The Rancher’s Bride Arrangement (Brides 0f Inspiration Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  THE RANCHER’S BRIDE ARRANGEMENT

  Description

  Copyright

  Dear Reader

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  EPILOGUE

  THANK YOU

  THE RANCHER’S BRIDE ARRANGEMENT

  Brides of Inspiration Book 1

  by

  MAYA STIRLING

  Two people who stand to lose everything unite to save each other

  Johanna Henderson must find a new life for herself.

  Her life back East has fallen apart.

  She needs a new start and a husband.

  But, Johanna has secrets which might destroy her chances of redemption.

  She’ll need all her courage and faith if she is to succeed as a mail order bride.

  Surly rancher, Zane Buchanan needs a wife.

  But, there’s a problem.

  He doesn’t want to be tied down.

  Not even to someone as beautiful and spirited as Johanna Henderson.

  However, the pressure is on Zane to agree to marry a mail order bride.

  Inspiration, Montana is an idyllic town.

  But there is evil which threatens to destroy all hope.

  Can Zane make the ultimate sacrifice?

  Will Johanna heal her pain and find a new life as a rancher’s wife?

  This is the first in a new series of FULL LENGTH inspirational Christian historical western romance novels about the Buchanan family of ranchers.

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  © 2018 Maya Stirling

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoy reading this novel. I wanted to write a novel which tells an inspirational story of two people brought together by the grace of God. I also wanted to tell a story showing how faith can help overcome the past and create a future of hope.

  If you would like to know when the next novels in the Brides of Inspiration series become available please sign up for my new release email announcements.

  Thank you for reading

  Maya

  Just click here to sign up

  CHAPTER ONE

  1875

  Johanna Henderson stepped off the train, planted her booted feet on the wooden surface, and gazed along the station platform. A short distance away, steam gushed noisily from beneath the train’s engine. There was no-one else on the platform on this Friday afternoon. She was the only person getting off the train at this stop, she reflected. Johanna held on tight to her small valise. Her suitcase was set down at her feet. All her belongings in the world were in there. At least, what she’d been able to bring with her.

  Johanna gazed past the end of the platform. The bright sun shone down on the town of Inspiration, Montana. Johanna glanced upwards. The sky was big out here, she reflected. Big and blue and wide. There wasn’t a cloud in sight.

  At least that might be a good omen, she told herself. Something she could hold onto. Maybe the darkness was passing out of her life.

  At last.

  In the distance, she could see part of the main drag of the town. Low buildings and a long street along which people moved slowly, going about their midday business.

  Inspiration looked smaller than she’d thought it might. From here, it didn’t look particularly inspiring. Kind of ordinary, really, she told herself. She sighed. Maybe she was being unkind. She guessed the growing town had been named more out of hope than anything else. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with hope, she told herself. You had to hold onto that. A person couldn’t live without hope.

  In any case, she knew she had better get used to liking the town. It was going to be her new home. At least it would be, if she got married. Her heart beat quicker at that thought.

  She’d come here to become a wife.

  That was the plan. That was why she’d come all the way out here, to this wilderness. To get married to a stranger. To become a wife to someone she hadn’t even met.

  Not for the first time, Johanna frowned at that thought. She reflected on just how much her life had changed. Gotten worse, she told herself. Maybe she was being tested. God had brought her out here to the wilderness territory of Montana. Maybe there were good things waiting for her out here, she told herself optimistically. Her mother had always taught Johanna to be hopeful. To never forget that everything that came her way in life was a test of her faith. And that she should always try to rise to the challenge. Meet it head on.

  Well, this was certainly a challenge, she told herself. Alone in a new place where she knew no-one. Maybe her anonymity would be useful, she told herself. Perhaps it would allow her to make a fresh start.

  Once again, nerves clutched at her middle. Johanna drew in a deep breath of clean, fresh air and tried to calm herself. Her heart was pounding with anticipation. It was good to be out of the dusty confinement of the train carriage. Like being released. But into what?

  Suddenly, Johanna heard a woman’s voice from behind her. She turned and saw a figure approaching. The smiling woman, around the same age as Johanna, was elegantly dressed in a blue gown and wore a delicately shaped bonnet. “Miss Henderson? Miss Johanna Henderson?” the even-featured woman asked.

