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Chapter 18
August 20, 1867
Emily POV
About a week after Clay left for St. Louis, the courier brought another telegram:
Agreed. Delayed slightly. Should arrive 12 August 1867. Jamie
Finally, Jamie was on his way. The telegram confirmed that Joseph’s estimate was correct. It would take about three weeks for them to arrive from Dodge City, Kansas. It was a long distance, made even longer when herding stubborn cattle. We had begun to worry because we had not received any word. Joseph and I had considered sending a telegram to Paris and Dodge asking if anyone had seen him.
As the weeks passed and my tummy grew, I found that loved being pregnant. Sure, being tired more easily was no picnic and I could do without the swollen ankles, but I loved the sensation of feeling my baby move in my womb. The baby was active, constantly on the move and now that I was over two thirds of the way to
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Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 19
September 1867 Joseph POV Jamie and Hannah’s visit was enjoyable. Mum said later that Jamie was salt of the earth, meaning he was honest, sincere, and an all-around good man. I couldn’t agree more. It was plain to anyone who wanted to see, just how much he adored his wife. Hannah stood just a couple inches taller than Emily and while she gave an air of sweetness and timidity, she was anything but. She was tenacious about her family and she fiercely loved those she considered to be her family. She and Jamie were perfect for one another and they fit in well with our family. Jamie had told me that if it wasn’t for his ranch in Texas, he might consider moving here. He and I had been out checking the traps one morning, as he had wanted me to show him exactly what we did with our game. He was genuinely interested and was able to follow along with my explanations. We were standing on one of the ridg
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 20
Chapter 20 February 1868 Emily The day Annabeth was born, Joseph sat with me the entire time. While it’s not traditionally done, I needed his presence and support. I told him later that he was to always be with me during those times. Having the ability to lean against him while his arms surrounded me, his hands massaging my belly, had such a calming effect on me. I decided that I wanted that every time. Clara had initially frowned on his being in the room, but finally relented when she realized that it actually helped me. The moment that Annabeth was in my arms, tears of joy fell from my eyes. I leaned my head back against Joseph’s shoulder so he could look at her too. My shoulder became wet from the tears that fell from his eyes. His arms encircled mine and together we cradled our daughter in our arms. Her little eyes flitted open and as she took in the world around her, she began to cry. Clara helped me to teach her how to suckle at my breast. Once she had latched on, Joseph’s a
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 21
Emily POVI pulled my hand back from Draco’s as I took in his appearance. He wasn’t wearing a heavy coat like we would normally wear this time of year. He only had on his suit coat, which I knew didn’t provide much warmth. He had the appearance of a big city businessman. As I said, he stood out in the Dakota wilderness.“You must be cold without a heavy coat. Can I offer you some coffee to take the chill off?” I asked.“That will be fine, thank you,” Draco said, agreeing to my offer of coffee, but ignoring my comment about the cold weather.I motioned for him to take a seat at the table while I poured him a cup of coffee. As I placed it before he, he asked, “How is he doing?”Clara had joined us and answered, her voice grave with concern, “resting. But I dinna ken how well. His fever is rising. I pray to de Lord that the
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 22
Emily POVAfter the Knightshade’s left, we sat down to supper and chatted about our neighbors. I pondered over the interaction between the elder Knightshade and his wife. She was a lovely woman and Annabeth did not fuss in her arms. That told me a lot. Babies could usually sense if someone meant them harm or had bad intentions. And since she didn’t fuss, I wasn’t concerned.But what I did ponder over was the fact that Draco seemed so sure of himself. He carried an air of confidence. What happened to that confidence that would cause him to accidentally cut himself with the scissors. And then he brushed aside my concern, as if the cut was nothing.“Emily?” Clara’s voice cut into my thoughts.“What, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought,” I answered her.“Why dinna ye sit with Joseph for a while this evening. We’ll take ca
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 23
Anne POVWhen I received her letter last fall, I was livid. How dare my daughter defy me and refuse to go to the convent. It would have been the best thing for her. She would have been cared for, had a home to live in, and food to eat. In addition to that, she would have been able to fulfill her service to the Lord by aiding the men fighting in the war.It was nonsense in my opinion, men fighting over who had the right to dictate what each could or couldn’t do. We were all united under one cause. The government was there for our protection against other nations, but shouldn’t have absolute rule. But no one listened to the thoughts of women.So, I did what I could from my home in Illinois. As the soldiers passed through, I fed them, let them sleep in the barn and patched their wounds. It didn’t matter to me if they wore blue or grey. They were all men, just the same.My other two dau
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 24
Joseph POV In the days that followed my waking up, Mum and Emily tried to insist on my resting as much as possible. It was difficult to say no to either one of those two women. They were persistent. I complained to Da about it and he shrugged his shoulders as if to say he didn’t know what I should do. So, I decided I would let them have their way for a few days but then I was going to get back to work. I honestly felt better and stronger than I had in my entire life. My wounds had healed so well, that even my shoulder didn’t ache if I over worked it. In the past, an injury to my arm would take several weeks to heal. But this time it was as if I had never been injured. After four days of rest, I insisted on getting up, telling Emily that I was fine. I wanted to go and see for myself that the bear was dead. I walked to the smoke house and Thomas was working on the hide. I could see that it had been cut into two secti
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 25
Emily POVAfter Joseph left to go to the creek, I gathered up the pile of nappies from our bedroom. Annabeth seemed to soil so many throughout the day. Every morning, I would wash and then hang them to dry. It was a never-ending chore. I couldn’t wait for her to be able to control herself and go to the outhouse, or at least in the chamber pot.I pulled the boiling water from the stove and poured it into the wash bin and began washing her nappies. It didn’t take long and soon they were hanging in the garden room to dry. It was still a little too cool for outdoor laundry hanging. After they were hung, I threw the dirty water out the side door and worked on washing the other clothes for the week. I had several towels and linens to wash, in addition to our day clothes.I had just hung our day clothes so they would dry and was set to start on the bedding when I heard a wagon pull into the yard. Then I heard Thomas
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 26
September 1868Joseph POVEmily was so nervous when her Mum showed up at the homestead unannounced. I was nervous for her, but as they talked, it became very clear that her Mum truly regretted her actions. No one could truly blame her; I can’t imagine what I would do if I lost Emily. I would be devastated. Losing our Aurora was hard enough and we hadn’t even met her. Grief is a hard thing and people cope in different ways.But, as I said, I was glad that her Mum came. It seems her visit to the boarding house was an eye-opening experience and it aided in the grief process. I also think that the delay due to the winter months helped calm her down as well. And it was sheer luck that she happened to be at the boarding house the day Thomas showed up. She had shared that normally she had returned to the hotel by that time of the day, but had been delayed in leaving.Anne decided she would stay
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- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Author's Note & Sneak Peak Book #4
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Epilogue
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 27
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 26
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 25
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 24
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 23
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 22
- Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Chapter 21
