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Courting Love: Three-in-One-Collection

By Jodie Wolfe

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An Angel for a Cowboy

Wanted: A man of faith and means, willing to enter a marriage of convenience by April 14th. Must be a fine and upstanding citizen. No cowboys or drifters need apply. All inquiries should be sent to: E. Love in care of Yoder Grove Gazette, Yoder Grove, Kansas.

Chapter One

February 14, 1876
Yoder Grove, Kansas

The staccato beating of her heart reverberated in Esther Love’s ears as she read her announcement in the local newspaper. Two months to save her home and sisters. Would the Lord see fit to provide a man in time? She refused to contemplate what she’d do if no one answered her advertisement.

Her middle sister entered the tiny kitchen of the home they’d lived in all their lives. Essie snapped the weekly periodical closed and shoved it under a book.
The house hadn’t been the same since Pa had died six months prior. Ma had passed decades earlier when Essie’s youngest sister was a babe.

A year ago, all had been right in the world, and she’d had a bright future ahead of her—a wedding to plan—but then that no-account banker had reneged on his promise.

“Essie.”

Her sister’s interruption was a welcome diversion from Essie’s dismal thoughts.
Kitty stood with her hands planted on her slim hips. “Essie, you aren’t listening to me. Why haven’t you changed yet? You can’t wear that to go to the sweetheart dance.”

Essie glanced down at her rumpled dress and ink-stained fingers. She shoved a ringlet behind her ear. “I’m not going.”

The same men who attended all the town festivities would be at the dance. None of them were suitable to come to her rescue or would consider taking on the restrictions she required. Especially since her lame-brained ex-fiancé had blabbed all over town about her being a dime novelist, an unemployed one, at that. So much for keeping it a secret.

“Runnin’ from folks won’t solve your problem.” Teddy, her youngest sister, shoved the tails of Pa’s shirt into her dungarees. Ma would’ve never allowed them to wear such garb, but she’d not seen fit to live long enough to take Teddy in hand. No matter how hard Essie tried, the girl refused to be tamed.

Essie stared at her eighteen-year-old sister. Teddy was at the age where she should think about finding a beau and settling down to run her own household instead of spending her time outdoors taking care of the farm. Her long, thick braid slapped her waist as she leaned against the dry sink.

Teddy speared her with a look. “Just ’cause that pesky insect went back on his word, don’t mean you shouldn’t try to snag some other fella’s attention.”

Essie refrained from rolling her eyes at her sister’s poor grammar.

Kitty’s brows waggled. “She’s right, you know.”

She snorted, glaring at her sisters. “I have no desire to go tonight and be the object of everyone’s pity.”

Kitty sidled up beside her and wrapped an arm around Essie’s waist. “If you don’t go, everyone will think you’re a coward, and nothing could be further from the truth. Besides, you haven’t been out of the house in weeks. We’re concerned about you.”

Actually, she’d slipped away a week ago to run to the newspaper office before they’d closed so she could sign up for the advertisement in today’s paper, the one she hoped her sisters didn’t read. Perhaps she should’ve disguised her name. “I’ve been out of the house.” Too late. She wished she could retract the words as soon as they spewed from her lips. Essie hefted a sigh.

Teddy’s eyebrows rose on her broad forehead, the same broad forehead they had each inherited from their pa. “When did you set foot outside of the house? You’ve been flailin’ like a peacock in a mud pile ever since that two-bit nuisance broke off your engagement. In fact, you’ve been mighty tight-lipped since that day.” Her sister’s blue eyes narrowed. “You never told us what the bank manager wanted to meet with you about, either.”

“Are you going along to the dance, Teddy?” Essie prayed the question distracted her sister. “I’ll go if you will.”

“Oh yes, please. It won’t be any fun if you don’t both attend.” Kitty smiled as she reached for Essie’s and Teddy’s hands.

Teddy continued to stare at Essie for a moment before responding. “If it’ll get Essie out of the house, I’ll come along.”

