Amelia's Montana Wedding (Love In Montana Falls Book 1)

  AMELIA'S MONTANA WEDDING

  BY

  MAYA STIRLING

  LOVE IN MONTANA FALLS series

  BOOK 1

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Montana 1887

  "I do believe we are being followed," Amelia Crawford's friend Bethany said to her as they strolled along the busy train station platform. Amelia looked at Bethany with surprise. It seemed as if everyone who had traveled by train on the Northern Pacific line from Minneapolis had decided it would be wise to take the opportunity to get some fresh air before the train resumed the last leg of the journey to Montana Falls.

  Amelia began to turn her head, but felt Bethany tug on her arm, drawing her closer. "Don't turn around. He'll know we've noticed him," Bethany said, her brown eyes glancing urgently at Amelia. Both friends were locked arm in arm, side by side, as they usually were whenever they were out in public. They continued to move at a slow, even pace through the crowd of passengers milling about on the platform.

  Amelia frowned. It was just like Bethany to become overexcited at the prospect of receiving the attentions of some handsome stranger. Judging by Bethany's feverish response, Amelia was sure that the man her friend was referring to must be very handsome indeed.

  "So what if he is following us, Bethany. What are we to do? He's obviously a passenger on the train, just as we are," Amelia said.

  Bethany's eyes widened. "That means he's possibly also going to Montana Falls. How exciting," she exclaimed.

  Amelia considered ignoring Bethany's plea. Just one look wouldn't do any harm. Would it?

  As if sensing Amelia's intentions Bethany pulled on Amelia's arm once again. "Don't you dare turn around, Amelia Crawford. If he notices us, I'll just faint with embarrassment. Now that I think of it, I'm sure I saw him get on the train at Minneapolis," Bethany said.

  "Really? And how would such a thing come to your attention?" Amelia asked in a slightly reproving tone of voice. "Isn't that just a little improper?"

  Amelia slowed, guiding Bethany to one side so that they both took shelter beneath the wide roof of the station building. The midday sun was bright, so the cover of the roof would prevent exposure to the hot Montana summer heat. Amelia had already loosened the top button of her collar in an effort to feel cooler.

  "How can it be improper to simply notice such a handsome man?" Bethany demanded. Amelia heard the familiar note of petulance creeping into Bethany's voice.

  Amelia still hadn't turned around to look back along the platform. Her curiosity was threatening to get the better of her. However, she managed to restrain the urge to see what was making Bethany so excited. Surely one glance wouldn't do any harm, she thought. She drew in a sharp breath and regained control of herself.

  Amelia saw Bethany glance over her shoulder. "He's just gone inside the station house," she said.

  Amelia held her gaze steadily ahead. "Are you sure he's not a figment of your imagination?" she inquired. "In any case, I hardly think Edith would approve of such conduct from one of her young ladies."

  At the mere mention of the woman who was awaiting their arrival in Montana Falls, Bethany's eyes widened and her face paled. "You mustn't tell Edith. You know she wouldn't like it. Not at all."

  Amelia nodded. "I'm sure she wouldn't be pleased to know that all the effort she has put into arranging a suitable marriage for you has been for nothing."

  Bethany scowled. "You know that's not true, Amelia."

  Amelia was certain Bethany was about to stamp her dainty, booted foot on the hard wooden platform, such was the strength of annoyance visible on her friend's face.

  Amelia released herself from Bethany's tightening grip. She turned and gestured to the empty bench against the station wall. "Let's have a seat. This heat is most tiring,"Amelia said.

  Bethany glanced down at the bench and let out a sigh. Amelia sat down and placed the small leather covered valise she'd been carrying down by the side of the bench. Amelia watched as Bethany took hold of the folds of her plain, brown dress and lowered herself primly down onto the seat.

  "You know that Edith expects the highest standards from us, Bethany," Amelia said.

  "The last thing I want to do is let Edith down. Especially after everything she has done for us."