  Johanna immediately saw the resemblance between the blonde-haired woman approaching her and Faith, who’d seen Johanna off at the station back East in Philadelphia only a few days ago. That now seemed like such a long time ago.

  “Miss Cameron?” Johanna asked.

  The bright-eyed woman smiled. “I’m so glad you made it here safely,” the woman said. She extended a hand to Johanna. “Sophronia Cameron.”

  Startled by the woman’s unusual first name, Johanna masked her reaction. “Nice to meet you,” she replied shaking the other woman’s hand.

  “But you can call me Sophie,” she added.

  Johanna smiled. “That’s quite a unique name you have there,” she said.

  “It was my mother’s name,” Sophie replied. “It means one who possesses wisdom.” Sophie shrugged. “Or something like that. Whether or not that’s the case you’ll have to ask my husband,” she said and turned to look toward the open door of the station building. “Now, where has he gotten to?” Sophie exclaimed, still searching. “There he is,” she added excitedly and pointed.

  Johanna followed Sophie’s gaze and saw a tall, exceedingly handsome, dark-haired man, dressed in all his cowboy finery emerging from inside the station building. A flash of sunlight caught the star pinned on his waistcoat. He was a sheriff, Johanna realized with surp
rise. Faith hadn’t told Johanna about that, she told herself.

  “Nathan. Come meet our first visitor,” Sophie called out.

  Johanna glanced at Sophie. “I’m the first? I thought your sister said this was a going concern for you folks.”

  Sophie tilted her head. “You’re our first bride,” she explained.

  Johanna felt her features freeze. For a moment, she was tempted to say something critical, but she restrained the impulse. “I’m flattered,” she replied in a measured tone of voice.

  Sophie cupped Johanna’s elbow. “Don’t you worry about a thing. I have some exciting news for you. But first you must meet Nathan.”

  Nathan moseyed up to them, his steps confident and friendly. He smiled at Johanna and removed his wide-brimmed hat, clutching it in his large hands. “You must be Miss Henderson,” he said in a deep, reassuring voice.

  Johanna shook hands with Nathan. “And you’re the town sheriff?” she asked glancing at his badge.

  Nathan tugged at the badge. “I sure am. I try to keep order around this town.” He glanced at Sophie. There was a sudden, mischievous glint in his eyes as he looked at Sophie and grinned. “Although my beautiful wife here never stops telling me I can’t even keep order in my own house. Let alone the town.” He grinned at Sophie. “Isn’t that right, dearest?” he said in an obviously teasing tone of voice.

  Sophie smiled at Johanna. “Inspiration is a peaceful town, Johanna. You’ve got nothing you need be concerned about. You’ll get to know it. And to love it.” Sophie smiled at Nathan. “Isn’t that right, Nathan?”

  He nodded and peered down the length of the platform and toward the town. “We’ve got our fair share of troublemakers,” he explained. “Although I do my best to make sure the behave themselves,” he added with a grin.

  Johanna wondered what he meant by that. From what she’d seen of Inspiration from the train, it looked like the most peaceful place on earth. She couldn’t imagine a place like this being dangerous.

  Nathan peered at Johanna. “But I guess it will be nothing compared to what you’ve been used to back East,” he added.

  “I guess not,” Johanna replied hesitantly.

  Johanna wondered just how much the town’s sheriff already knew about her. Maybe Sophie’s sister, Faith, had divulged some personal details about Johanna. Faith had sure asked some awkward questions when Johanna had met her after answering the ad in the Philadelphia newspaper asking for mail order brides.

  But, then, Johanna knew that Sophie’s sister didn’t know the full story of Johanna’s life. If Faith had known what Johanna’s life was really like, perhaps Johanna might not have even made it out this far.

  And then what would she have done?

  Johanna pushed the answer to that question to the back of her mind. She had an impression to make.

  The train’s whistle blew. Johanna jumped, startled by the sudden noise. The train looked like it was getting ready to leave.

