Love on the Frontier Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  About the Book

  Copyright

  Daniel’s Desire

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Emma’s Journey

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  An Angel in the Mail

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  Excerpt - A Dogtown Christmas

  About the Author

  Love on the Frontier

  Daniel’s Desire

  Stephen’s Bride

  Emma’s Journey

  An Angel in the Mail

  Callie Hutton

  About the Book

  This western historical romance boxed set includes the following novels from Callie Hutton:

  Daniel’s Desire

  When Confederate soldier, Lt. Daniel McCoy makes his escape from a Union prison toward the end of the Civil War, his only thought is to get as far away from enemy territory as possible. But he doesn’t count on saving young widow Rosemarie Wilson’s life from an infected leg wound.

  Rosemarie has no use for Rebels soldiers, having lost everything, including her husband, the last time they came to her home. However, Daniel has not only saved her life, but is sticking around to help with the farm and her three children until she recovers.

  With Union soldiers searching for him, every day Daniel remains puts him in danger. Or is the beautiful widow who has captured his heart the greater risk?

  Stephen’s Bride

  When Stephen McCoy leaves the Indiana farm he shares with his brother Daniel, Daniel’s wife Rosemarie, and their four children to go into town to load up on supplies, he never expects to return with a bride.

  Indiana, May 1867 –Calliope Bender arrives in town and steps off the stagecoach in a wedding gown, carrying a wilted bouquet. She is running from an unwanted marriage but still in need of a husband – one who will agree to a marriage of convenience. Eager to build a home for himself, Stephen agrees to Calliope’s conditions, despite the fact that the idea of a “marriage in name only” doesn’t sit well with him. Neither one of them is looking for love, but will it creep up on them when they aren’t looking?

  Emma’s Journey

  Now that Emma Thorpe’s husband has been killed on the wagon train to Oregon, she wants to return to Indiana, but the wagon master has forced her to marry Wagon Scout, Davis Cooper. He wants to make their marriage work; she intends to flee as soon as they arrive at their destination.

  Emma Thorpe did not want to leave her life in Indiana to travel to Oregon on a wagon train, but her husband, Peter, had other ideas. Barely three weeks into the trip, Peter is killed, and Emmaline is shocked that the wagon master won’t let her return home.

  Wagon Scout Davis Cooper has decided this would be his last scouting trip, he intends to obtain land in the new Oregon territory, find a wife, and start a family.

  When the Wagon Master orders Emma and Davis to marry, she rebels, but eventually comes to realize she can’t go it alone, no matter how stubborn she is. But nothing will make her give up her dream to return home.

  Can Davis change her mind, and have the life he’s always wanted with his unexpected wife?

  An Angel in the Mail

  In 1861, newly penniless society belle Angel Hardwick is on her way to Oregon to marry widower Nathan Hale, father of five, who is desperate for a wife to straighten his life out. Nate’s looking for someone who loves children and can easily take over the cooking, cleaning and laundry. Instead, he is getting Angel, whose culinary knowledge consists of weekly meetings with Cook to decide the family’s menu.

  Angel is a strong-minded young woman, resigned to her fate, and determined to make the best of her situation. But will her new husband allow for mistakes? Or will he send her packing when she burns meals and misplaces his children?

  Nate just wants a peaceful, well run household, without the distraction of an attractive wife. However, his beautiful wife with a very distractible body is not giving him peace. Somebody lied, because despite what he was told by the Bride Agency, this beauty knows nothing about running a home, but she sure sets him on fire at night.

  Nate and Angel have to come to a working arrangement, overcoming problems between them. But will they be able to find a happily ever after with someone desperately working behind the scenes to destroy their relationship?

  Copyright

  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.

  Author’s website: http://calliehutton.com/

  Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Daniel’s Desire COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Callie Hutton, Re-release 2014

  Stephen’s Bride COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Callie Hutton

  Emma’s Journey COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Callie Hutton, Re-release 2016

  An Angel in the Mail COPYRIGHT © 2010 by Callie Hutton, Re-release 2016

  Daniel’s Desire

  Callie Hutton

  Chapter One

  March 1865

  Camp Morton, Indianapolis

  No sliver of moonlight, no campfires burning. Darkness covered Confederate soldier, Lieutenant Daniel McCoy, like a shroud. His heart pounded, blocking any sound to warn him of danger, of rapid footsteps in pursuit, or the click of metal before a bullet entered his body, a befitting end for a prison escapee. He stood like a statue to calm his racing heart and allow his eyes time to adjust. Not that it had been bright in the dingy hellhole he’d j
ust left. The one where he’d spent the last month digging his way to freedom. A place where smallpox, cholera, and dysentery ran rampant, and men died screaming, or crying the name of a wife or sweetheart.

