The Pursuit (Family of Love Series) (A Western Romance Story) Read online

  The Pursuit

  Family of Love Series

  Elliee Atkinson

  GREENHOUSE PUBLISHING CO.

  Copyright © 2016 - 2018 by ELLIEE ATKINSON & GREEN HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Cover designed by Ms Melody Simmons. Author has the copyrights to this cover.

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  A PERSONAL NOTE

  FROM ELLIEE ATKINSON

  To My Dearest Lovely Readers,

  Those female characters within my stories are women who displayed strong faith of love, knowing what they want to pursue in the Wild West.

  They are constantly seeking and believe the true love really exists as they are often being looked upon as an inferior gender. Because of these social stigma, it motivates them to overcome challenges they may face while waiting for the man of their dreams to appear.

  Will these insecurities and stigma encourages them in believing true love despite the differences and challenges in social standing that they will face during this Wild West period?

  Read on to find out the answers!

  Thank you very much for your strong support to my writing journey!

  With Hugs, Kisses and Love…

  DEDICATION

  “I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart.”

  Alice Walker

  This Story Is Specially Dedicated To You, My Dearest Reader!

  It is with gratefulness and gratitude that I am writing to you this personal dedication.

  Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to share with you my creative side of me.

  I hope you will enjoy reading this story as much I have enjoyed writing it!

  It is with such great support from you that keep us authors writing and writing, presenting to you with great and interesting stories.

  Have you checked out my other western historical romance books series?

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Elliee Atkinson is the author of many mail order brides stories and her alternate name is Rosie Attwood. Using Elliee Atkinson as her new pen-name, she spins out American historical western romance stories for readers that appreciate the romance that happened in the Old Wild West.

  Elliee loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance “Wild Montana Sky” by Debra Holland was inspired by the story perseverance and determination of the women from the wild west and how they overcome adversaries, fight for the love they deserved and desired.

  Many of her stories are based on her knowledge of the old west, although all the names, events, and places that may resemble or are similar to living people are only coincidental and fiction, of course.

  Elliee credits her wonderfully supportive partner and friend, Steven and her advance review reviewers for helping her to fine-tune her writing skills and allowing her creativity to explode.

  THE PURSUIT

  A WESTERN ROMANCE STORY

  by

  ELLIEE ATKINSON

  and

  Green House Publishing Co.

  PROLOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Alice settled herself into the swinging chair next to her husband, Adam. They watched their children playing on the green lawn outside their home. Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled at her.

  “Look at them.” He settled his coffee cup in his lap and looked out to where the three children were playing. “They take good care of their little sister, don’t they?”

  Alice smiled. “They do. Carrie loves them. It’s easy to see.”

  “It is.” Adam sighed. “I think they can see it, too.”

  “I love you.” Alice smiled at him. A slow smile crossed his face and he gave her a peculiar look.

  “I love you, too.”

  She continued smiling at him and he stared at her for a moment. “You want something.” He said it as a statement instead of a question. She giggled and he had to laugh. “Come now, what is it you are buttering me up for?”

  “Can’t a woman tell her husband she loves him out of the blue for no reason at all?”

  Adam laughed. “Yes, a woman can definitely do that. But I know this woman…” he poked her gently on the nose. “And it’s the look on your face, not the words you say, that tip me off. What is it, dear? You know I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

  “I know, my love.” Alice continued to giggle. “And it isn’t even something I think you will object to. I was just trying to be funny.”

  “But you do want something, am I correct?”

  She nodded. “Yes, you know me well.”

  “What is it?” he asked again.

  “My cousin Molly Beatrice. We all call her Molly B because we have an aunt named Molly, too. It made for some confusion at the family gatherings, so they taught us children to call her Molly B.”

  Adam nodded, continuing to gaze at his wife, waiting for her to get to the point.

  “Anyway, she has decided to leave Allentown and come stay here in Wickenburg. Allentown isn’t as big as Wickenburg and she wants the ‘big city’ experience.”

  They both laughed at that thought.

  “So I invited her to come stay with us for a time. I hope you don’t mind. I meant to ask you about it but it was a quick decision.”

  “A quick decision? How is that possible?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You would have had to write her back, even as a telegram…” he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind that she’s coming. There is no need to argue. When will she arrive?”