  "Indeed," Amelia replied. "She sets great store on excellence in everything we do. It's our responsibility to reach as high as we can, while maintaining those standards she values so highly."

  Bethany's shoulders sagged. Amelia knew that Bethany understood exactly what she was talking about. Edith Hardie had been the rock and foundation of both their lives for the last few years. The graceful, elderly woman had been a veritable mother figure to them both. Amelia and Bethany had attended the Hardie Finishing School For Young Ladies in Boston until the previous year. It had been one of the most prestigious finishing schools in Boston, and a place which Amelia and Bethany had both been proud to attend. Each had left the school the previous year on attaining their majority, aged twenty-one.

  On the last day of their attendance at the school there had been no hint that the school was about to close. But, to Amelia's astonishment, that was what had happened. Amelia had been as shocked as Bethany that Miss Hardie had closed the school with almost no prior notice. It had been that sudden.

  And now, Edith Hardie, the light of their young lives, the woman responsible for shaping them into the fine young women they were, had moved to live in a small town called Montana Falls. As far as Amelia was concerned Miss Hardie had given up civilization for the wilds of Montana. It was almost inexplicable.

  "You're right, Amelia," Bethany said. "We owe it to Miss Hardie to always conduct ourselves in the best way possible."

  "I'm glad you agree, Bethany," Amelia said.

  "I'd trust Miss Hardie with my life," Bethany stated firmly.

  "As would I, Bethany," Amelia agreed. "But, I still can't believe that she would think that a small town in Montana would be a suitable place for one of her most valued girls to find a husband."

  Bethany blushed. "You make it sound so unusual," she complained.

  "It is a little odd," Amelia said. "Don't you think? Miss Hardie always struck me as having the finest judgment of anyone I've ever known. But, not only did she throw Boston society over for a life in Montana, she also decided it would be a fit place for you to wed and settle down."

  Amelia shook her head and pursed her lips.

  "I think it all sounds terribly exciting," Bethany said breathlessly.

  Amelia couldn't restrain a groan. "I'd hardly call settling down in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by cowboys, ranchers and assorted vagabonds, the slightest bit exciting."

  "You always did lack imagination," Bethany stated bluntly.

  Amelia glared at her friend. "What do you mean?"

  "Haven't you read any of those wonderful dime novels?"

  "I certainly have not," Amelia retorted. "I'm surprised you waste so much of your time with them. They're poison for the mind. Not real literature. Not at all."

  "Fiddlesticks!" Bethany exclaimed. "How can you not find the prospect of that wide open space, all that freedom, simply the most thrilling way to live. Think of all the adventures."

  Amelia rolled her eyes. "Bethany. There is more than enough adventure and excitement back East to keep any self-respecting young woman occupied for quite some time."

  "You mean all those stuffy evenings in boring salons, drinking tea from china cups and trying to avoid saying the wrong thing? It's just so ghastly
," Bethany said disapproval written on her face.

  "It's not like that, and you know it, Bethany. That's the life we were brought up to expect."

  Amelia knew where this conversation was leading. She'd had similar talks with Bethany numerous times in recent months.

  Amelia and Bethany didn't only share attendance at Miss Hardie's Finishing School. They also shared similar misfortunes in their upbringing.

  Amelia had lost her parents when she had been only twelve. Since then she had been taken care of by her aunt and uncle. They had both been kind and supportive to Amelia, but they had never been able to replace the love and devotion of Amelia's beloved parents.

  Bethany had similarly lost her parents at a young age, but she'd had to endure a difficult upbringing with her aunt, an unhappy woman who, nevertheless, had many connections to the upper echelons of Boston society. The girls had become great friends immediately upon meeting each other on their first day at Miss Hardie's. When they had both discovered their shared misfortunes, a powerful bond had been forged between the two girls.