Essie sneaked a peek at her youngest sister. More than likely, the subject change hadn’t fooled Teddy. She’d lay in wait like a flea on a hound dog, scheming for the opportune time to attack and bite. Maybe an evening away would distract Teddy from thinking about it. Then again, the chances of that were as rare as God dropping an interested man on her doorstep who would solve all her problems.

***

Fire blazed a trail through Jud Steele’s leg as the acrid scent of blood filled his nostrils. Until now he’d avoided coming face to face with the bounty hunter, but not the fella’s bullet. What decent man shot before asking questions?

The oozing wound had already soaked through Jud’s dungarees. He didn’t need the light of day to see what he already knew—if he didn’t get help before long, he’d be a goner.

Jud bit back a groan. He wouldn’t be in such a mess if it weren’t for his inept cousin. I don’t know what You’re trying to do here, Lord. I’m none too happy about the predicament You put me in. Nothing personal, but I hope You don’t have me seeing Your pearly gates anytime soon.

Sweat rolled down his face, and his stomach pitched. He gripped the reins tighter. “C’mon, Buster, we need to find help and somewhere that I can lie low for a while. At least until I can get those varmints off my tail.”

Buster nickered and tossed his head.

A good horse was all a man needed. That, and maybe a juicy steak every once in a while. Yes siree. A horse, bed, and food. Women were a nuisance. Something he’d never cared to get himself tangled up with. Jud never planned on courting one. Ever. Apparently, his injury had addled his brain to make him even consider having a female in his life. He shoved the thoughts aside as pain seared through his leg as his horse stumbled.

If only he could find a house on the outskirts of town that would help a fella out without involving the authorities.

A minute later, a shimmer of light shone across the darkened landscape. Snow crunched beneath Buster’s hooves, and Jud flipped up his collar when the wind whistled across the frigid prairie. He shivered despite the perspiration dotting his exposed skin. Or perhaps because of it.

He pulled Buster to a halt and dismounted on his good leg. When he placed weight on both feet, his injured leg buckled beneath him. He grunted and belly-crawled to the door, his breaths coming in short, choppy bursts. Jud finally reached the door, pounding on it. “Hey there, I need some help.”

Silence. Not a sound came from inside the house. Jud ground his teeth and hammered against the door again.

Dark spots romped across his vision. He struggled to stay conscious, but blackness closed in.

Jud awoke sometime later to Buster nuzzling his forehead and the reins dangling beside his shoulder. His body felt as if a stampede of angry bulls had trampled it.

Give me strength, Lord. He grasped for the reins, his fingers grazed across the leather straps, missing them the first time. On the second try, he connected with them. He curled his hands around the lifeline between him and Buster. “Back, boy.”

Buster shifted a step backward and then another. With the help of his horse, Jud struggled to get on his good knee. The landscape shifted and swirled. He closed his eyes against the spinning, praying the world would stop tipping.

Swallowing the bile lining his throat, Jud’s limbs shook as he stood beside his horse, sweat coating his brow. Taking a deep breath, he somehow got on his horse. He wasn’t sure how, and it took every ounce of energy to stay seated on Buster once he was there. Pain shot through him with each step the horse took.
Moonlight glimmered off the newly fallen snow. At any other time, he would’ve enjoyed the beauty around him. Instead, he hunched deeper into his coat, shivers quaking his body like a leaf trying to cling to a branch in a whirlwind. Jud’s thoughts fuzzed and blurred. Pain throbbed with each beating of his heart as his lifeblood seeped down his leg.

He had to hold on. Find help.

Buster stumbled, pitching Jud across his horse’s head. His body flew, weightless for a split second before crashing to the ground. The impact sucked away his breath as he rolled down some sort of embankment. Briars scratched at his cheeks and forehead, ripping flesh as he rolled over and over until his body thudded against something solid. He stopped with a yelp.

His thoughts clouded as he saw a woman peering down at him. Then he saw another one. He blinked, but they hadn’t budged. A third came to join the other two. Dear God, let them be a dream.

A nightmare, more like it. The last thing he needed was to get tangled up with a gaggle of hens. He’d rather enter the pearly gates than have to be beholden to a bunch of women.

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