Mail Order Celeste
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 25)
By
Elissa Strati
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
MAIL ORDER CELESTE
COPYRIGHT
EDITION LICENSE NOTES
DESCRIPTION
CHAPTER 1 – Celeste
Welcome to Green River
Polecat
Samantha
I Need a Job
Call Me Chip
CHAPTER 2 – Miranda
Where Is Everyone?
Safety
Secrets
The Stepmother
Making Plans
The Letter
CHAPTER 3 – Chip
Get Me to the Church
Voices of Reason
Mrs. Richardson
CHAPTER 4 – Sylvester
Explanations
Counseling the Bride
Sylvester’s Story
Celeste’s Turn
Realignment
CHAPTER 5 – William
War
Destitute
The Krause Gang
Harriet Proposes
A Wedding
The Green Room
CHAPTER 6 – Harriet
Removal
Ground Rules
Frustrations
Open Door
Flight
Philadelphia
CHAPTER 7 – Traveling West
Sunny
Harry
Arrival
Seeing the Town
The Name Game
More Counseling
CHAPTER 8 – Green River
Cards on the Table
Green River Church
Accommodations
Revelations
Arrangements
CHAPTER 9 – End of a Chapter
Captured
William Makes Plans
Apologies to Celeste from Henry
Apologies from the Secret Service
The Hardwick Brothers
CHAPTER 10 – Wedding Plans
Details
The Flanagans
More Guests
EPILOGUE
PLEASE POST A REVIEW
ABOUT THIS SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTES
DEDICATION
For my husband
Alfred X. Strati
Who has stalwartly proofread and offered suggestions in a genre of which he had doubts,
And has become one of my best fans on paper as well as in real life;
My own, personal HEA (Happily Ever After)!
MAIL ORDER CELESTE
(Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 25)
By
Elissa Strati
COPYRIGHT
Mail Order Celeste
Copyright © 2020 by Elissa Strati.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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EDITION LICENSE NOTES
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
~~~
Cover design and logo inset by Black Widow Books; cover artist, Virginia McKevitt.
~~~
Series concept by Cheryl Wright.
DESCRIPTION
When Celeste’s husband dies under mysterious circumstances, she and her infant daughter are forced to move back to her father’s home. But his new wife wants the house cleared of children and grandchildren.
Her sister, Miranda, has been looking after their father following a long stint of caring for their dying mother. Suddenly she, too, is no longer welcome in the family home, so she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride, but asks for her sister’s help with the letters.
As the situation at home becomes dire, both sisters make their plans for escape. Will they find what they seek out West with strangers? And will their father find the missing gold?
CHAPTER 1 – CelesteWelcome to Green River
Celeste watched and listened in astonishment as the cowboy cursed his horse, which was bucking, even though attached to a surrey. She wasn't sure what had caused the reaction, as she hadn't glanced that way until she heard the commotion. Then she looked closely at the cowboy and realized he seemed to fit the description in his letters.
Strolling over, she watched him wrangle the animal to a standstill. By the time he had it tied up to the hitching rail, she’d reached the edge of the platform and called over to him, “Mr. Hardwick, you are cursing.”
He turned around to look at her and realized this must be the woman he had come to pick up.
“I am a man, Miss Belden, and men curse.”
“From your letters, however, I thought you were a gentleman,” she responded with a slight curtsey and an arched eyebrow.
He scratched his chin, pleased to notice it was still smooth from his shave. He had made a point to spruce up to impress his new bride, and here he was making a bad first impression. Of course he was late, thanks to this bag of bones cayuse. A more contrary beast he had never had the misfortune to . . . Oh, well, time to come clean.
“I didn't write those letters,” he admitted. “I had my brother do it. While he was swanning around back east at college, Pa had me running the sawmill, and I only got so far with my book learning. I knew I couldn't impress a lady with my writing, so I asked him to take over the chores. Besides it was his idea to write for a mail-order bride.”
Celeste started to laugh. This wasn't the reception he'd expected to get from his confession. She dabbed her eyes with her gloved hand. He looked around uncomfortably, checking to see who else was witnessing his embarrassment. The only thing he saw on the platform besides Miss Belden was a trunk, a valise, and a baby buggy, all pushed together. He did a double-take at the baby buggy and looked back to the woman on the platform.
“Are you not Miss Belden?” he asked.
“Actually, no, that is my sister; I am Mrs. Clark.”
Thoroughly confused now, he took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair before resettling the hat firmly upon his head.
“So am I supposed to be picking you up, or what?”
“Yes, you
