Series: Discarded at a Freezing 1880s Wyoming Depot by Her Mail-Order Fiancé, a Self-Made Woman Marries His Mountain Brother for $15,000 in Timber Stakes Only to Face Her Sister's Ruinous Sabotage

Part 1 The whistle shrieked, a raw, cutting sound that tore through the already bitter Wyoming air. Maria Delancy clutched her worn valise, its leather [more…]

The sharp crack of Caim’s rifle butt against the cabin door echoed through the small space, a violent punctuation to Clara’s smug pronouncements. I felt [more…]

The thumping against the cabin door grew louder, but the sound seemed distant, muffled by the sudden cold reality of the ledger in my hands. [more…]

The next morning, the cabin was quiet. Clara’s enforcers had retreated with the dawn, leaving behind only the cold tracks of their boots in the [more…]

Grayson opened the cabin door slowly. Silas Finch stood on the porch, shoulders hunched against the crisp morning air, his breath pluming around his head. [more…]

Silas, visibly relieved, hastily departed, promising to send word if he heard any new movements from Clara. The folder of original documents lay on the [more…]

The blockade tightened over the next two days. The air grew thinner, the cabin colder. I layered on every spare shawl and blanket I owned, [more…]

I pushed open the heavy wooden door to the storage room. The air was cold, stale, and smelled faintly of dried herbs and old canvas. [more…]

Clara’s eyes darted to the storage room door, her ears catching the subtle shift in the sounds outside. The heavy footsteps were approaching, slow and [more…]

Clara stood motionless, her face ashen, her eyes wide with a terror I had never seen in her. The two syndicate brokers stood just outside [more…]