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The Rancher's Orphaned Love

From mail-order bride to rancher’s reluctant wife, Ella unites with mountain man Ethan under false pretenses. As hidden truths surface, their fragile bond is tested…

Ella, an orphaned young woman, is thrust into a life of deception and hardship under the watchful eye of her manipulative guardian, Sarah. In a desperate bid for a new beginning, she seizes a chance to escape by becoming a mail-order bride.

Ethan, a brooding rancher, is haunted by his turbulent past, shaped by loss and war. He agrees to a marriage of convenience, seeing it as nothing more than a necessary arrangement to maintain his solitude and keep the troubling memories at bay.

As Ella steps onto the dusty soil of Ethan’s ranch, her arrival stirs more than the settled dust—secrets buried deep begin to surface, challenging the silent vow each made to never love again. Will they grasp this unexpected chance at love before it slips away?

Written by:

Western Historical Romance Author

4.4/5

4.4/5 (95 ratings)

Prologue

Idanha, Oregon

1878

Ella stood up and dusted off her light white and blue dress. The material around the knees was faded and had started to tear. Her adoptive mother, Mrs. Sarah Weston insisted that she washed the floors daily and she had to do it on her hands and knees. She also insisted that Ella call her Mrs. Weston, which suited Ella just fine. Nobody would ever be able to take her mother’s place and Mrs. Weston certainly didn’t act like a mother should anyway.

Wiping her chestnut brown hair out of her face, Ella inspected the kitchen floor, her piercing blue eyes searching for any spots she might have missed. “I don’t want to!” Lily, Ella’s adoptive sister yelled, causing another round of arguing to erupt from the living room. It wasn’t often that Lily fought with her mother, but they had been at it for the last hour. Ella loved Lily and wished there was something she could to do help her best friend.

Over the years, Ella had come to rely on Lily. She didn’t have anybody else, and although they weren’t biological sisters, Ella loved her more than anyone in the world. After she had lost her parents, it was Lily who showed her that she wasn’t alone. Since the first time they had met, Ella knew she had found a friend like no other.

Trying to ignore the yelling, Ella moved on to her next task, preparing dinner for the three of them. Mrs. Weston insisted that they eat dinner at exactly four in the afternoon every day and if the food was late, Ella would never hear the end of it. Feeling defeated, Ella put the bucket, scrubbing brush, and cloth away and retrieved a bowl from the kitchen cupboard.

Ella never quite understood why Mrs. Weston treated her the way she did. It wasn’t Ella’s fault that her parents died when she was young and she was sent to live with her mother’s oldest friend. They hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years when she did, but Mrs. Weston was her godmother and had made a promise that she would take care of Ella if anything ever happened. She had given her a place to stay and food to eat, but that was all; there was no love given to her.

Ella had already soaked the salted pork in water that morning, so she started chopping the vegetables that she had gathered from the kitchen garden. Ella loved living on a ranch, just not Mrs. Weston’s in particular. She’d always dreamed that a handsome rancher would rescue her from her mundane existence, but Mrs. Weston was a cruel woman and guilted Ella into staying with them. It certainly helped having Lily around, but Ella wanted more.

Shortly after Ella moved in with Lily and her mother, Mrs. Weston’s husband left her for another, much younger woman. He never wanted Ella to live with them and Mrs. Weston made sure that Ella never forgot that she had lost her husband because of her. Deep down, Ella knew that it wasn’t her fault. She was only five at the time, but it was the guilt that stopped her from simply running away.

She had considered packing her bag and slipping out of the house while everybody was asleep but could never get herself to do it. The idea of being completely alone out there in the world scared her, and even if she could muster up the courage, she had nowhere to go.

“I can’t believe you’re forcing me to get married to somebody I don’t even know!” Lily cried from the other room, her voice hoarse with emotion.

“You’re being overly dramatic,” Mrs. Weston countered. “Many women are mail-order brides and go on to live fulfilling lives.”

Ella took a deep breath and concentrated on the task at hand. Lily had helped her through so much, but Ella had no idea how she could return the favor. She would do anything to see Lily live out her dreams, but Mrs. Weston was insistent that she marry.

