Genevieve: Bride of Nevada (American Mail-Order Bride 36) Read online

  GENEVIEVE

  Bride of Nevada

  Cynthia Woolf

  GENEVIEVE

  Copyright © 2015 Cynthia Woolf

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-938887-69-7

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook 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 recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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

  Published by Firehouse Publishing

  Digital formatting: Author E.M.S.

  Books written by Cynthia Woolf can be obtained either through the author’s official website:

  www.cynthiawoolf.com

  or through select, online book retailers.

  PROLOGUE

  Genevieve “Genny” Copeland, along with all of her co-workers, stood in the waning light of day and watched the fire claim the factory building that had provided their livelihood, meager though it had been. None of them had any idea what they were going to do. Mr. Brown, the owner of the factory, was also the one who had probably burned it down, though that couldn’t be proven.

  Luckily no one had been killed. Now with jobs nearly impossible to come by, Genny was doing something she’d never considered before…she was becoming a mail order bride to a man she’d never met. Tomorrow she would catch the train from Massachusetts to Nevada but now she worried if she was doing the right thing.

  At twenty-five, she was older than either of her roommates, though both Katie Maverick and Julia Benson were becoming mail order brides, too, as were a lot of the women who previously worked at the Massachusetts factory. They’d found their husbands-to-be through a publication called Grooms’ Gazette. Roberta McDaniel got the paper from her sister’s matchmaker, Elizabeth Miller, and handed out copies to any of the women who wanted one.

  That was Roberta, always looking out for the girls in the factory. When she’d learned Mr. Brown was closing the factory, she’d been honor bound to tell everyone. The fire took that responsibility out of her hands.

  Who burned the factory didn’t matter, though they all suspected that Brown had burned down the factory for the insurance money, but nothing could be proven and they were all unemployed regardless.

  The rent on their apartment was due in a couple of days. Genny thanked her lucky stars she was leaving…in fact, they were all leaving. She was using the rent money for expenses to travel to her new home. Her future husband, Stuart MacDonnell, paid for her passage on the train, but she still had to eat for those days of travel. Her rent would have taken ten dollars of the forty she had saved.

  The night before she left on the train for Nevada, Genevieve and her roommates sat in the living room. Their suitcases lined one wall. They were all leaving; Katie for Virginia and Julia for New York and tonight was the last time they would be together for a while, maybe forever.

  “It’s a good thing we’re leaving tomorrow,” said Genny. “That was the last piece of coal.” She pointed toward the square metal stove they huddled around. The kitchen and living room were one room containing a wooden table and four mismatched chairs that had all seen better days. The table had one short leg which they always propped up with folded newspaper.

  The sofa Katie and Julia sat upon, had bad springs but one woman slept on it every night. They rotated each week, so none of the roommates had to sleep on the sofa all the time.

  The bedroom had only a double bed, closet dresser, bureau and commode. The three had shared the dresser and bureau as none of them had much in the way of clothes.

  There was nothing about the shabby apartment she’d miss but Genny would miss her friends. They all promised to write each other. For now each was lost in thought about their new lives. Each excited and yet afraid of the journey, and the men, that awaited.

  CHAPTER 1

  October 11, 1890

  Genny boarded the train headed west. All the money she had in the world, thirty dollars, was in her reticule. As the train pulled away from the station, Genny watched Lawrence, Massachusetts, the only place she’d ever known, fade away. Fear mixed with excitement enveloped her.

  Her husband-to-be had two children. A little boy and a baby girl. And eventually they would have children of their own. His already having children was one of the things that appealed to her about him. Genny loved children. She’d been raised in an orphanage and from the time she was ten, she cared for the younger children and babies that came through. The children were the only thing she missed about the orphanage.

  She was seated in a sparse car with ten rows of padded wooden seats, two on each side of a center aisle. A latrine was located in the rear of the car and she’d had to open her window several times to get rid of the stale smell. A little fresh air was all she wanted but more often than not, the refreshing breeze was accompanied by ash from the locomotive.

  When she left Massachusetts she’d bought a loaf of bread, a round of cheese, and a couple of apples. That supply only lasted the first two days. The rest of her trip she had to buy food at the stops along the way or not eat at all which she did for two meals every day. She figured she could get by on one meal a day, though her stomach think so if the sounds coming from it were any indication.

  She would travel to Elko, Nevada where Stuart would pick her up and she hoped they would stay for a few days getting to know each other before they married and left for her husband’s ranch in the Lamoille Valley, seventeen miles east of Elko. His letter said the trip would take three hours by wagon. She grimaced at the thought of more travel, but thought it would give them a chance to get to know each other. Give her more of a chance for a congenial relationship.

