Mail Order Bride: Westward Winds by - (children's books read aloud .txt) 📖

Maureen descended the main staircase and went through the dining room and out the double French doors that led to the garden. She walked to a bench in a secluded part of the garden and sat down. It was so hard to see her beautiful daughter this way. Prior to the attack, Maddie had been a vivacious social butterfly. She had rarely been home in the evenings because she attended so many parties and dinners. Unlike her older sister, Tessa, Maddie had willingly immersed herself in the party life. She was also very charming at the dinners that were thrown for Geoffrey’s business associates and was adept at easing tensions with her wit.

Now, however, she was reclusive, depressed, and had very little appetite. Anger and sadness were Maureen’s regular companions these days, and she had a hard time sleeping some nights. The sight of their daughter bruised, battered, and terrified as she lay in the hospital bed that night would be forever burned in Maureen’s mind.

Geoffrey had been consumed with rage and had barely been prevented from going over to the Wilson’s residence to call Theo out and kill him. Although Maureen would have liked nothing better than for Geoffrey to thrash Theo, her sense of reason had prevailed and she and the police were able to keep him from doing so. Maureen kept telling him that their family needed him at home, not in prison, and she eventually got through to him.

Charges were pressed, but though it would have gone to court, Maddie didn’t want the humiliation of testifying. The Wilson family had protected their son, as any high society family of that time would have, and there had been rumors spread around the city that Madelyn was promiscuous and had led Theo on. Maddie had flat-out refused to testify and be subjected to the kind of publicity that would surely come.

Geoffrey had fumed and cajoled and pleaded, but he couldn’t budge Maddie. He wanted that animal to suffer and be punished for hurting his little girl, and it ate at him that he couldn’t get justice for her.

Their social life had ground to a halt with the exception of smaller dinners with their close friends and a few business associates. They did their best to avoid the Wilson family, because Geoffrey wouldn’t have been able to control himself. Before accepting any invitations to parties and the like, they always made sure the Wilsons were not invited. It would seem as though many people had stopped inviting the Wilsons, a sign that they believed Theo guilty of the crime. They didn’t want him around their daughters.

Thinking of all this now, Maureen let herself cry. She allowed the tears to flow once per day, but otherwise tried to appear positive for her family. However, Claire wasn’t fooled and would often give her mother comfort with a spontaneous hug or kind words. Claire was also able to make Maddie smile by reading her the more amusing articles in the paper each morning.

Geoffrey had taken to coming home earlier in the day to be there to support his family. The tragedy had drawn them all closer, and they worked their hardest to heal their daughter and sister. They all did their best, but it wasn’t easy. Maureen feared that Maddie would never fully recover.

Chapter 2

Tessa laid the letter from her mother down on her lap and wiped away tears from her eyes as her husband Dean entered the parlor. He saw Tessa’s distress and crossed the room to her.

He knelt next to her chair and asked, “Bad news?”

Tessa looked into his caring blue eyes and said, “I’m afraid so. Maddie is not improving much. She doesn’t want to go out and when she does, it’s only for a short period of time because she’s terrified that she’ll see him. Once in a while she’ll come down to one of Papa’s dinners, but she only eats and then retreats back upstairs to her room.”

Dean rubbed her shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry, honey. I feel so bad about this happening to her.”

Tessa smiled and laid a hand on his cheek. “You are such a good man, Dean Samuels.”

“Thanks. And you’re a good woman, Tessa Samuels. And a great wife and mother.”

“You are too kind, but I thank you. Oh, Dean, I wish there was some way to help, but it’s so hard from so far away,” Tessa said.

“Do you want to go there for a visit?” Dean asked.

Tessa shook her head. “I don’t think it would help. She needs to get out of the city for a while, I think. It would be good for her to get away from the situation, but Mama says Maddie won’t go to our country home because the Wilson’s country home isn’t far from ours. Papa wants to sell it and buy another one far away from theirs, and I think that’s best.”

“Yeah, me, too. You know, maybe she could come here. It would be somewhere completely new and a different kind of life. There’s no way she’d run into that monster here. She’d be able to meet her niece and nephews and her brother-in-laws. It’s quiet here, and maybe it’d give her a chance to get her strength back.”

“You mean brothers-in-law,” Tessa said, and planted a passionate kiss on Dean’s sensual mouth.

When she drew back, Dean grinned at her and asked, “What was that for?”

“For being the best husband and such a smart man! That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll write Mama back immediately,” she said. She gave Dean another kiss and hurried off to their room to begin her letter.

Dean smiled and rose from his knees. He loved how impetuous and excitable his wife was. It certainly kept things interesting, and he never had to guess at how Tessa felt about something. “Oh, by the way, I know what the correct way to say it is, I just like driving you crazy by sayin’ it wrong,” he called after her, and then left Tessa to her task. He had to check on a mare that was close to giving birth.

Seth Samuels, Dean’s older brother by one year, sat on his horse, a big chestnut gelding named Hank, and watched the herd of fifteen Holstein heifers, ten steer, and one bull. He and his brothers wanted to start some milk production with the intent of selling to the people in their area and the settlers who passed through the county. It was a good way to diversify their ranching business.

His keen ice-blue eyes watched the animals’ behavior and ascertained that something was not right. They were restless and seemed to be constantly testing the breeze. Hank was acting anxious as well. He snorted and tossed his head, clear signs that something sinister was about.

He and two other drivers were bringing the herd home and were only about a hundred miles from reaching their ranch. The herd may not be large, but it was valuable and they needed to protect it at all costs. Their livelihood depended on it.

Their best cattle dog, Jasper, was also on the alert. He helped keep the herd together, much to the annoyance of the bull. The dog wasn’t intimidated when the bull rushed at him, though. He’d dealt with many a testy Texas long horn and the Holstein didn’t faze him.

Ray, one of the other drivers, circled around the other side of the herd, tightening them up so there were no stragglers. The cattle didn’t fight much, knowing that they were safer together than not. It was another signal that danger lurked near. The bull snorted and pawed the ground, ready to fight.

Marty, the third driver, rode up beside Seth. “Something’s spooking them. Duke here doesn’t want to go near that stand of trees over there. I think we need to head off in the other direction right quick,” he said.

Seth watched the section of trees Marty had noticed. Duke was Marty’s horse and seemed to have a sixth sense about cougars and such, so Seth took Marty’s comments seriously. He nodded. “Okay. You and Ray get them going. I’ll bring up the rear and keep an