  Deep voices carried over the night air from where two guards met. One sentry struck a flint to light his cigar, revealing their dirty war-battled faces, as they spoke in low tones. As always, the twang of their accent grated on his nerves. He moved deeper into the shadows until the soldiers separated, each going a different direction.

  He took a deep breath, and eyed the stables.

  Too risky to steal a horse.

  After the enemies’ footsteps died away, Daniel’s long strides covered the open area to the safety of the trees. Lack of exercise over the past months had taken a toll on his body, and his lungs burned from the short sprint. He eased behind a large oak, watching, waiting for an alarm to sound.

  Silence.

  His index finger and thumb rubbed the cool metal of the heavy ring tucked in his pocket. He’d stolen it back from the drunken Union solider while he’d slept. Once again, the heirloom rested where it belonged. With him—a McCoy.

  Sweat beaded his forehead, and he took gulps of the damp night air before bending to empty his stomach of the last putrid meal they’d fed him. Truth be told, if it hadn’t been for the local residents of Indianapolis and their compassion toward the Confederate prisoners, providing the necessary food, clothing, and nursing to keep most of the prisoners alive, they’d probably all be dead.

  The sentries made another pass, and still no shouts came from within the prison walls. Despite the cold, Lieutenant McCoy wiped sweat from his forehead, then picked his way through the forest surrounding the Union camp. The sound of his panting echoed off the trees as he picked up the pace and stumbled over small roots and animal holes in the dark. He raced to the bank of the White River, waded into the mud and silt, and dove into the icy water. With strong strokes, he swam from the cursed prison.

  After nine long months in hell, he breathed free air.

  ***

  Johnson County, Indiana

  “Mama, can I get you some tea?”

  Rosemarie Wilson eased heavy eyelids open and attempted to smile with dry, cracked lips at her eight-year-old son, Chandler. The frown on his pale face tore at her heart.

  “No thank you. Just look after your sister and brother.” She shifted on the bed, struggling to relieve the throbbing pain in her leg. Black dots danced before her eyes at the movement, and her stiff fingers grabbed the worn patchwork quilt to control the dizziness and nausea. She raised her head from the pillow and moved the blanket from her leg. The smell from the festering cut on her right calf, where the axe had sliced, scared her. She’d cleaned it after the accident as best she could, but the jerky, uneven stitches she’d put in herself hadn’t helped the healing.

  At least the gash wasn’t deep. If her leg had been only inches closer to the wood when the axe slipped, she might have cut herself right to the bone.

  Tears slid down her cheeks as life ebbed from her weary body. She’d used so much of her strength trying to keep the farm going after a band of Confederate soldiers had swooped down a few months ago and taken just about everything they’d owned. Shortly after, she’d laid her husband of nine years to rest in the little plot under the elm tree behind the house. Dead from a bullet wound after one of the soldiers had shot him.

  Damn this war, and everything it’s taken from my family!

  Another tear slipped from her eye and landed on the thin nightgown covering her shoulder. Chandler’s voice drifted in through the bedroom door, as he spoke to his younger brother and sister in the kitchen. Five-year-old Amelia balked at having leftover oatmeal for lunch. Several more tears joined the first one, and Rosemarie’s heart throbbed so hard it hurt. She closed her eyes against the pain and drifted into the welcoming oblivion of sleep.

  Rays from bright sunshine seeped below the wooden shutters on the window, bathing her face, forcing her to turn her head. Her body burned with heat.

  If I could just have a drink of water.

  She listened for a minute, terrified at the silence that greeted her. Where were her children? “Chandler?” Her voice rasped.

  No answer. She raised herself up on one elbow and called louder. Still no answer. Tears of pain and frustration gathered in her eyes.

  Dear God, please help me.

  Did God even listen to her anymore? She’d prayed all her life, always had faith. Even when her father sold her into marriage, she knelt and prayed for Hans to be a good man. Cold and stern, and not the man she would have chosen for herself, her husband had nevertheless provided well for her and their children. The three beautiful children the good Lord had blessed her with.

  Now the only parent they had left lay dying.