  Genny’s train arrived in Elko seven days after she left Massachusetts. She had changed trains four times before getting on the Western Pacific Railroad into Elko.

  A week of sitting upright in a rail car with ash and smoke wafting through the air was more than enough for her. She’d kept as clean as she could, using public bathrooms where she could find them and water pumps when she had to. All she wanted was a hot bath, and to get out of the corset she wore.

  The discomfort she felt didn’t distract at all the different landscapes she’d been through. She thought the Rocky Mountains were the most magnificent things she’d ever seen. The Ruby Mountains she was in now though were quite lovely, too.

  “Elko. Elko station.” The conductor for the came through announcing the stations as they approached. All of the conductors on each rail line had done this.

  “This is your station, miss.”

  She looked at the man and smiled. “Thank you, Henry. You’ve been most kind to me.”

  She held out her gloved hand.

  He took her hand in a gentle shake.

  “I hope you have a good stay in Elko. Though, for the life of me I can’t imagine what a woman like you will do in a place like this.”

  She sucked in a breath wondering what he meant by his statement. Though she had noticed that the little town seemed rather sparse and drab in comparison to some of the cities and towns she’d been through. “I’m getting married. I won’t be in Elko long.”

  “Well, congratulations. Have a wo
nderful life.”

  She hoped the conductor’s words came true. She always wanted a home and family of her own and this was her chance. Her only chance. “I will. Thank you.”

  Henry tipped his cap and walked on, announcing the station one more time before exiting her car.

  Once the train slowed and finally stopped, Genny grabbed her bag from the overhead bin. The contents of one carpet bag were all she claimed for possessions. A couple of gingham dresses, two black bombazine skirts, and three blouses—one pink, one blue and one white. One change each of chemise and of bloomers, and two pairs of socks rounded out the clothing she owned. She wore a traveling suit, her only petticoats, her black wool coat and lace-up boots. Not much to show for twenty-five years on this earth.

  Genny was an orphan, so she didn’t have anything from her parents and had never had enough money to buy herself jewelry. Her wedding ring would be the first piece she’d ever owned.

  Putting a roof over her head and food on the table had taken just about everything she earned. Seven dollars and fifty cents a week didn’t allow much room for anything but the essentials. She had taken months to save enough money for the boots she wore, but she needed them. She’d been lining the old pair with newsprint because of the holes in the soles. Half of what would have been this month’s rent had finally given her sufficient funds.

  She walked out to the platform between the cars and down the stairs to the station platform. Excitement made her stomach feel as though butterflies were fluttering around inside her.

  Never in her life was she so glad to be somewhere as she was now. And she didn’t care if she ever rode a train again.

  “Have a good life, Miss Genny,” the conductor said, holding her bag with one hand and helping her down the steps with the other.

  “Thank you, Henry. You as well.”

  Genny took her hat and slapped it against her thigh hoping to remove some of the ash from the journey. Looking down she saw that her coat was the worse for wear and took it off and shook it, ash and dirt floating from it into the air. She shivered and put back on her coat, then picked up her bag and walked up to the one-story yellow station. She peeked in the window and saw a small waiting room with a potbellied stove and a ticket window.

  The wind rushed past, making her pull the lapels of her coat closer and she thought about heading inside to get out of the cold. But how would Mr. MacDonnell find her? For the time being, she waited where she was. If she got too cold before he came then she could always retreat into the building.

  Genny shivered in the cold wind, her coat unable to keep out the invisible force that froze her to the spot. Or had the approach of the tall man in the black hat, the collar of his sheepskin coat flipped up against the chill kept her motionless?

  He stopped in front of her.

  “Miss Copeland?”

  His voice washed over her, a deep, silky baritone that sent shivers—having nothing to do with the weather—up her spine.

  “Yes, I’m Genevieve Copeland, but everyone calls me Genny.” She held out her gloved hand. “Are you Mr. MacDonnell?”

  His hand engulfed hers.

  “I am. Stuart MacDonnell.”

  He held her hand for a moment too long as his gaze took in her face and then traveled down her body. Perhaps she wasn’t wrong to hope for a solid marriage.

  Neither had removed their gloves, but Genny would bet that his hands were rough, given the work he did for a living. She knew a rancher worked outside a lot, tending animals.

  “Please come with me. I’ve taken the liberty of arranging for the judge to marry us upon your arrival.”

  Genny’s heart leapt to her throat.

  “So quickly? I thought we’d have a day or two in town to become better acquainted before we married.”

  “I’m sorry, but we have to return to the ranch before this storm sets in.” He gestured toward the sky, full of storm clouds she hadn’t noticed before. “I brought a couple of blankets to wrap up in for the ride.”