Lily was a true romantic at heart, but at her young age, she wanted to see the world even more than she wanted love. When Mrs. Weston first told her about the newspaper advertisement, Lily had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in marrying anyone, let alone a stranger. Mrs. Weston on the other hand had decided that it was time for her daughter to settle down and had gone behind her back to arrange it. According to Mrs. Weston, women have to marry young in order to secure good husbands.

To her daughter, it was a ridiculous notion, but Mrs. Weston believed that if Lily waited too long, she’d be forced to settle for a man who wasn’t good enough for her, or even worse, a widower who already had a child. According to Mrs. Weston, Ella was the cause of her marriage falling apart and insisted that any marriage would fail if one already had a child from a previous marriage.

“I want to travel, Mother. I want to see the world before I get married and when I do, I want it to be to a man that I know and love.”

It was clear that Lily was desperate to get out of the situation that she found herself in, but her mother was stubborn and convinced that she was right.

“I already sent the letter. There’s no going back now,” Mrs. Weston replied harshly. “You will marry Mr. Ethan Bronson.”

Putting the knife down, Ella heard the faint sound of crying and felt her heart go out to her best and only friend. If it wasn’t for Lily, life would have been unbearable for her.

Her mind was spinning as she walked over to the door and peeked around the corner. Lily was sitting on the blue Davenport, bent over with her head in her hands and Mrs. Weston was just standing there, looking disapprovingly. It was almost as if the woman didn’t even care about her own daughter.

Ella couldn’t believe how heartless Mrs. Weston had become. When she first moved in with them as a child, she was always so nice and friendly, but as the years passed without her husband, she had hardened and become cruel. Ella was desperate to get away, to start a life of her own far away from her adoptive mother and realized that this might be her opportunity.

If she offered to take Lily’s place and married Mr. Bronson, Lily would be free, and Mr. Bronson would get his bride; Ella would get to leave and marry a rancher like she had always dreamed of, and Lily could travel the world. Of course, she would have to convince Mrs. Weston first.

Ella would miss Lily terribly, but this was a chance for both of them to have a better future and Lily could always come to visit her. “I’ll marry him,” Ella said, her voice catching in her throat as she walked over to the two women in the living room. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and her heart was racing in her chest.

Ella had learned never to interrupt Mrs. Weston, who thought it was disrespectful. The last time she tried to talk to her while she was busy speaking to Lily was when she was seventeen. Her punishment was to sleep in the barn with the goats for a week. That wasn’t even the worst she had ever received, but she knew she had to speak up to help herself and her friend.

“What?” Mrs. Weston asked, turning toward Ella. Her eyes were cruel and sharp. Lily sat up straight, a shocked look on her face as she tucked some strands of hair behind her ear.

“I’ve always wanted to get married and have a family of my own and Lily wants to travel and fall in love. If I go in her place, Lily will get to live her dream, and Mr. Bronson will still get a bride,” Ella explained. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Like her best friend, she was hoping to marry a man that she knew and loved but she was willing to marry this man if it meant she got to leave. All she could hope was that this was a kind and loving man. She was miserable living on the ranch with Mrs. Weston and desperate to get away.

“You’ll do that for me?” Lily asked, hope rising on her tear-stained face as she stood up and straightened her dress.

Ella nodded. “Yes, I want you to be happy.”

“But you’d have to marry a man you’ve never met.” Lily took a step closer to Ella. “Don’t you want to marry somebody you love?” Lily had always cared about Ella and helped her as much as she could. They became friends instantly and shared all their dreams with each other.

“Of course, but I’ve always wanted to marry a rancher and Mr. Bronson is exactly that,” Ella pointed out. “And as Mrs. Weston just said, many women find their husbands through mail-order bride advertisements. There’s no reason why we couldn’t fall in love and be happy.” Everything Ella said was true, but she was certain that Lily knew the real reason why she wanted so badly to leave. Lily wasn’t blind to her mother’s faults and would surely want to help Ella if she could.

Lily nodded her head in understanding and turned towards her mother. “Mother, please,” Lily begged. “Please, let Ella marry Mr. Bronson in my place.’

Mrs. Weston looked unsure, a frown on her face as Ella watched her contemplating what to do.

