Vera (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 2) Read online

  Vera

  Widows of Blessings Valley - Book Two

  Maxine Douglas

  About the Book

  Late morning mining accident casts a gloom over the town of Blessings Valley. Over twenty souls were lost in an excavating explosion that has left several widows, friends, and townspeople mourning. The explosion occurred as the miners were coming out for lunch. A rescue force was sent out immediately to recover the bodies. Services are currently being arranged. Pray for these lost souls and their families.

  —Blessings Valley Chronicle

  Recently widowed, laundress Vera Baldwin is pregnant and terrified as to how she will provide for her unborn child. Completely alone in the world except for her husband’s estranged family, she vows to make a home for her and her infant.

  Assigned to investigate the mining accident that killed several men in Blessings Valley, undercover agent Jack Daniels is torn between duty and family when he learns Vera Baldwin is carrying his estranged brother’s child.

  Can two strangers with broken hearts find love for the sake of an unborn child?

  Widows of Blessings Valley: Vera

  by Maxine Douglas

  Copyright 2020 © D.H. Fritter

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Layout © EDH Graphics

  Edited by Maria Connor, My Author Concierge

  eBook Layout by My Author Concierge

  First eBook Edition: 2020

  First Print Edition: 2020

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

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Also by Maxine Douglas

  Note from Maxine Douglas

  Acknowledgment

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Maxine Douglas

  Widows of Blessings Valley

  Elizabeth

  Vera

  Men of the Double K Series

  Red River Crossing

  Brides Along the Chisholm Trail Series

  The Reluctant Bride

  The Marshal’s Bride

  The Cattleman’s Bride

  Leanna’s Light (Book 12, Alphabet Mail-Order Brides)

  Rings of Paradise

  Nashville Rising Star

  Nashville by Morning

  Knight to Remember

  Blood Ties

  For information on where you can purchase

  Maxine’s Romance Books

  Click the “Romance Bookshelf” tab at:

  http://maxinedouglasauthor.blogspot.com/

  Behind Closed Doors Erotic Romance (18+)

  Blue Moon Magic

  For information on where you can purchase

  Maxine’s Erotic Romance Books

  Click the “Hot Sexy Stories -- 18+” bookshelf tab at:

  http://maxinedouglasauthor.blogspot.com/

  Note from Maxine Douglas

  Vera is the second in the Widows of Blessings Valley series. While it is always a thrill for an author to start a new series, it is with a heavy heart that I am compelled to write this one. I became a widow in April 2018 after a brief battle with cancer took my love from me to be with our Lord. During those agonizing first, few months so many questions flitted into my mind, along with the anger, grief, loneliness, and finally acceptance that my beloved was really gone from this realm. It was some of these questions that inspired this series. I hope it will let other widows, and widowers, know they are not alone with the crazy questions that come to mind. That as they wonder what is or isn’t appropriate, should they remove their ring(s), when, if at all, should they start dating, are they still married or now considered single, what is the proper mourning period in our modern times, when will the anger go away, and the list goes on and on. While I don’t expect this series to be the answers to the grieving of the reader, I do hope that I have somehow eased that feeling of being alone…for you are not.

  Here continue the stories of Elizabeth, Vera, Stella, Fannie, Vivian, Charlotte, Violet, and Willa herself—they are the Widows of Blessings Valley.

  Elizabeth

  Vera

  Stella

  Fannie

  Vivian

  Charlotte

  Violet

  Willa

  Acknowledgment

  Thank you to Pastor David Thompson of the First Lutheran Church in Chickasha, Oklahoma, for his assistance in helping me choose the Bible passages for this series.

  The church and the congregation have become part of my extended family.

  I’d be lost spiritually without all of you.

  All the recipes mentioned in this story can be found in The Original Fannie Farmer 1896 Cook Book, The Boston Cooking School.

  Dedication

  To all those who have grieved the passing of a loved one.

  To my readers, who are always willing to take a chance on my newest love story.

  To my dear friends Callie and Maria, who supported and encouraged me during the writing of this series after the loss of my husband.

  To Carla for always being willing to do a read-through on a moment’s notice for me.

  And to Sandy, who is ready for a quick beta read of the advance reader copy before release day.

  Without all of you, this series may never have been written.

  In loving memory of my soulmate, the love I waited a lifetime for.

  We’ll find each other again, we always do.