  "It may be the kind of life we were educated to expect, Amelia. But, that doesn't mean it has to be that way," Bethany said. "Shouldn't life be exciting? Shouldn't we at least have a chance to be happy?" Bethany's voice cracked with emotion.

  Amelia gasped and scooted across to Bethany, wrapping a reassuring arm around her friend's shoulders. "There, Bethany. Don't be upset," Amelia murmured.

  She glanced around, checking that none of the passengers milling around the platform had noticed Bethany's sudden display of emotion.

  Bethany removed a small white handkerchief from inside her cuff and wiped beneath her eyes. She kept her head lowered. Amelia leaned in closer and wiped away one of Bethany's tears.

  "I'm not upset, Amelia," Bethany said quietly. "You know I don't normally cry at the slightest excuse."

  "I now you don't," Amelia agreed softly.

  Bethany raised her head and gazed with moistened eyes at Amelia. "I feel so silly."

  "You're not silly at all. This is going to be quite an adventure for us all," Amelia said.

  A flicker of renewed hope lit up Bethany's eyes. "It is going to be an adventure, isn't it?"

  Amelia nodded and smiled. In spite of her own reservations about this trip to Montana, Amelia had to admire Bethany's unwavering optimism about the possibly momentous changes she was about to experience. Was it really true that somewhere in Montana Falls there was a young, handsome, eligible man waiting to fall in love with Bethany? For that was what Miss Hardie had promised in her letters to Bethany and Amelia. A new life. A fresh start in a beautiful land. A husband who wanted a wife and was willing to consider marriage to Bethany based solely on the recommendation of the woman who had fashioned Bethany into the fine lady she was.

  Amelia thought back to her visit to Bethany's Boston home. It had only been a matter of weeks since Bethany had excitedly announced that Miss Hardie, who had so recently closed the school and moved to Montana, was inviting Bethany to come and visit her in her new home town of Montana Falls.

  The announcement that Bethany was heading West had shocked Amelia so much that she had insisted she accompany Bethany on her journey. She would remain with Bethany in Montana Falls until the issue of Bethany's possible marriage had been resolved one way or another. Amelia had become too close to Bethany to allow any harm to come to her friend, even if she thought the idea of moving to Montana was foolish and ill-considered. But, Miss Hardie could be a persuasive woman. She could even persuade a young woman to travel across America in search of a new life.

  So here Amelia was, seated on a bench in a train station, preparing to board the train for one last leg of what had already been a very long journey.

  Bethany tucked the handkerchief back inside her cuff and glanced at the train. "When are we going to leave?"

  Amelia watched some passengers begin to board the train. Carriage doors were slammed and steam gushed from beneath the train's engine.

  "I suppose we'll be leaving in a few minutes,"Amelia said looking along the length of the platform. "I don't see any tall, handsome strangers," she teased, smiling at Bethany.

  Bethany's brows crinkled with partially restored good humor. "Maybe he's already back on the train."

  "We best be getting on. We don't want to be left behind. There's not much of a town here. I hope Montana Falls has more going for it than this place," Amelia said.

  Amelia reached down to the side of the bench expecting to feel the hard touch of the leather valise which contained some of her and Bethany's valuables. She'd kept it close to her for the entire journey.

  Amelia's fingers grasped at empty air. She felt a sudden chill grip her heart. She twisted around, staring in disbelief at the empty space where the valise had been only a few moments before.

  Gone!

  Amelia let out a loud involuntary gasp. She felt Bethany grab her arm. "What is it, Amelia?"

  "It's gone!" Amelia cried out.

  "What's gone?"

  "The valise."

  "What!" Bethany exclaimed rising quickly from the bench and peering down by its side.

  "The valise is gone," Amelia groaned. She stood up quickly and peered along the platform. Surely someone must have lifted it by mistake, she thought. It couldn't have been stolen.

  "But, it was there a moment ago," Bethany said.

  "I only turned my back on it for a few moments. Whoever took it must have been waiting for a chance to steal it."

