A Bride To Herd Read online

  A Bride to Herd

  George H. McVey

  Copyright © 2019 by George H. McVey All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Black Widow Books/Virginia McKevitt

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

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

  DEDICATION

  To the Ladies of Silverpines.

  Working with y’all inspired this series.

  Introduction

  Take one failed rancher turned matchmaker and ten unexpected women looking to become brides. Put them all together in a house in Bent, Colorado. What could possibly go wrong?

  Chance Redburn lost his ranch and his only living relative, his Aunt Viola, in the same week. Now he has no choice but to try and make a go of his inheritance., Viola’s matchmaking service. He arrives in town to a shipment of brides to match and no idea how to do so. To make matters worse his aunt kept no records of who her clients were. The only thing he finds is a stack of letters that informs Chance that one of the women expects to be matched to him! Only he never asked Aunt Viola for a bride.

  Violet Montgomery left her classroom and home in Greenbough Alabama to become the matchmaker’s assistant and hopefully make a match with matchmaker’s rancher nephew. Only when Violet arrives the matchmaker is dead, and the nephew is now running the matchmaking service. Does he know Violet is supposed to be his love match? Can Violet help the clueless man figure out how to match brides to grooms? Why is the town calling him The Bride Herder? Even worse why is Chance checking the women’s teeth and asking their weight? Find out in the first book of the exciting Bride Herder Series: “A Bride to Herd.”

  Table of Contents

  DEDICATION

  Introduction

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  A Note from the Author

  About the Author

  George’s Books

  One

  C hance Redburn sat on the last mustang from his limited herd, looking down on the ranch house and the hundred and forty acres that used to belong to him. He sighed his life as a cattle rancher was done. The cows and horses had been sold and the house and land reclaimed by the bank just that morning. This month had been one of the hardest of his life. The bank refused to give him an extension on his loan and then on top of it his Aunt Viola who had looked after him after his parents’ tragic death had taken to her bed and passed away from pneumonia.

  Chance looked over at the grizzled old cowboy sitting beside him on the seat of a buckboard with two mules hitched to it. “Well Beans that’s it then time to say goodbye to the cowboy life and learn how to become a city dweller.”

  “Ain’t living in Bent that worries me Chance it’s you trying to take over yer Aunt Viola’s business. What do either of us know about helping men find a wife?” The battered black hat leaving his head and slapping against his canvas covered thigh. “I been a free cowboy for nigh on ta thirty years and you ain’t ever had a woman you’ve shown an interest in courting in all the time I’ve known ya.”

  Chance turned his horse heading toward Bent and away from the remains of his life-long dream. When Beans and the wagon caught up with him Chance looked at the old cowboy cook. “It ain’t that I’m not interested Beans it’s just never been the right time. I mean first I was cowboying and sleeping in a bunkhouse or on the open plain. Next I was busy trying to build the ranch and then keep it running. Now what would I offer a wife? I’m busted and have nothing.”

  The old timer shook his head. “That ain’t true. You got the house and land Miss Viola left you and that matchmaker business. I reckon you’ll figure it out. How hard can it be to pick a woman for a man and get her to hitch up with him?

  Chance thought about that for a few minutes. “You’re right Beans. It can’t be much harder than pickin’ the right match fer breeding quality beef. But I still ain’t looking to get hitched myself anytime soon.”

  The old cook nodded. “Just remember what your Aunt used to tell ya. Love comes calling when ya least expect it.”

  Violet Montgomery sat observing the nine young women around her. Each one excited and anxious as their long journey neared its end. For the week she had been listening as speculated on Miss Viola and the husbands she’d help them each find. It had been kind of a game for some of them talking about what her ‘Husband’ would be like giving him physical descriptions and personality traits. If she didn’t know how Miss Viola worked normally she would have thought each of these women had as much information about her groom as she did. But after months of correspondence with the matchmaker Violet knew that the woman just requested young women looking for marriage, brought them in and then observed them trying to see if any of the young men she knew would be a match for them.

  Violet, however, knew she was different. Unlike these new ‘sisters’ of hers she knew who she was going to be matched to. She could still remember the day that the local matchmaker and grandmother of a student of Violet’s in Greenbough, Alabama showed up at her door and asked her the life-changing question.

  “Violet dear, tell me are you happy here teaching?”

  Violet had frowned. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me Mrs. Beauregard. Of course I’m happy here.”

  The older woman patted Violet’s hand as they sat sipping their tea. “So you plan to just teach other people’s children the rest of your life?”

  That had started her on the path that lead her to this train ride and Miss Viola’s home. She had started a correspondence with the western matchmaker who was looking for a young woman between twenty and thirty to match to her own nephew. As the letters had gone back and forth Violet had gotten to know Chance Redburn through his aunt’s eyes and realized that she wanted to meet him and hopefully end up his wife. So while her new ‘sisters’ were all dreaming of unknown husbands she was dreaming of the struggling rancher whose aunt had described as a thoughtful and loving man overly concerned with making his ranch a success and seeing his cowboys taken care of.