  “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand;

  it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’”

  Isaiah 41:13

  Prologue

  Late morning mining accident casts a gloom over the town of Blessings Valley. Over twenty souls were lost in an excavating explosion that has left several widows, friends, and townspeople mourning. The explosion occurred as the miners were coming out for lunch. A rescue force was sent out immediately to recover the bodies. Services are currently being arranged. Pray for these lost souls and their families.

  —Blessings Valley Chronicle

  On a gray, chilly morning in the spring of 1892, seven women all dressed in black, widows before their time, mourn with the people of Blessings Valley as the preacher begins the funerals of their husbands lost in a coal mining explosion. Sorrow etched on each of the ashen faces. All hope gone from their eyes.

  Wilhelmina Alexander knows firsthand those feelings creeping into their minds and hearts. The anger. The grief. The questions of what to do next. The wondering of how they will ever survive. The betrayal if they ever found love again.

  As the preacher concludes the last of his sermon, Willa promises those seven souls she’ll look after their wives. Help them learn to live again.

  1

  Late Summer 1892

  As she did every day before going to work at the laundry, Vera Baldwin stood over the grav
e of her late husband, Thomas. Tenderly smoothing her hand over her ever-growing belly, she fought the tears threatening to fall. They came less and less, but on days like today, it was hard to fight them off.

  “Soon, Thomas, everyone will know the precious gift you left behind. I had hoped to keep it to myself for as long as I could by hiding my secret under my clothes. I don’t know how much long I will be able to do that as I believe the new year will bring the arrival of our child,” she said, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. “It is a comfort to know that I’ll always have a piece of you to hold and love every day of my life.

  “Thank you, my love.” Kneeling, she placed a kiss on the marker with her hand. “I will love you always.”

  Standing, Vera blew one more kiss at her deceased husband’s grave then turned and began walking toward Blessings Valley. Back to Nana’s Laundry that was now her life as a laundress. It wasn’t how she’d imagined it would be when she and Thomas had married only two years earlier.

  Pausing at the church, Vera crossed herself and said a prayer for both her baby and for Thomas. She prayed her sometimes gruff husband had found his place with God.

  She smiled, thinking of their courtship. Thomas, three years her senior, rode onto her father’s ranch one winter day looking for work. After only a few months as a ranch hand, Vera knew her heart would belong to Thomas. And he felt the same way. So much so that he asked her to marry him after getting her father’s permission.

  So, on her twentieth birthday, as they stood on the front porch in front of her family and the local preacher, she became Mrs. Thomas Baldwin. Two years later, influenza took her mother and father, and the bank took the ranch after they’d already set out for the Oklahoma Territory and finally settled in Blessings Valley six months ago. In the space of only a few years, Vera had turned from a rancher’s daughter into a miner’s wife.

  Now, she was a widow on her own. But she had more than herself to care for. There was a baby on the way, and before long, she wouldn’t be able to hide her secret under her clothes.

  Maybe I could ask Elizabeth Hamilton to alter a few of my dresses. She’d keep my secret if I asked her, wouldn’t she? At least until the time came when Vera felt like she wanted to share it with everyone. If she could hide away until the baby came, she would.

  “Morning,” Vera called out, walking through the back door to Nana’s.

  “Morning, Vera,” Mollie answered, placing a folded bedsheet into a basket marked for the boardinghouse. “This is ready to go back to the boardinghouse. Do you think you can manage?”

  “Yes,” Vera answered, laughing nervously. “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, a woman in your condition.” Mollie smiled, winking at Vera. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  “My condition?” Vera stammered, her heart skipping a beat. “Just because I’m a widow doesn’t mean I can’t carry a laundry basket anymore.”

  “Anything you say,” Mollie laughed. “In the meantime, please take this over to the boardinghouse and pick up what Willa has that needs to be laundered.”

  Vera nodded, gathering the wicker basket in her arms then heading out the door and across the street. Did Mollie suspect? It clearly seemed so.

  How could she when I’ve been so careful not to draw attention to myself? No, she’s grasping at straws.

  Reaching the boardinghouse, she went to the back door where she knew Willa would be in the kitchen this time of the morning, preparing breakfast. As she rounded the corner, her stomach revolted slightly as the rich smell of coffee assaulted her senses. Pausing for a moment, she sucked in several deep breaths until her tummy settled down and the nausea passed.

  When will this sickness stop, she wondered, breathing deeply and slowly.

  Feeling more settled, Vera knocked on the door once then pushed in. “Morning, Willa,” she said. Just as she’d suspected, Willa stood over the stove, and the smell of chicory assaulted her, once again sending her tummy into a tailspin.

