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  Married by Midnight

  Cowboys & Angels #48

  Christine Sterling

  Table of Contents

  License Note

  Get Free Books

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Leave a Review

  Author’s Note

  Read all of Christine’s Books

  About Christine

  License Note

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  -- Christine Sterling

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  Acknowledgements

  Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of words and ministry. I am your daughter, and I hope you are well pleased.

  My husband Dan, thank you for your unwavering belief in me. I love you, sweetheart.

  My three beautiful daughters, Rebecca, Nora and Elizabeth, I love you to the moon and back.

  S. M. Tucker for helping come up with the name for Arlan Snyder! I appreciate having you in my reader group.

  My editors Carolyn and Amy who keep me on the straight and narrow and fix all the words I tend to skip when writing! #editorsrock

  The authors of the Cowboys and Angels series. This has been such a fun ride!

  A woman fighting to keep her family's farm. A man hiding from the guilt that consumes him. The two angels determined to show each of them the power of healing.

  Sarah Abrahams hears the whispers around town and knows that no man would consider marrying her. Alone after her family's death, she is now in danger of losing the farm and the only life she has known in Creede, Colorado. The bank won't negotiate with her unless she is married, and she knows that no man would consider marrying her without expecting something in return. What she didn't count on was the stranger from the North East that appeared on a rainy night and how a simple kindness could be repaid in a big way.

  Ian Poole has been branded a coward and is on the run from the memories that plague him. He leaves his old life behind and heads West a train jumper looking for a new start. Injured while traveling, he is taken to a local farm where he recovers. He didn’t realize that his hostess was dealing with a recovery of her own. When Ian finds out Sarah needs help, can this be the opportunity to redeem himself?

  Will Sarah take Ian up on his offer to save the farm, and what happens when she starts to fall for her new husband? How can this marriage of convenience become real when both Sarah and Ian are keeping secrets? Can the Pennyworth's help them realize that this is an opportunity for them to make new memories?

  Chapter 1

  Spring 1894, Somewhere in Colorado

  Ian Poole woke with a start. Where was he? The room was dark, and the smell of straw and unwashed bodies assailed his nostrils. His hands involuntarily went to his surroundings, seeking the iron bars that had kept him prisoner.

  “We’re close to Creede,” a voice called from the darkness. Ian took a deep breath and dropped his hand that was seeking in the darkness. The train. He was on a train that was traveling from New York to San Francisco.

  He leaned back in the straw and listened to the sound of the wheels spinning against the rail. Nearly six days. He had been traveling from freight yard to freight yard.

  It wouldn’t have been a terrible journey, except everything Ian owned was in a duffle bag he carried on his back and he didn’t have a ticket for the ride. He was hopping on the train as they departed the station. His biggest fear was that he would throw his duffle bag in the car and then not be able to do so himself.

  Fortunately, there were a community of train-hoppers who took Ian under their care. They taught him the hobo code.

  The code was a series of symbols written on walls or rocks. These symbols were clues for other travelers; where they could get a meal and a place to sleep; maybe pick up an odd job or two.

  These men made sure he had enough to eat. At night, they taught him a song or two using a guitar that only had three strings.

  Why someone would want to spend their life train hopping, Ian didn’t know. He did find out, though, that each of these men had something in common. Freedom.

  That was something he desired. He had spent several days in a small cage and no one was ever going to hold him captive again.

  “How much longer?” Ian asked.

  A man called Deek pulled out a pocket watch and flipped it open. Ian watched as he popped his head out of the metal car and took a quick look around.

  “I’d say about two hours.” The man closed the watch and put it back in his pocket. “It’s starting to rain.”

  “What does that mean?”

  The man looked at Ian. “Means the landing will be softer. The rain softens up the ground.”

  “Even better if there is snow,” another voice said from the darkness.

  “Except you can’t see the rocks,” someone else said. The train filled with light laughter.

  Ian still had time before they reached the jump off point. He could close his eyes, but he didn’t want the images that were seared into his brain clogging his mind as he prepared to jump.

  The nightmares were the worst after he managed to escape. He had left his best friend behind. Behind to be tortured. Honestly, he never expected to see Charlie again, so Ian was shocked when his friend showed up at the tenement in New York.

  Charlie didn’t say much about the incident, but you could tell that something had significantly changed him. Gone was the carefree friend he had grown up with. In his place was a stranger Ian barely knew.

  Of course, Charlie insisted that what happened to them wasn’t Ian’s fault. But every single day Ian berated himself over the what ifs…

  What if he stayed and helped Charlie? Would they both have been able to escape, or would they both be dead and at the bottom of the bay?