  ***

  Daniel spied the small farmhouse from half a mile away. The sun setting behind the clapboard structure bathed it in an ethereal glow. Three children sat on the front porch, huddled together in the cold. The biggest one rose and stared in his direction. Then the child hurried into the house, leaving the two smaller ones outside.

  As Daniel moved closer, he expected an adult to appear at the front door, and braced himself to run. All he wanted from the farmer was a drink from his well, and he’d be on his way. After walking the entire morning, he hadn’t passed even one creek to ease his thirst.

  The two smaller children turned toward the door as if someone spoke to them. They immediately got up, and holding hands, entered the house. Still no adult ventured out. Did someone stand at the window, ready to shoot? Indeed, in this part of the country he was the enemy, but his dirty and worn Confederate uniform wouldn’t be recognized from a distance, so he pressed on.

  Unconsciously, his hand drifted to his pocket to rub the ring. He needed to move further south before the Union soldiers found him. One escaped Rebel would be inconsequential, but since he’d been designated one of the camp medics after a Union doctor had been sent to the fields, they would come after him. He’d hated abandoning his fellow Confederates, but very few would survive, and there wasn’t much he could have done for them, except pray as they died.

  Fatigue washed over him as he approached the porch. If the owner approved, Daniel could quench his thirst, then crawl into the farmer’s barn and sleep for the night. Maybe even get a bucket of water to wash his body. His clothes were still stiff from the mud in the river.

  The moment he set his foot on the bottom step, the distinct sound of a gun being readied caught his attention. Within seconds, a young boy stepped out the door, the business end of the shotgun pointed straight at Daniel’s chest.

  “Git off my property.” The child’s pale face resembled new snow. His ragged pants had been patched, but not washed in a while. Lines normally found on an adult’s face bracketed either side of his young mouth.

  Daniel raised both hands, palms facing the boy. “Son, I only want to get a drink of water from your well. Can you ask your pa to step out?”

  “Git off, I said.” The shotgun wavered, and the boy’s eyes narrowed.

  Daniel backed away, keeping his hands in the air. He didn’t want the kid to accidently shoot him out of fear. “Can you tell me how far to the next town, then?”

  “You a Reb?” The boy’s voice trembled.

  “Yes, but I’m not here to hurt you or your family. I just want some water, and I’ll be on my way.” He slowly lowered his hands, but kept them in front of him, palms out. “Is your pa home?”

  Tears sprung to the child’s eyes as he shook his head.

  “Your ma?”

  “Why do you wanna know?”

  Daniel sighed. “I would like permission for a drink of water from your well, and maybe to sleep in your barn for the night.”

  The two smaller children he’d spotted earlier came out the door, and stood behind the older boy. The little girl, with long brown curls cascading down her back, took her fingers out of her tiny rosebud mouth and spoke. “Our ma
is bad sick. Chan thinks she’s gonna die.”

  “Quiet down, Amelia, and go back into the house. And take Jace with you.” The boy who Daniel assumed was Chan jerked his head in the direction of the door, his face flushed.

  Amelia focused her huge blue eyes on Daniel. “Can you help our ma, mister?”

  “Amelia!” Chan lowered the gun, and faced his sister. “I said git back into the house.”

  “Son, look at me.” Daniel spoke in a low voice, and didn’t move from his spot. The boy continued to grip the gun, but no longer pointed the thing at him.

  “What?” He wiped tears on his sleeve, then raised the gun back up.

  “Where’s your pa?”

  Amelia spoke up again, moving to the edge of the porch. “Our pa is behind the house.”

  He blew out a sigh of relief. “Can you fetch him for me?”

  “Can’t.” She shook her head and stuck her fingers back into her mouth. The younger boy, not much more than a baby, came to the edge of the porch and started down the steps.

  “Jace, git back here!” Chan lowered the gun again and grabbed for his brother.

  Daniel directed his comments to Amelia. “Can I go around to the back of the house and speak with your pa?”

  She shook her curly head again.

  “Why not?”

  “Pa died,” Jace lisped in a baby voice, big blue eyes riveted on him.

  Daniel’s shoulders slumped, and he looked at Chan. “Is your pa dead?”

  The boy gave a quick nod, and raised the gun again. “Now git off my property. We don’t want no Rebs around here. You already done took everything we had.”

  A reminder he stood in enemy territory. With the pa dead, and the ma so sick she didn’t come out to investigate, these children were in a lot of trouble. The oldest boy still peered at him with narrowed eyes, even though the younger boy and little girl had advanced down the steps and now stood right in front of him, watching him with huge eyes.