Free Mail Order Bride: Captured Hearts: a Clean Western Historical Romance (Mail Order Brides of Gold Creek Book 6) by Emily Woods Page A

new thought dawned on her. She rolled over and took out the Matrimonial News that she kept hidden in her rickety nightstand. Flicking through the pages, she became ever more excited with the wild idea that had captured her imagination.
    Perhaps she could be a mail order bride!
    Though it was maybe not quite as moral as she would have liked, it certainly made sense given the desperate situation. She could pick a potential husband that gave an impression of wealth in his picture and description. Then she could go over there and marry him, legally be entitled to his money and take it to pay for her mother’s operation. After that, it was simple. She’d return to Virginia, free to finally pursue a job, and pay the man back. It all sounded masterfully straightforward.
    She flicked through the magazine, trying to see if there was anyone from Gold Creek. That was where Henry had gone too, so she knew there must have been some sort of wealth there. She scanned the pictures and text, trying to find the elusive man that would fix all their problems without even knowing it.
    Soon she landed on Ira King, wealthy rancher, Gold Creek, and she knew immediately that he was the one she needed. It was as if it was meant to be. She scrambled for her writing things under the bed, her heart beating with excitement at the prospect of being able to raise the money and see her mother get better.
    Dear Ira, she began.
    My name is Mollie Hughes and I am looking for a husband.
    She bit the end of her pen and wondered what on earth she should say. She hated to lie but it seemed to be the only option she had. In truth, a husband was the furthest thing from her mind as she poured all her energy into seeing that her mother recovered.

Chapter 2
     
    Bang!
    The gun shot was hollow and rang out across the wide plains. The bandit who had fired it turned back in his saddle to keep his pace steady enough to keep up with his gang.
    “Abe!” Ira shouted, throwing a quick glance behind him to see if his friend was hurt.
    “I’m fine!” Abe hollered back. “Keep chasing!”
    He kicked his horse frantically and it edged past Ira on hooves of lightning. Still, the bandits outran them. Curtis, pulling up alongside Ira and nodding at him, drew his pistol and pointed it toward the group, but didn’t fire.
    “Abe!” he hollered. “You’re in the way!”
    With the violent pound of horse’s hooves that jogged their marksmanship, Ira was glad that Curtis didn’t simply choose to fire in the heat of the moment. He drew out his own pistol and kicked his horse. With a surge forward he soon caught up with Abe, who had had to pull his horse to the side to dodge another shotgun blast.
    “They’re getting away,” Abe panted.
    “I know,” Ira said bitterly, reigning in his horse.
    “They’ll be back,” said Abe, stopping beside him. “And probably for our ranch, too.”
    Curtis stormed past them, firing shot after shot at the rapidly escaping group of bandits. He was too far away to make a real impact.
    Ira watched them fade into the sunset and felt different than he usually did on such an occasion. For years now, the residents of Gold Creek had called upon Ira and his friends to defend their properties when the Sheriff wasn’t around. He had relished it at first, proud that he was able to maintain law and order. Yet each time it was becoming less and less satisfying to him, overshadowed by a new dream that was growing in his mind.
    “Looks like that’s it then,” said Abe, the disappointment evident in his voice.
    “Yeah,” said Ira. “Looks that way.”
    Curtis rode up, his eyes blazing with fury.
    “I nearly got one of them,” he said. “They’re getting a lot better.”
    “At least they didn’t get what they came for,” said Ira, nodding at the cattle on the Dunn’s ranch who had scattered in fear. “Let’s get them herded back to the barn.”
    As Ira led the men in rounding up the cattle, he thought about how dissatisfying life had