  Nathan picked up Johanna’s suitcase. His powerful arms made light work of the heavy case. “Guess we better be getting to the carriage,” Nathan said and strode off toward the end of the platform.

  Sophie took gentle hold of Johanna’s arm and started to follow Nathan. “You have to tell me all about your journey,” Sophie said.

  Johanna smiled. “What’s to tell?” she replied casually.

  Sophie sighed. “I remember when I came out here. It seemed like the longest journey in the world.”

  Johanna squinted at Sophie. “You came here on your own?”

  Sophie nodded. “I was a mail order bride.”

  Johanna looked aghast at Sophie. “Never!” she exclaimed.

  Sophie nodded and then peered at Nathan who was disappearing around the corner of the station. “The sheriff wanted a bride. And he got me.”

  Sophie sure looked pleased as she said those words. Johanna was amazed. Faith hadn’t mentioned that when Johanna had talked to her about coming out to Montana as a mail order bride. All Johanna knew was that the two sisters were arranging for women who wanted to be brides to come out to this new settlement.

  “So, you’re not strictly the first,” Sophie said, reassuring Johanna with a tug of her arm.

  As a business, sending brides out West seemed to be booming. But, Johanna hadn’t realized she was the first for the two sisters.

  “You and Faith are so alike,” Johanna said.

  Sophie smiled. “You think so?”

  “She told me you’ve been out here just over a year,” Johanna said.

  Sophie sighed. “I’ll tell you all about my adventures, some other time. We need to get some food in you and give you a chance to rest a little.”

  “I’m not that tired,” Johanna objected, although truth be told, she did find the prospect of some home-cooked food tempting.

  “But, I’m sure you’re starving,” Sophie said. “I know how hard it is to travel on theses trains. They don’t stop enough and a gal can get pretty hungry along the way.”

  As if on cue, Johanna’s stomach rumbled. She placed a hand over her belly and felt the color rise to her cheeks.

  Sophie smiled. “See? I was right.”

  They both walked down the steps from the platform. Johanna saw Nathan loading her suitcase onto the back of a buckboard.

  Nathan leaned against the buckboard and patted Johanna’s suitcase. “Feels like you got the whole world in that case, ma’am,” he said. He tipped his hat up and lifted a brow. “Sure you got everything you need? Not that I’m prying and all.”

  “What would you know about a woman’s necessaries, Nathan Cameron?” Sophie scolded lightly.

  Nathan grinned. “You’re forgetting we live together, Sophie,” Nathan said. “I already know what it takes to maintain the appearance of being a lady of good breeding.”

  Johanna felt a flicker of nervousness at the mere mention of putting on an appearance. Had that comment been leveled at her? Had Nathan already guessed that Johanna wasn’t all that she was making herself out to be?

  Sophie frowned and squinted at Johanna. “You have to forgive him, Johanna. Nathan likes to tease.”

  “It helps pass those long days in the town jailhouse when there’s nothing to do,” he said.

  “A fine, elegant young lady of such good connections like Johanna needs more than what can fit into one suitcase,” she said turning to Johanna. “Isn’t that right, Johanna?”

  “I guess so,” Johanna said hesitantly. “I’ll probably send for some of my other things later.”

  Johanna wondered just how much Faith had told Sophie. Of course, Johanna had done everything she could to make a good impression. Make them believe she was a lady, from a fine family. Someone who had her own, private reasons for seeking out an adventure like this.

  If only they knew the whole truth, she told herself. Maybe then, they might not find it all so amusing.

  Nathan’s face flushed and he retreated to busy himself with the horse. Johanna took her place on the seat with Sophie in the middle. Nathan took the reins and then they were heading toward the main street.

  “We live on the East side of town,” Sophie explained.

  Nathan leaned forward, the reins held easily in his gloved hands. “Sophie don’t like spending time in the jailhouse,” he joked.

  Johanna smiled, starting to enjoy the exchanges between two people who obviously loved one another. She could see the look in their eyes when they gazed at each other.

  Sophie dug an elbow into Nathan’s side. “I think we want Johanna to get a good first impression of Inspiration, Nathan. There’ll be plenty of time later for you to talk about your job.”