  "Stolen?" Bethany shrieked. "All our valuables were in there. And most of our money. My mother's special brooch," Bethany gasped.

  The guard suddenly appeared from the end of the train and called for everyone to board.

  "What are we to do?" Bethany cried.

  Amelia stared along the platform. "I'll tell the guard to delay the departure of the train. We can't be expected to leave our valuables behind."

  "He won't listen to you," Bethany said.

  Amelia gave Bethany a firm, determined look. "Really?"

  Bethany took one step back. Amelia knew that Bethany recognized the look on Amelia's face. Bethany had seen it plenty of times. It meant Amelia was going to get her way.

  "I think I can persuade the guard to see things my way," Amelia said. She tidied the folds of her dress and straightened her collar.

  Amelia looked at Bethany. "Follow me. We've got some persuading to do."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Wilder Armstrong started to follow the man the minute he saw the valise being lifted. He'd just stepped out from inside the station house having decided to take just one more look at the two women he'd seen getting off the train. They were both so fine looking.

  One, in particular, had caught his attention. The tall, elegant blonde women couldn't be more than twenty-three years of age or so. Her companion, the smaller brown haired woman, looked like she was the same age. The way they'd held onto each other meant they were obviously the best of friends. Watching them both sashay along the platform had given Wilder a brief and very guilty moment of delight. But, it had been one he wasn't going to apologize for.

  The minute they'd spotted Wilder watching them, he'd felt a flush of heat to his face, and he'd ducked into the station house as quickly as he could. He'd been relieved when he'd seen the two friends taking a seat on the long bench. But that relief had been quickly replaced by a grim fury when he'd seen the dark haired, short man stroll nonchalantly up to the bench and reach down to grab the valise. The thief had taken advantage of the moment when the blonde woman had been consoling her friend who had been visibly upset about something. Wilder wondered what had made the young woman wipe her eyes with a white handkerchief.

  But, when he saw the man start racing off, Wilder knew he had to act. It was what he was used to anyway. Stopping trouble was something he'd been doing for a long time.

  The thief had turned and twisted through a narrow gate at the side of the station house building. Wilder didn't follow him that way. As
he started to push his way through the passengers crowded into the station house, he heard a scream from the platform. He figured that must be the women realizing they'd been robbed.

  Wilder burst out of the entrance and halted, looking to his left. The thief was headed toward the small group of buildings that made up the town, such as it was. If Wilder waited any longer, he knew he'd probably lose the man.

  Wilder started running. The thief was still unaware he was being pursued. Wilder's booted feet thudded onto the dusty track. He was gaining on the man. Wilder cursed the sound of his gun belt and holster slapping against his hip. In a moment, he was within grasping distance of the thief who still had his back to Wilder.

  Suddenly the man seemed to hear the heavy, authoritative footsteps behind him. He turned and his eyes widened, shock and fear written large across his face.

  "I'll take that," Wilder declared reaching out to the man and grasping him by the collar.

  "What do you mean? How dare you, sir," the man said, his voice thin with fear.

  Wilder tugged at the lapels of the man's jacket, forcing his face up close to his own. "I saw you take that valise. Hand it over."

  The thief's eyes flashed down at the valise. "This belongs to me," he insisted.

  "I don't think so. I saw you take it from those two women."

  "You can't prove that," the man gasped.

  "There's only one way to find out," Wilder said. "You're coming with me."

  Wilder grabbed the man's arm and pulled hard, heading back in the direction of the station house.

  "You can't do that," the man exclaimed. "I'll get the law on you."

  Wilder smiled, and his eyes narrowed as he gazed down into the man's face. "I am the law," he snarled.

  The thief's mouth opened and Wilder felt satisfaction as he saw the color of the man's skin visibly pale.

  Wilder pulled again at the man's arm. This time there was co-operation. Wilder started to lead the man back toward the station house. He could hear the sound of the steam gushing out from below the engine as it readied to leave.