  “Goodness, child, sit down.” Willa hurried over to her, grabbing Vera’s arm as she sunk into a chair. “Are you feeling all right? You’re as white as a ghost. Should I call for the doctor?”

  Taking a deep breath, Vera exhaled slowly. She repeated the process until she felt grounded once again.

  “I’ve been working long hours and haven’t been eating as I should.” Vera saw the concerned look at Willa’s face. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”

  “Let me get you some coffee,” Willa offered, turning back to the stove.

  “No!” Vera all but shouted, then said softly, “Just a glass of water or a cup of tea will do the trick.”

  Willa brought the teapot and a cup to the table, setting it down in front of Vera. “Are you sure I shouldn’t get the doctor?”

  “I’m fine, really. It will pass soon.” Vera poured tea into her cup, then sipped it slowly. The churning in her tummy faded, and she felt certain the everyday occurrence had passed.

  When she looked up, she found Willa watching her with a knowing look in her eye. She felt sick all over again. If Willa figured out she was with child, that meant others would soon enough as well.

  “I’ll keep your pregnancy a secret, Vera,” Willa said, patting Vera’s shoulder. “When you are ready, then you can tell the world. In the meanwhile, if you need something, anything, you come to me.”

  “Thank you, Willa,” Vera said with gratitude, pushing over the basket of fresh linens. “Do you have anything to go over to Nana’s this morning?”

  “No, but I will in the morning. I’ve got a room to prepare for an arrival.” Willa picked up the basket, setting it on the kitchen counter.

  “Then I’ll see you in the morning,” Vera said, humming as she walked out the kitchen door.

  “Vera!” Willa called out from the porch of the boardinghouse as Vera rounded the corner. “You forgot your basket.”

  “Oh goodness, thank you, Willa,” Vera said, her cheeks blushing. Taking the basket in her arms, she turned back toward Nana’s Laundry.

  “That girl is going to need someone to look after her and the baby,” Willa whispered, watching Vera as she waddled slightly across the street. “The question is who?”

  “Excuse me, ma’am.” A man sat on a coal-black horse in front of Willa. “Could you tell me where the livery is?”

  Willa assessed the young man with shoulder-length blond hair and piercing blue eyes peeking out from under the well-worn hat. He looked a bit weary, and his face was smudged with trail dust. “The livery is down the street and then to your right,” she said, pointing down the street.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” The man tipped his hat then rode away.

  Willa watched for a moment then walked back into her boardinghouse. She had a room to prepare for a guest. Other than his name, she only knew that he’d be arriving but not when or for how long he’d be staying. She normally didn’t take reservations, but since this request came via telegram from a Pinkerton office, she’d hold the room until she needed it. Right now, that wasn’t the case since she had plenty of rooms available.

  Grabbing the clean linens, Willa went up the steps to the front room. Stepping aside, she quickly looked it over then pulled the sheets off the featherbed and replaced them with the fresh ones. Finished, she swept over the top of a dresser and dressing table with a feather duster.

  Satisfied the room was now presentable, Willa went back downstairs to find a young man in her parlor. On the floor at his feet were a saddlebag and a small satchel.

  “Can I help you?” she asked. Upon closer examination, she recognized him as the stranger who’d asked for directions to the livery.

  “I hope so.” He smiled, his dusty hat in his hand. “I’m looking for the proprietor of this boardinghouse.”

  “And you are?” Willa asked, tempted to take a few steps toward the door. In a mining town, one never knew what unsavory men wandered in and out. But there was something in this young man’s blue eyes that made her feel at
ease. And the sense of familiarity scratched in the back of her mind.

  “Jack Daniels,” the man announced. “I believe I have a reservation.”

  Wally Baldwin aka Jack Daniels waited as the woman decided if she trusted him or not. He’d seen that look many times, especially when he arrived looking like a saddle tramp. And today he not only looked like one but smelled like he hadn’t bathed in weeks.

  “Yes, I have a room ready for you, Mr. Daniels. I’m Willa Alexander,” Willa informed, offering her hand. “I’m the owner of the boardinghouse.”

  Wally wrapped his hand around hers, surprised by the firmness of the older woman’s grip. Older in the sense of being in her late thirties, he surmised. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Alexander. Please call me Jack.”

  “I’ve been wondering when you’d arrive, Jack. Everyone calls me Willa; you may do the same.” Willa smiled, then turned back to the stairs she’d just come down. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your room. Once you are settled, come back down for a late breakfast. You must be hungry.”