  What if the police believed him and the story he told? Would they have been able to get to the warehouse where men tortured his friend?

  What if he had confronted Mr. Weston about the sale of children? Would he have been able to do anything?

  Ian’s best friend, Charlie Stockton, had uncovered that the garment factory was using underage and unpaid children to sew garments.

  The conditions the children were kept in was appalling. Ian had seen children as young as five chained to beds and forced to work for eighteen hours a day.

  Somehow the New York Department of Justice found out about it and asked Charlie to help investigate. Not only was the department investigating the child labor in the Weston factory, they were also investigating children at the shipping docks.

  The Department of Justice couldn’t just storm into the factory, because no one had reported the children missing. They could, however, open an investigation if there were children under 14 working at the factory.

  Child lab
or was a huge problem in New York. Many of the children worked from their homes until they were old enough to go the factory. The hours were long, and it was commonplace for the children to be abused while they worked.

  The Department of Justice asked for Charlie’s help to find enough evidence on these two charges to act.

  Of course, he wasn’t going to allow his best friend to go to the docks on his own, so Ian insisted on accompanying Charlie. Ian wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.

  Several of the merchant ships were dealing in more than just silk and lace. They were buying and selling young children and young women. The children were shipped overseas to be used in the fabric mills and the young women, well Ian shuddered to think what their fate might be.

  When he and Charlie tried to save the young ladies, Ian remembered being knocked out. He woke in a small cell with iron bars in the belly of a ship.

  He wasn’t sure why he managed to escape, but he just knew that he was going to go down fighting. He and Charlie had already discussed what would happen if one of them managed to escape their captors. They were going to go for help first and alert someone to what had happened.

  If Charlie escaped first, he would return to tell Mrs. Poole, Ian’s mother, exactly what happened. If Ian escaped first, he would notify the authorities and then return to the tenement to get some money Charlie had hidden in a bedframe. Ian would hold onto the money for two months before sending it to Charlie’s sister in Colorado.

  Ian managed to escape first. The men that were holding them prisoner took Ian from his cell, kicking and screaming. They stuffed a rag in his mouth and tossed him into a wooden shipping container, which they rolled down the gangway towards the docks.

  Ian pressed his eye to a hole in the box and he could see the murky water below the gangway. The two men stopped rolling and began arguing over the crate. The crate rocked back and forth a few times. They were stuck!

  Seizing his chance, he rolled into the side of the crate with everything he had. It took three tries, but he managed to knock the box off the gangway and into the cold water below.

  As water rushed into the box, Ian kicked off the top of the crate and dove under the water, coming further down the side of a large ship. He hid in the shadows until he heard the men leave. Then he made his way to the seawall, climbing up a wooden ladder that was attached to the pier and disappeared into the night.

  He kept his word and ran down the streets until he spied a sign outside a brick building. Baltimore Police. He went inside to tell them what occurred.

  They listened intently and when he was done, the room burst into peals of laughter. “What a great story,” they said. When Ian couldn’t remember the name of the person at the New York Department of Justice, the officers threatened him with jail if he didn’t disappear.

  It took him nearly a week to get home. Ian was so afraid those men were going to find him. He traveled the entire way looking over his shoulder. When he did arrive home, he stayed indoors apart from running to Charlie’s old apartment to find the money Charlie hid in the bed frame.

  After Charlie left Ian drifted from job to job. He couldn’t go back to the factory and word had spread which made it impossible for him to be hired anywhere else.

  He finally found temporary work at a farm outside the city. He missed his family; he missed his friends. Most of all he missed Charlie.

  Charlie mentioned he might be going to stay with his sister for a bit. Ian couldn’t remember where she lived. But that was several months ago, and Ian hadn’t heard from or seen Charlie since.

  As soon as Ian had saved enough money, he packed his bag and hit the rails. He figured he would go to San Francisco and see what opportunities awaited there. He heard that jobs were plentiful. And no one knew him, so what could be better than a fresh start?

  Maybe even the nightmares might dissipate.

  “You jumping at Creede?” the old man that was sitting next to him asked. Ian hadn’t noticed him before. Then again, the car had very little light inside.

  “Nah,” Ian said. “I’m headed to San Francisco.”

  “You really should make a stop in Creede,” the man insisted.

  Ian looked at the man. He didn’t look like anyone Ian had ever seen before. He wore a dark suit with a white linen shirt. It was extremely out of date. Ian guessed it was at least fifty years old. It didn’t look frayed from being that old. Instead it looked… dusty.

  “Don’t know nuthin’ about Creede.”

  The man leaned back against the side of the box car. Ian noticed he didn’t lean back the entire way. He just hovered slightly from the wall. Ian shook his head. His back would be in a world of hurt if he did that.