  The train drew to a stop and the conductor game into the passenger car where all the potential brides were. “Well ladies here we are in Bent, Colorado. Your destinations. I wish each of you luck with your future husbands.”

  The ladies each scrambled to gather up their things and disembark the train. Violet with her carpetbag in hand looked around for Miss Viola. The woman had given several detailed descriptions of herself, but Violet saw no-one at the depot who came even close to matching the woman’s description. The girls all stood around together becoming more and more nervous the longer they stood there when finally a very handsome man approached them. He looked over them all, but his eyes seemed to be locked on Myrakle, the deaf girl. “Pardon me, ladies. Are you waiting…” He swallowed nervously and Violet couldn’t help but smile; oh he was smitten already. “Of course you’re waiting… What I mean to say is are you expecting someone to meet you?”

  Though he had addressed them all his eyes never left Myrakle’s and after a few moments she nodded. He smiled “Well, if you want, I can hang around until they get here. It’s late… you know it’s late… What I mean is, I’d be happy to…” He sighed and shook his head. “You shouldn’t
be out her unescorted it’s not exactly safe… or proper. I can keep an eye on you.”

  One of the other girls giggled and the handsome young man started as if just remembering the rest of them were there.

  “All of you… until.” Then like he realized something he asked. ‘Who are you meeting if I may ask?” They waited for Myrakle to answer him, and Violet realized she didn’t want him to hear her odd way of talking. Violet spoke up. “We are waiting on Miss Viola Redburn. We’re here for her to match us with husbands.”

  The man’s eyes became guarded, and he nodded once. “Well that’s gonna be a problem.” He looked over at the ticket booth. “Excuse me a moment.”

  He hurried to the window. Violet was confused, why was waiting for Miss Violet going to be a problem?

  Soon the man, and Myrakle and Jasmine were all standing by the ticket window, and the old gentleman behind it had handed a note to a younger man and sent him running down the main street through town. The older man came back and looked at the group of women now clustered around his ticket booth. He seemed flustered by them all gathering around. “You gals might as well have a seat. This might take a while.”

  The man who had approached them at first nodded and directed them back to the row of benches in front of the depot. That’s when the stress of traveling and the unknown finally settled in as several of the women began to question, complain and cry. Violet, as one of the oldest at twenty five, did what she could to help console and calm them. Waiting for whatever the old ticket master had set in motion all the while wondering where Miss Viola was.

  Two

  C hance and Beans finished unloading the few supplies that they had brought from the ranch into the two story Victorian that Aunt Viola had left for Chance and settled into their rooms. Chance took Viola’s old room downstairs, and Beans moved into the smaller downstairs bedroom. That left Chance with five empty bedrooms upstairs.

  He looked over at his old friend and ranch cook. “Well Beans I don’t know about you but I’m ready to hit the hay.”

  Beans rubbed his hand down his beard a few times. “I reckon I’m gonna go have a drink and see if I can find a game of Faro over at the Hair of the Dog.”

  Chance nodded, “All right I’ll see ya in the morning. Then we’ll try and figure out how to run a matchmaking business.”

  Chance went to climb into bed and realized he was covered in trail dust. He remembered that Aunt Viola had an indoor privy and bathing room with a tub added upstairs last year, and he thought he might enjoy trying out that bathtub. He went upstairs and in just a few minutes had water heating and was soon washing away all the dirt and dust from the long ride into town.

  He’d just pulled on his small clothes when there was a knock at the front door. He quickly tugged on his pants and went to see who would be calling at this time of night. When he opened the door there stood one of the young lads that ran errands for the station master and telegraph operator. He handed Chance a note and then turned and ran back toward the train depot. Chance opened the note. “There’s a big delivery here at the depot for Miss Viola. Needs to be picked up right now.”

  Chance quickly dressed and went out to hook up the wagon and head down to the depot. What in the world had his Aunt ordered that needed to be picked up in the middle of the night?

  He pulled the wagon as close to the depot as he could to make loading it easy. He set the brake and quickly climbed the stairs to the platform. He looked for a stack of boxes or something he thought Viola would have ordered, but his stomach started churning as he saw a very diverse group of women sitting and standing together with luggage all around them. Standing near was Joseph Penella. Maybe he would know what was going on.

  Joseph noticed Chance and started toward him.

  “Hello Joseph.”

  “Evening Chance, sorry to hear about Viola’s passing.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. I was sent a note about a package Viola had arriving.”

  Joseph looked over his shoulder “Yeah… Umm about that…”

  Chance realized that the rancher was looking at the group of women. Suddenly Chance realized why it was so important for him to come get the ‘delivery’ tonight. “Oh brother!”