  “In two weeks' time. I thought we could make her a bed in the living room. She won’t mind that. Eventually, she will be moving to her own home. I… I really didn’t want her to stay at the hotel. But she will if her stay here causes us trouble.”

  “I can’t imagine what trouble it would cause. I’m sure she is a lovely girl.”

  “She is a woman, but, yes, she is lovely. She is in her thirties. She was married to her husband, Bill, for nearly ten years before he died. That was five years ago. Poor woman never had any children by him.
From what I hear, they were very much in love from the moment they met. His passing was sad. It really was.”

  “I don’t remember you mentioning it.”

  “No, I suppose I wouldn’t have. I didn’t know him well. I only found out when my aunt Clara sent me a telegram about it. I said prayers for Molly B and didn’t think a lot about it after that. Molly sent me a letter about six months ago and we’ve been corresponding ever since.”

  “Is she still grieving the death of her husband?”

  Alice shook her head. “I doubt that she is in deep grieving. I’m sure she was at first. But it’s been five years. I think she is coming along nicely as a widow. And he left her a great deal of money. So, she has not had to worry about having a home.”

  “So she is leaving a house behind?”

  Alice shrugged. “She’s not really leaving it behind. She gave it to her niece, who is married with three children. They were living in a shack before Molly B gave them her house. They’ve been living with her for about four months now and she has decided it is time for her to go somewhere new.”

  “Why did she choose Wickenburg?” Adam asked.

  “I am not completely sure. She had her choice of places to go. But she chose here. She has relatives on the East coast, too. But she wanted somewhere completely different. That’s what I’m assuming. I didn’t really ask her for details. She has already made up her mind. She would have stayed in the hotel if I hadn’t offered for her to stay here.”

  “Well, your plan has my blessing, my dear.” Adam put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him. “You know I have always liked your relatives.”

  Alice laughed. “Except Nathan.”

  Adam shook his head, remembering how Alice’s brother, Nathan, had held Adam responsible for the death of their sister, Holly. Holly was his Adam’s first wife. Her death had been from natural causes, but Nathan had not believed it. “I have nothing against Nathan. I never did. What happened after Holly’s death was just his response to grief. I don’t hold him responsible for it.”

  “Well, the law did.”

  Adam nodded. “Let’s not talk about that right now. Do you have any more surprise news for me?” He smiled so she would know he was not irritated by the sudden appearance of a relative to stay in his home. He was, in fact, looking forward to it. Every time someone new came to town, something happened to liven up the place. Wickenburg was a sleepy western town filled with hard-working people. Most of them were his friends. A new face always brought new adventures.

  “No,” Alice shook her head. “That’s all.”

  “Well, I look forward to meeting your cousin, Molly B.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  MOLLY IS ON HER WAY

  MOLLY IS ON HER WAY

  The sun’s rays through the stage window, which was covered by a thin sheet of fabric as a curtain, were bright and hot, letting Molly know she was nearing her destination. She had heard it was much hotter on the West coast. She was looking forward to it. She had tired of the cold winters, with sleet, snow, and freezing rain. She wanted bright blue skies and sunshine.

  Wintertime always reminded her that she was alone, with little chance of finding what she and Bill had together again in her lifetime. He was her best friend for fifteen years. She never imagined she would only have him for those fifteen years and he would be taken away.

  The last five years had moved quickly for her. Much quicker than she could possibly have expected. She thought life without Bill would be long and agonizing. Before she knew it, though, it had been nearly five years. She went from one day to another without noticing the time going by. She’d made no good new memories. She’d smiled and laughed, but on the inside, she was in pain. For the last few years, she’d rarely mentioned Bill and never rehashed memories with any of their friends or family. The only way she’d found to cope with her loss was by blocking it out and distracting herself with the little things in life.

  When Clara mentioned Rebecca’s need for a house bigger than the shack her and her husband, Matthew, were living in, Molly had an idea. Rebecca and Matthew struggled from day to day with their three children. Molly had been left with a large house and a lot of money. Bill had managed finances extremely well and left her with no worries about money. In fact, she was regarded as one of the wealthiest widows in Allentown, Virginia, and most of the counties surrounding the little town, at her young age of 34.