  “Creede, Colorado. An absolutely delightful place.” The man rubbed his hands against those dusty pants, causing swirls of dirt to gather in the air. “Fresh air, beautiful mountains…” he gave Ian a sly glance, “pretty ladies.”

  “I’m not looking for a pretty lady, but thanks.”

  “Why ever not? A handsome young lad like you? How old are you? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  The man snapped his fingers. “Gosh darn-it. I’m going to owe Louisa for that.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh. Louisa. She’s my wife. She said you were closer to twenty-eight. I said twenty-four. Oh well… it is a wager I’m perfectly happy to pay out.”

  “Wager?”

  “Why yes,” he chuckled. “We wagered a kiss.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Just a little fun we had when we were matchmakers back in England.” That explained his accent.

  “Where is Louisa now?”

  “She’s back in Creede. Probably walking in the rain. Terrible storms there. I’m on my way to see her.”

  Ian eyed the man. “You don’t appear to be the type that would be rail jumping.”

  “Oh, I’m not. I’m here to see you, Ian.”

  Ian felt a cold sweat break out on his brow. “How do you know my name?”

  “I know quite a bit about you, Ian.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “We have a common friend.”

  “We do?” Why didn’t the man just get to the point?

  “Yes. Charlie is in Creede. He is awaiting your arrival.”

  “How do you know that? I didn’t tell anyone I was coming.”

  “He was expecting you shortly after he arrived. I’m surprised you didn’t come out for his wedding.”

  Married. His best friend was married. He was the worst. He recalled getting a telegram from Charlie, but he never read it. And when he went back to find it, it had been thrown in the trash.

  “I didn’t know.”

  The man snorted. “Well, lad. I think you should stay in Creede. Fresh air. Stunning views. Pretty ladies. Your best friend.” He looked at Ian once more. “It is your time, Ian.”

  “Time for what?”

  “Why to find love, of course.”

  This time Ian snorted. “That ain’t going to happen to me.”

  “You’ll have to forget everything you know and be open to the possibilities.”

  “Stop your talking, boy. Creede is about 5 minutes out. We are going to need to jump soon.” The man at the door looked at Ian with a sneer.

  “I was just talk –” Ian turned, and the hay bale was empty. He looked around the car but didn’t see the elderly man. “Never mind.” Ian rolled over and scrambled to his feet. He slid his arms through the straps of his duffle bag and headed to the open door of the box car.

  The rain was coming down in torrents. He watched as the drenched ground passed quickly under the train’s wheels. “It wasn’t this steep in Ohio,” Ian said.

  Deek took a cigar out of his pocket and bit off the end. He spat the end out of the box car before putting the cigar in his mouth and chomping on it nervously. “You gotta be careful. One bad roll and it will be your last.”

  “You do that every stop,�
�� Ian said, pointing to the cigar in Deek’s mouth. “You never light it, you just chew. What’s that all about?”

  “I figure if I’m going to die doing one of the jumps, I at least want to enjoy my last few moments.” The men behind Deek laughed.

  Ian shrugged and looked back at the rain falling. “I can’t see the ground.”

  “It’s there, kid,” a voice called from the background.

  Deek held up his hand to signal the men to line up. “Remember what we taught you, kid.”

  Ian nodded and jumped off the train, tucking his knees to his chest. He hit the ground hard and slid down the embankment. The duffle bag made it impossible to roll.

  As he came to a stop, he heard the grunts of the other men as they each took their turn hitting the soaked ground. The sound of the train whistle shattered the darkness and the men rose and disappeared into the surrounding brush.

  Ian scrambled to his feet and adjusted the pack. He could see the lights from town in the distance. It appeared he was at the top of a hill. He could hear the men walking behind the brush. It appeared they were heading towards the lights. Ian hurried to catch up with them.

  He pushed his way through the brush along the track. When he arrived on the other side of the brush, he noticed the men were gone. He wiped his face and looked around. The rain was letting up, but not by much.

  Ian shifted the pack on his back and looked for which direction the town was since he couldn’t see the lights anymore.

  “This way, lad.”

  Ian watched as the man in the dusty suit walked by him. “I didn’t see you jump. Don’t you have a pack?”

  “Oh no. I travel very lightly.” The man laughed as if he had just told a joke. “The town is about two miles down the hill.”

  “Is that where the men went?”

  “They probably will stop outside of town.” He pointed further down the hill. Ian could see the road split further down. “There is a farmhouse a little over that way.” He jabbed the air with a cane. “It should be a safe place to rest.” He turned and looked at Ian. “Are you coming?” He waved Ian forward towards the path leading towards the farmhouse.