother to Lucy because she wasn’t able to do so herself.

“So?” Thomas prompted. “Who is this girl? What’s her name?”

“Eliza. Eliza Whitmore.”

Thomas pursed his lips in thought.

“What does she do for a living? Does she work? Live with her family? Brothers and sisters?”

“Working at the orphanage is her job, where she grew up, so no family. No siblings, either. She’s on her own.”

“I see.”

Nathaniel frowned. He didn’t like how his friend said that. He liked Thomas, and they were as close as could be, just like brothers, but the part that annoyed him was how suspicious Thomas was. He seemed to think there was always something wrong, even when it was all going right. Abigail had lamented about how frustrating it was to have him be so pessimistic at times, and Nathaniel could agree with her. Abigail loved Thomas dearly, but even she was fed up with it.

Ever since he’d been taken severely ill the year before, it had gotten worse. Nathaniel wondered if Thomas had something on his mind. If he did, he wasn’t telling anyone, not even Nathaniel.

“I’m sure things will be fine for the two of you,” Thomas said, picking up the wire to wrap around the post. “But you need to be wary. Don’t go trusting her immediately. I’m sure she’ll get you into trouble at some point.”
Nathaniel groaned.

“I wish you’d stop being so paranoid, Thomas.”

“Do you expect me to be anything less? You’re going into something that has a tendency to blow up in your face. I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

Nathaniel eased himself to his feet and stretched his arms high above his head.

“You don’t need to worry about any of that. I know what I’m doing.”

At least he sounded convincing, because a part of him didn’t feel it.