“Please, Mother. I want to travel. I swear, I’ll get married and give you grandchildren someday, but please give me time to find somebody I love.”

Ella held her breath as she watched her friend and the woman who had made her life miserable for so long.

“Fine,” Mrs. Weston gave in, glaring at Ella. “If Mr. Bronson agrees, you can go in Lily’s place.”

“Thank you,” Ella sighed. She couldn’t believe what had just happened and although she was terrified, she was also very excited.

Chapter One

Idanha, Oregon

1878

Ella couldn’t quite believe that she was leaving Idanha, and her life as she knew it behind to marry a man she had never met. She kept on picturing what Mr. Ethan Bronson would look like and more importantly, be like. All she knew about him was that he was eleven years her senior; a thirty-three-year-old ranch owner that lived in Sagebrush Creek, a place she had never heard of, let alone been to before. She was told that it was a three-hour journey by train, which was far enough away from Mrs. Weston, but close enough for Lily to come and visit.

After Mrs. Weston agreed that Ella could marry Mr. Bronson in Lily’s place, Ella finished all her chores and ate dinner with her adoptive family as she always did. She didn’t bring up the marriage again that day, although it was all she could think about. A couple of days later, Mrs. Weston announced that she had corresponded with Mr. Bronson and that he had agreed to marry Ella instead.

That evening Lily snuck into Ella’s room to thank her for the millionth time. Lily couldn’t stop crying and soon Ella was in tears too. She knew she was going to miss her best friend, but Lily promised that she would come to visit her as often as she could after she finished traveling and settled down, of course. They spoke for hours, just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Lily told Ella which cities she wanted to visit first, and the two women contemplated what Mr. Bronson would be like.

Lily liked tall men with dark hair. She always told Ella that she wanted to marry a doctor. Ella didn’t mind how tall her future husband was as long as he was taller than her, she’d be happy. As for looks, she had always imagined marrying a strong muscular rancher, with bright eyes and dark hair.

Ella hoped that Mr. Bronson was a nice and caring man that she could fall in love with. It wouldn’t hurt if he was handsome too, but that didn’t matter as much. After living with Mrs. Weston for so long, all Ella really wanted was to be happy and free from being treated as nothing more than a maid.

She hoped that Mr. Bronson would be friendly, maybe even a little playful. Ella had to grow up so fast and her life had been so serious. She was looking forward to being able to relax and have some fun. It wouldn’t be a deal breaker if he was a serious man, but it would be lovely if he had a fun and playful side.

***

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ella watched as the train slowed down and came to a stop not too far from her. A few other travelers were waiting but the station was far from busy. Ella had never before been on a train or traveled out of Idanha and didn’t know what to expect. She was excited about what was next for her though. Anything had to be better than living with Mrs. Weston.

After living cooped up on Mrs. Weston’s ranch and playing servant for most of her life, Ella was ready for an adventure. It was time for a new start and although she was nervous, she was happy that she was finally going to be doing her own thing. She was going to be a wife, and hopefully fall in love and have children. Ella has always wanted to have children, but she would have to wait and see how Mr. Bronson felt about the idea. She knew nothing about her future husband and was looking forward to getting to know him.

Ella waited until the other passengers started boarding the train before getting on herself and finding a window seat. She doubted that she would ever travel the world like Lily was going to and wanted to see as much as she could on her own journey. The idea of watching the landscape change and seeing other towns as they passed by had her smiling. Maybe Mr. Bronson liked going on vacations and they could go and see different towns together. That would be lovely.

Relaxing in her seat, Ella watched as they pulled away. She knew she would never return to Idanha but she did not feel sad about it one little bit. She was looking forward to her new life. She had always lived on Mrs. Weston’s small ranch, but never really got to enjoy it. She always had work to do, but now she was going to be living on a cattle ranch and the idea made her stomach flip with nervous anticipation.

Lily was always more of a dreamer than her. She wanted to see everything the world had to offer. She wanted to visit different towns and even other countries before she got married and had children. Ella on the other hand simply dreamt about getting away from Mrs. Weston and living a happy life.

