Mail Order Bride and The Mix-up (A Western Romance Book)(COMPLETED)

Chapter 01

Angel's Reach, Utah Territory, 1850

Belle Reid stepped out of the hotel that she'd called home for the past few months now and let the early autumn air blow her pale-yellow hair around her head. She stretched her back and felt the knots in her tight muscles yank this way and then that trying to loosen themselves up. Her lower back twinged and, for one horrible second, she thought it might give out, then youth won out over pain and Belle was able to walk off her discomfort.

At only eighteen, Belle had already experienced a lifetime's worth of heartache, but her spirit had yet to be beaten down entirely by life and she managed to find hope where others in her position might find none. It helped to be surrounded by so many women who'd experienced pain as she had. If she'd been left to herself, she was almost certain that, youth or no youth, she'd have withered away and died.

The camaraderie of the women in her town had saved her at a time in her life when she'd been falling fast. In a lot of ways, she thought it was a good thing that men were still banned from Angel's Reach. Barrett, Estelle's husband, and Austin, Cadence's husband, were the only two men allowed inside the borders of their town on a permanent basis. Unless one counted young Ernie, but he was only a child. At six years old, he was not deemed a threat and would probably be allowed to stay in Angel's Reach even when he reached adulthood, if he so chose.

"Morning," a woman's voice called, and she saw Gertrude Larson headed towards her. She had soft, wavy hair that created an ember halo around her head and took long strides to close the distance between them.

"Shoot," Belle muttered to herself and ducked behind one of the still-abandoned buildings.

"Belle! Wait!" Gertrude cried, hurrying after her.

Belle hurried to the other side of the building, peeking around the corner and waiting for Gertrude to pass her by, a confused expression on her face. Her head swiveled from side to side, and Belle heard her mutter, "Where did she go? She was just here. She must not have heard me." Then she shrugged and went on her way. Belle breathed relief and went about her business, her heart's pace slowing again as she looked out across the land.

She pushed her blonde hair behind her ear as her blue eyes took in the scene before her. She'd sketched it a thousand times already and would probably sketch it a thousand more. She thought Utah Territory, so near the California border, was some of the prettiest land she'd ever seen before.

Mountains rose in waves all around her, a picturesque backdrop to the blue sky and green trees which surrounded them. The town itself sat on a flat piece of land but hills rolled out around them as one got closer to the mountains. There were three towns all within a day's ride—Badpeaks, Mellow Pass, and Giant's Point. Belle had visited Badpeaks on more than one occasion, but the others remained a mystery to her. Though, she supposed, not for much longer.

It was a lucky thing the wagon train she'd taken on her way out here had been derailed by bandits, or else this town, once vacant and sad, might have continued to sit here and fall further into ruin. Belle's stomach rumbled but she hushed it, reminding it that she had work to do first before she could eat. Well, not work precisely, but she supposed the term was close enough. After all, there was nothing easy in what she had to do.

Angel's Reach had already grown so much in the months since she'd arrived in this tiny ghost town. When she'd first gotten here, there'd been ten women running the place. Now there was somewhere around fifty, plus two men who'd initially been considered outsiders, but were now husbands to the town's mayor and sheriff.

Part of her hoped the town wouldn't grow too big; she was afraid if it did it would lose some of the charm and warmth she'd found here, but then she realized how selfish she was being with such thoughts. This town was a safe haven for women who had suffered at the hands of men, and everyone living in it had good reason to be here. Would she really wish for that to be taken away from others who might now be suffering and seeking shelter?