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Chapter 36
Elise did her best to disguise her discomfort over the fact that Nate Kimble was seated directly across from her. To his left was Lilith Bertram and to his right was the beautiful Melissa Jameson. Melissa recently came out and was actively searching for a union with an eligible man. Unlike the Pratts, the Jamesons considered Nate Kimble to be an excellent catch. Therefore, Melissa was working hard to gain his favor. Considering Lilith was on his opposite side and she was certain he wanted to avoid any and all conversation with her, it made sense that Nate would pour all his attention on Melissa. The fact that she was a beautiful green-eyed redhead only served to sweeten the situation.
The man seated to the left of Elise was an elderly gentleman whose name forever escaped her no matter how many times she found herself in his company. To her right was Oliver Sullivan. To Oliver’s right was the beautiful Amy Owens.
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Paper Widow Chapter 37
Nate stepped onto the train and waved goodbye to his mother and sister. They never came to the station to see him off before. It felt good, but odd.He confided in his mother about his actions where Elise was concerned after swearing her to secrecy. She had a level head on her shoulders. He hoped she would not be overly shocked, but he needed the advice of a woman with a level head. It was upon her advice that he was going to live on the ranch he inherited from her brother, Richard.As a typical mother would be, Margaret Kimble was concerned for the mental health of her son. He was not in the habit of exposing his emotions to her in such a way. The fact that he felt the need to seek her advice on such a sensitive topic made her mind up that what was best for her son was for him to get as far away from Elise and the child she carried as he could. It was sad to think that she would be denied the pleasure of her first
Paper Widow Chapter 38
Joseph stepped out onto the porch and rolled himself a cigarette. Remembering that his friend never developed the skill of rolling a good cigarette and pre-rolled cigarettes were scarce in the west. He followed Oliver’s example and handed the cigarette to Nate before rolling another for himself.“I should quit these things,” Nate mused as he took a long drag. “There’s a lot of scuttle that the nicotine in these things is poison.”“When it’s proof and not scuttle, I’ll believe it,” Joseph said as he formed a ring of smoke with his mouth.“Can you believe I have been here five months already?” Nate mused.“Time flies when you’re planting cotton,” Joseph chuckled.”“I’m mighty proud of what you did with the place,” Nate said. “My uncle used to grow cotton. He gave it up when that bastard Angus came
Paper Widow Chapter 39
The house was abnormally quiet as Nate knocked on the door. He was surprised by the length of wait he had between pulling on the knocker and the footman answering the door.“I wish to see Mrs. Smithfield,” he said as he handed the footman his card and stepped into the foyer.The first thing he noticed was the lack of décor. Although still finely decorated, it looked barren in comparison to the way it looked the last time he visited. He followed the footman into the parlor, but did not take a seat. He wired his condolences to Elise when the train stopped in Kansas several weeks earlier, but this was the first he would give them to her face to face. He could not explain why, but he was nervous.The sound of her soft slippers on the foyer’s marble floor caught his attention. He turned just in time to see her enter the room with the assistance of a cane. She looked tired and saddened, but still very
Paper Widow Chapter 1
The sun rose only an hour earlier, yet it already shone upon the pines with an intensity that denoted the promise of yet another scorching day. Squirrels and chipmunks scurried about to accomplish their tasks before they were forced to seek shelter from the harshness of the Indian Summer sun.Elise bent down and carefully relieved her shoulders of the burdensome yoke balancing the water buckets she faithfully hauled from the nearby creek several times a day. Her work-worn hands rested on her slender hips as she twisted and bent in different directions to help ease the tightness in her body that was the result of yet another fitful sleep.For what seemed like the millionth time, she lamented over blindly responding to the advertisement in the Matrimonial News for mail order brides in the west. She was so eager to escape the mundane existence of the Boston Brahmin society that, when the advertisement crossed her path, she rushed to respond with li
Paper Widow Chapter 2
Nate adjusted the collar of his full-length woolen coat as he stepped out of the three-story, faded red brick Philadelphia building into the crisp fall afternoon air. There was a distinctive skip in his step as he placed his bowler hat atop his smooth raven hair. He was just given his first big assignment as an employee of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Up until then, his assignments had been small and seemingly insignificant. He wanted to have an opportunity to prove himself to the agency. This new assignment was that opportunity. He was to be partnered with Joseph Kennedy and Oliver Sullivan; which suited him just fine.Joseph and Oliver served with him under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Biddle at the battle of Gettysburg. Experiences like that brought people together. That practically guaranteed them to be an efficient working team. At least, that’s what Alan Pinkerton thought.“Kimble, wait up!” Jos
Paper Widow Chapter 3
Elise accepted the money Jake received for the sale of her cattle to a nearby rancher with genuine gratitude. He managed to round up enough livestock to sell to get her the funds needed to buy passage back east. Now, she just had to make the arrangements. Why she did not ask him for help when she first arrived was a mystery to her.“So, Mrs. Meacham, we’ll be losing ya soon,” Jake said as he mounted his horse. “That’s a damned shame. I got used to looking at that pretty face of yours while having my morning coffee.”“Such teasing,” Elise giggled. “I want to go to town and wire my father before I do anything else.”“Wantin’ to let him know your comin’?” Jake asked.“I want to see if I’m welcome back,” Elise confessed.“I can’t imagine no pa not lettin’ his little girl back into his home,” Jake mu
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Nate pulled his travel bag from beneath his seat as the conductor announced the upcoming stop to be the newly settled Oklahoma City. It was the end of the line. He rode the railway for the last few months on the lookout for the Jefferson gang with no luck. They were always one step ahead.The railway extension across Oklahoma was still young with its fair share of perils to contend with. The Pinkertons were there to provide safety against robberies, while the army spent its fair share of time riding the rails to protect against Indian uprisings. The Indians were quiet the last few months, but the robberies still occurred now and then; and always when the Pinkertons were not aboard. Although more dangerous for them, Nate and his buddies decided to split up so that there would be a Pinkerton on every run.They studied the pattern of the robberies and concluded that it was the Jefferson gang behind them all. If intel was correct, the gang consisted
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Elise hugged Nellie one last time before boarding the stagecoach. Although she was not looking forward to the grueling journey back east, she was excited about leaving the hardships of the undeveloped west behind her. Her father, although stern with his words, assured her she would be welcome once again in his home. He even went so far as to send her the funds for her return passage, along with extra for necessities along the way.Since all she had from the wardrobe she brought west with her was the traveling gown on her back when she arrived -and she had no desire to disclose to her family the simple gingham gown she wore daily that Nellie was kind enough to provide for her- she immediately purchased a few well-made gowns, a hat, and other items to complete a modest, yet quality wardrobe. Once she was back home, she had no doubt her father would outfit her properly so that she could return to society with her head held high.She found it
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