Being married to a rancher was always Ella’s dream. Of course, in hers, she knew her future husband and they were madly in love. Moving to a place she’d never been to marry a man she didn’t know was terrifying, but Ella was trying to stay positive. There was always the possibility that Mr. Bronson might not be a nice man but dwelling on that certainly wasn’t going to help. Instead, Ella chose to focus on the fact that she was starting a new life full of possibilities.

She was looking forward to living on a ranch with animals and hoped that they had a big kitchen garden where she could plant fresh vegetables for them all year round. She would make them breakfast with the eggs from their own chickens and they could eat together early every morning before her husband started his day.

Ella would make lunch for them too and maybe even take delicious snacks to him while he worked, if he liked that kind of thing. She would make sure that dinner was ready on time every night and find out what his favorite meals were to surprise him with.

What she was looking forward to the most was being able to make the house her very own. She would work hard to make it a home and do all the necessary chores but without somebody yelling at her for doing it wrong or for taking a break to enjoy a walk through the fields. She hoped that Mr. Bronson had dogs or that he would allow her to get one. She had always wanted a dog of her own.

About an hour had passed since the train had taken off from the station and the landscape outside had slowly started to change. The mountains and greenery that were the backdrop of her hometown had disappeared, and although still green, the land was flatter and replaced by endless open fields. Some were filled with crops while others had herds of cows or flocks of sheep grazing on them.

Looking at the cattle, Ella wondered if Mr. Bronson had any other animals on his ranch. Some of the cattle ranchers back home had pigs, sheep and goats too. He probably had some horses, and she couldn’t wait to meet them too. Ella had never ridden on a horse before but had always wanted to learn. Maybe Mr. Bronson would teach her.

Ella had no idea where they were, but the landscape captivated her full attention and reminded her that her whole life was changing. A few minutes later they stopped at a small train station and a few passengers disembarked while others got on to start their journey.

A young couple with a baby sat down across from Ella. The woman was pretty, with bright red hair and green eyes and her husband was tall and handsome. The little baby couldn’t have been older than a few months. Usually when Ella saw happy couples together, she felt a little jealous, not out of anger, but simply because she wanted it for herself. But watching them, she couldn’t help but smile. They looked so in love. Hopefully, she was on her way to happiness too.

Soon they were moving again and Ella found herself dreaming about her new life on the ranch once more. It was nothing like what Lily had planned. Before she left, Lily had told her her desire to visit Texas and California as well as many other states, and when she was done, she wanted to go to England and maybe even Italy. Ella knew that her friend was perhaps dreaming too big but hoped that she got to do and see all the things she wanted to.

For Ella, moving to Sagebrush Creek was more than she could ever have hoped for. She’d been stuck living with her abusive, adoptive mother for way too long and for the first time in a long time, she felt free. It was like a weight had been lifted from her and she couldn’t wait to arrive at her new home. Ella wasn’t naïve though; she knew her life hadn’t changed into some fairytale and that it was highly unlikely that Mr. Bronson was going to sweep her off her feet and carry her into the sunset. All she was hoping for was that he was a good man and that she could finally be happy.

As they continued on their journey, Ella found herself lost in thought, thinking about all the ways her life could have turned out. Who knew where she would have been if her parents hadn’t passed away? Maybe she’d already be married with children, or maybe she would have become a teacher or a nurse. None of that mattered though, it’s not like she could go back in time and change what had happened.

Focusing her attention on the changing scenery, Ella noticed the landscape was becoming greener again and rolling hills became visible in the distance. There were many farms and ranches along the way, and she wondered if any of them belonged to her soon-to-be husband.

At that moment Ella realized that she had never asked Mrs. Weston whether Mr. Bronson had been previously married. He was much older than her so it was definitely a possibility, but she was sure that Mrs. Weston would have mentioned it if he had been. She doubted it though, since Mrs. Weston was so against marrying somebody who already had a child. She was sure that she wouldn’t have been so insistent that Lily marry him if he wasn’t an eligible bachelor. Maybe he had just never found the right woman, just like she hadn’t found a husband. She did have a few interested suitors, but Mrs. Weston always managed to scare them off before they even got the chance to take her on a date.