  On the five year anniversary of Bill’s death, Molly decided she was ready to change her life. She wasn’t ready to give up on her life, even when things looked so dismal. She wanted to surround herself with new people in a brand new environment. What better way to do that than to move across the country to the West, where the men outnumbered the women 15 to 1. That’s what she’d been told by her cousin, Alice. Maybe there was a chance she would find a new man in Wickenburg. It was bigger than the town she was from in Virginia, where everyone knew everyone else. As a woman, the odds were also in her favor, that was certain.

  She worried about finding a man at her age, however, and had come to embrace the quiet when she was alone over the past five years. She was a popular woman in Allentown, with many close friends. Those friends kept her busy after Bill’s death, distracting her whenever they sensed her sorrow was upon her. It wasn’t until his death that she realized everyone in town knew of her or had heard of her, and what was said was always of the positive nature.

  Just after his death, she was overcome with the desire to immediately find another man, essentially “replacing” Bill to keep from being alone. She avoided that temptation and, over time, lost the desire completely. As she approached her 35th birthday, she was certain her time to become a mother was running out. That meant finding new love. And soon.

  Her thoughts then went to the men in Allentown. Single men she had known all her life. There wasn’t one in the entire town that appealed to her. She kept her thoughts to herself until Rebecca and Matthew moved in. They were good parents and they made a sweet, happy family. It made Molly proud to be related to them, while at the same time envious that she herself had never had a chance to have that family. She desired a husband and children running around her legs. She wanted to hear the cry of a baby in the middle of the night, losing sleep worrying about the welfare and happiness of a husband and children… she wanted those things. The final straw came when she had a conversation with Rebecca on the porch after dinner while Matthew put their children to bed.

  Rebecca came out of the house with a smile on her face. She sat next to Molly on the porch swing and wrapped a large scarf around her arms to stay warm.

  “What are you doing out here, Molly? It’s kind of cold, isn’t it?”

  Molly nodded. “I suppose it is. I’m just thinking. You’ve got a big smile on. What happened to cause that?”

  Rebecca shook her head, still smiling. “I am happy. Matthew is so grateful for this house, Molly. I want to thank you for letting us move in. There is no way we can repay you. Matthew and I actually got into a little argument about who was going to put the boys to bed.” She chuckled. “He is such an amazing man. I am so blessed.”

  Molly nodded in agreement. “You are blessed, Rebecca. I’m very happy for you and happy I could provide something to make you all happy, too.”

  “Do you have any plans for your future, Molly? I am sure you can’t be very happy living here with us.”

  Molly looked at her with her eyebrows raised. “What makes you say that, dear?”

  “You have always been very spry and feisty. Everyone in the family says so. But lately you’ve been… distant. I guess just thinking your own thoughts. Since we moved in… well, for the last month or so, I guess. I’ve noticed. I don’t know if anyone else has, but I have.”

  “You are very observant,” Molly looked out over the front lawn, which stretched out several yards before ending at the street-side, where a small, wooden picket fence was erected and surrounded the property. The road was empty of people and carriages. I
t was too late in the evening for much traffic. In the distance to her right, Molly could see a swinging lamp and knew the lamplighter was coming down the street to light the street lamps. Rebecca looked down the street and spotted the man, too.

  “He’s a little late, isn’t he?”

  Molly grunted. “He is always late.”

  Rebecca smiled again. “Oh you are so grumpy. Cheer up, Molly B. Tell me what you’ve been thinking about. I want to know.”

  Molly glanced over at her. “You want to know.”

  Rebecca nodded vigorously. “I do. So tell me. What has you down in the mouth?”

  Molly looked away again, wrapping her arms around her chest. “I feel like I am wasting my time on earth. I need to be doing something. When Bill was alive, we did a lot of charity work…”

  Rebecca nodded. “I remember.”

  “And I stopped doing those things when he died.”

  “Why did you stop? It is the perfect distraction. You were making other people so happy. And you showed us a lot of charity by letting us move in. You’ve even watched the boys for us.”

  “It’s not the same.” Molly shook her head. “I used to go out with Bill and we had plans, things to do. We had plans for when we were old and gray. Now… I feel lost, without a purpose.”