  Joseph chuckled. “Heard you were going to take over the matchmaking business. Reckon your aunt just gave you a good strong start.”

  “What in the world am I going to do with all these women?”

  “I would suggest you take them home and let them get settled for today, and then you match them to Viola’s clients.”

  “Yeah what a mess. I haven’t even been in her office yet. I have no clue who the men are.” Chance quickly counted. “There’s ten of them. Beans is going to be beside himself.”

  Joseph laughed. “I’ll help get their belongings loaded. Might be out to see you tomorrow. I’ll see if I can find out who some of the clients are too.”

  “Thanks Joseph. Guess I better go talk to them.”

  “Good Idea, they know something is wrong, just not what yet.”

  “All right my wagon’s at the foot of the stairs.”

  Joseph clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck! Several of them have already been crying.”

  “Just what I need, a bunch of emotional women.”

  Chance walked up to the group who gathered around him. “I’m so sorry ladies. My name is Chance Redburn, and I’m afraid that I have rather bad news for you. My Aunt Miss Viola Redburn passed away five days ago. I’m sure that you think you’ve made some kind of a mistake coming here, but I promise I’ll do my best to make sure that you’re matched with her clients.”

  Eight of the women started all trying to talk at once some of them upset, some of them angry, all of them confused. One caught Chance’s attention a pretty little thing in a red dress with a matching hat that was huge on her head. She looked absolutely devastated. If he didn’t know better he would have thought she knew Aunt Viola personally. She sat hard on the bench behind her like she had just taken a major shock.

  “I didn’t know you ladies were coming, or I or my partner would have been here to meet you. Let me and Mister Penella get your trunks and bags loaded and we can head to the house. With so many of you I’m sorry to say you’ll need to double up, but at least you can rest.”

  “We will still be able to meet and marry?”

  “Yes ma’am. I inherited all my Aunt’s possessions including the matchmaking business. It may take a few days, but I’ll get everything sorted, and we’ll get you all to the altar soon as we can.”

  He took a deep breath and prayed he could make good on that promise. “I’m sorry to say that I didn’t expect you all so I only brought my wagon, but once we get your belongings loaded I’ll help you all in and get you to the house straight away.”

  Chance turned and walked over helping Joseph grab one of the trunks and loading it in the wagon. This was a story that was going to make Beans laugh when he came home from the Hair of the Dog.

  He was here! Chance Redburn was even more handsome that his Aunt had stated in her letters, and Violet felt her knees go weak just at the sight of him. It took her a few minutes to catch up to what he was saying, and then it felt like the floor had dropped out from under her. Miss Viola was dead. Violet’s friend, whom she had looked so forward to meeting and getting to know, was gone. She staggered back and sat hard on the bench.

  Now what? How was she supposed to get matched to Chance without his aunt to facilitate? What about the position as her assistant to make that possible?

  Violet came out of her thoughts as the women she’d traveled with started moving toward the stairs. They were all subdued. The shock of realizing they had all put their hopes and dreams of families and husbands in the hands of a dead woman and now her nephew had to be a shock to all of their systems. Well she might not ever officially be Miss Viola’s assistant, but she was one of the oldest of the ten women she would look after their interests and maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to build a future with t
he handsome, but clueless, Chance Redburn.

  She shivered as his hand wrapped around hers and his other hand went to her waist to help her into the back of the wagon.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you ladies were arriving tonight. I promise the house is warmer than it is out here.”

  “Thank you, Mister Redburn. I’m sorry to hear about your Aunt. I was looking forward to meeting her.”

  The man looked at her, his blonde hair and green eyes pulling her deeper into this attraction. “Did you know my Aunt Miss?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry I thought you knew. I’m Violet Montgomery. I was supposed to be your aunt’s assistant. We had corresponded for several months, almost a year. She felt like the business was growing and wanted someone to help her manage the potential Brides. I was to learn the secrets of matchmaking while I was here.”

  “So, you aren’t here to be a bride?”

  Violet wasn’t going to lie to Chance, but she didn’t think it smart to tell him everything either. “Your Aunt did say she thought there was a man perfect for me, but he hadn’t approached her yet as a client.”

  “I see. Well I don’t know what to do about that. We’ll have to talk about it later. I haven’t even seen my aunt’s records yet. I just arrived in town myself today.”

  He rubbed the stubble on his face and Violet wanted so much to press her cheek against that stubble and feel how rough it was. She smiled at him. “I’m obviously not going to be far away Mister Redburn. I’ll be available when you’re ready to talk.”

  After that Chance walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat and slapped the reins on the backs of the two mules hitched to the wagon.

  Soon they were stopping in front of a pretty two-story brick and tan Victorian style house with a wide veranda in front. Again, Chance helped the girls down from the wagon and then said. “I’ll bring your luggage here on the porch if you will raise your hand when I have yours, I would appreciate it.”