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Chapter 21
Emily POV
I 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
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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
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Emily POVJoseph had described Benjamin Blackfoot to me but his description did not do the man any favors. Benjamin was a beast. He was several inches taller than Joseph but they both had a similar body structure. Both were muscular and it was evident from his stature, that Benjamin was not a stranger to hard work.I watched in amazement how he interacted with my Ma. She was hesitant and I understood. It would be difficult to choose another man if I ever lost Joseph. But in my heart, I knew that this was exactly what she needed. When she first laid eyes on him, her breath hitched in her throat and I saw the want in her eyes as she looked him over.I laughed to myself as I recalled her reaction to him when we made our way back to the house. She acted as though he were an irritation. Something she didn’t want, at least, until he walked into the house. Then she glared at him over the table. But Benjamin wasn’t o
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Epilogue
April 1889Emily POVIn December 1868, Joseph and I welcomed our second child into our household. With all of the craziness of that year, Josiah Brody was a happy blessing and a joyous way to end the year. He was a large baby, weighing in at over eight pounds. Where Annabeth was a happy and quiet baby, Josiah was loud and cried constantly. He was a very colicky baby and I had a terrible time trying to keep him content. I was so glad when he finally settled at about eight months of age and began to sleep during the night.Due to the ongoing stress of Josiah’s constant crying, I was adamant that we had to wait until he was almost two before we would try to have another child. It didn’t quite work out that way, Malcomb Adam was born a month before Josiah turned two. Three years later, in the summer of 1873, we welcomed Fiona Clarabelle to our family. Malcomb and Fiona were both calm babies and I was grateful. Ha
Dakota Dreams: Book #3 Boarding House Brides Author's Note & Sneak Peak Book #4
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I am so excited to merge two worlds into one. Historical fiction and supernaturals. I hope that you enjoyed the blending and our sneak peak into the supernatural world. Books 4 & 5 will still focus on the traditional western feel but will definitely include some supernatural elements. All of this leads me to my next series which will be solely in the supernatural world.Following Book 5, I will be putting together a collection of short stories called “Friends of the Boarding House Brides”. This will feature several of the supporting characters from each of the five Boarding House Brides books.Be sure to check out my social group on the blue app with an f at OKLACLSYLDY BOOKS for updates on my books. I hope to see you there.The story of Emily and Joseph has come to an end, but what of Charlotte and Cole? Here is a sneak peak at their book, which begins next week, May 1st.Charlotte was fou
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