  This was what she’d signed up for…to be this man’s wife. Genny took a deep breath and pressed a hand to her nervous stomach.

  “Very well. Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

  The corners of his mouth turned up, but he said nothing, just picked up her bag and started toward a wagon at the end of the platform.

  Genny walked beside the man who would be her husband. Close up, she saw he had blue eyes and brown hair. He was lean but by the way he moved she could tell he was also muscular. That made sense. From what she’d read at the library in Lawrence, ranching was a hard life. That was all right. Genny wasn’t afraid of hard work.

  When they reached the wagon, he placed her bag behind the seat on the bed of the wagon and held out his hand to help her up onto the seat. The bench wasn’t wide and provided room for only two passengers. There was a piece of wood nailed to the back of the bench that served at the back support.

  “Well, this is quite a big wagon for just little ole’ me. Back home there were buggies that carried only passengers.”

  “It’s called a buckboard. I expected you’d have trunks with your belongings, and as long as I’m in town, I’m picking up supplies to take home.”

  “No, just the one carpet bag.”

  She couldn’t imagine having enough things to fill a trunk much less two. Genny looked around her at the town that would be an important part of her new life. Maybe it was the gray of the clouds but the buildings all seemed a little drab. As they traveled from the train station she saw a couple of saloons, one was a one-story white clapboard building with a double door in the front. Another was natural wood and two-stories. They approached the mercantile and feed store. The building was a single story and quite large. When they went inside she saw that front of the structure was devoted to the mercantile with a door in the back that led to the feed store.

  Genny walked around the store while Stuart gave them his order. He didn’t introduce her, so she went to the counter and introduced herself to the white haired woman behind the counter.

  “Hello, I’m Genny Copeland. Stuart and I are to be married today.”

  “Well, hello there.” The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Clara Gooding. My husband, Ezra and I run this place.”

  Genny shook her hand.

  “Have you gotten everything down, Clara?”

  “Yes, Stuart. I know you must be anxious to get over to the courthouse and get married. I’ll have your order ready for you when you return.”

  “Thank you.”

  Stuart held the door for her and Genny went out into the cold and got back onto the wagon.

  “Are you a good cook?” Stuart asked once they were underway again.

  “I’d say I’m passable. I don’t cook fancy, just plain.”

  “Plain is fine. You can give Nettie an occasional break. Mostly your duties will be to take care of my children. Billy is three and Lucy is just six months.”

  “Yes, you told me your wife died in childbirth. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.”

  Lips pressed into a straight line, he looked straight ahead as he spoke.

  Genny thought that was because the death of his wife was still very new to him. The only reason he was taking another wife was for his children. He needed someone to raise them. He’d been clear about that fact in his correspondence. Genny knew exactly what she was in for, but decided that was fine. She’d have a family and children, maybe someday even babies of her own, but for now, she’d have Stuart’s to raise.

  “What was your wife’s name?”

  “Martha. She was just twenty-five.”

  “I know this situation is very hard for you. You must have loved her very much and having another woman come into your house is difficult.”

  He turned and his hair came out from under his collar, it was longish and curled at the ends with streaks of gold in the brown.

  “Let’s be up front with each other. You’re here because you needed a hus
band and a home. I’m willing to give you both, but I have no desire for another woman or more children.”

  Genny folded her hands in her lap. Reading the facts of her marriage and hearing them out loud were two different things entirely. Hearing them made her think their situation rather desolate. “I believe you’ve been clear from the beginning. I chose you because you lived the farthest away from Massachusetts I could get. I want a new life and you are able to provide me with one. I have no illusions otherwise.” But I have hope.

  Stuart nodded. “Good. If I had the extra space I’d offer you a private room at the house. But I don’t so you’ll share mine, in case you were wondering. That won’t change my mind about our marriage.”

  “The thought had crossed my mind, but again I have no illusions.” No, but she wanted to scream that if he’d give her a chance, then they could have a happy marriage and babies of their own. He wouldn’t see that now, his wound was too new. His wife had only been gone six months. But, Genny would grow on him. She’d prove she was the wife he needed.

  Memories of Carl came back to her. They’d been raised together and he promised he’d come back for her but he never came and after a year of hoping, she’d given up. She wouldn’t give up on her marriage.

  Stuart pulled back on the reins, and the horses stopped in front of a large two story brick building.

  “This is the courthouse. Judge Matthew Marin will marry us.”

  “Good. I’ll just be happy to be out of the cold.” Unlike the other buildings in town the red brick seemed almost inviting. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe her marriage would be like the red building. Sturdy, built for the long run.

  Stuart chuckled. “The air is a bit nippy. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I like that about you. I could see that in your letter.”