Soon they came to the town of Sagebrush Creek and, although she could only see a small portion of it, anticipation flooded her whole body. Back home in Idanha, Mrs. Weston kept her busy with chores and barely allowed her to leave the ranch. If Ella didn’t have a good enough reason why she wanted to go somewhere, Mrs. Weston would simply tell her that her time was better spent cleaning the kitchen or washing the floors. Ella wasn’t sure if Mrs. Weston was scared that she would speak badly about her to the townsfolk if she was given to much free time or if she just enjoyed being cruel. As a child and a young teenager, she loved going to town and chatting to the locals. She and Lily would play games and buy groceries for Mrs. Weston, but as she grew older all that changed and she became more and more isolated from everyone else.

Seeing the town of Sagebrush Creek brought a smile to Ella’s face. From her viewpoint, she caught a glimpse of the general store and felt her excitement building. She didn’t have much money, just a few coins, but she couldn’t wait to explore the town and maybe buy something nice for herself.

She also saw what looked like a saloon and wondered if her husband-to-be was the drinking type. Further on, she saw a sign reading dressmaker, and just as they passed it, the train began slowing down, and a young woman wearing a pretty yellow outfit stepped out through the dressmaker’s doors. Ella looked down at herself with a frown, as her cheeks reddened. She was wearing one of her nicer dresses, plain white and blue, bringing out the sea-blue color in her eyes. But it didn’t hide the tear on her sleeve or the fact that it was faded around her knees.

It had been a long time since Ella had a new dress made. As a child, Mrs. Weston had a few made for her, but then she stopped. The last new dress she received was for her eighth birthday. After that, she had to make do with Lily’s hand-me-downs. She and Lily were the same size and Lily always had beautiful dresses, but Mrs. Weston only allowed her to give them to Ella once they were old and worn.

Shaking the thoughts from her mind to rid herself of the embarrassment of meeting her husband-to-be in a worn-out dress, Ella looked at what else she could see. There was a butcher and right next to it a dairy. There were a few other buildings too, but Ella couldn’t make out what they were. She did notice the church though, it was built with bricks and stood out between the other wooden buildings. It was clearly much newer, and the spire towered above them. Further down the road she noticed the post office and then they were pulling into the train station.

The station was similar to the one back home. A small wooden structure with a deck and some benches to sit on. Next to it was a tiny shop where travelers could buy odds and ends while they waited and on the other side people gathered in buggies and wagons to collect their friends and loved ones. It was nothing fancy, but that was what was to be expected from a farming town. Ella was happy that she wasn’t moving to a big place, she enjoyed the outdoors and wasn’t sure that she would have been able to adapt to city life.

Stepping off the train, Ella looked around the small platform. A young woman greeted her husband eagerly as their toddler hugged his father around the leg, and a big family was there waiting for a young woman who looked overjoyed when she saw them.

“Ella Smith?” a friendly looking man wearing a black suit asked as he approached her. He was just slightly taller than her and had light blond hair and blue eyes. Ella took a step in his direction as her heart sped up in her chest.

“Yes, that’s me,” she replied, returning his smile. He was well dressed and although he didn’t have dark hair like she always pictured her husband would, he was attractive.

“I’m Mark Rich, Mr. Bronson’s friend,” he said, his voice low. “I’m here to take you to his ranch.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Ella replied, wondering why her future husband hadn’t come to meet her himself. “Is everything all right with Mr. Bronson? I was expecting to meet him here.”

“I’ll explain everything on the way but it’s nothing to worry about,” Mark replied, smiling reassuringly. “Why don’t I take those for you?”

Ella watched as the man took her valise and bag and started walking toward a fancy new wagon. She didn’t want to start her new life upset, but she couldn’t help feeling disappointment as she followed him. What if Mr. Bronson wasn’t a nice man after all? Not showing up to meet his soon-to-be wife wasn’t a good first impression. Taking a deep breath, Ella tried to calm her racing heart. She was probably overreacting. Mr. Bronson could simply have asked his friend to meet her because he was busy with something urgent on the ranch.

Mark loaded her luggage in the wagon and then helped her in before taking his seat behind the reigns.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” he asked as they took off down the road.

“There isn’t really much to tell,” Ella replied, looking down at her folded hands on her lap. She was feeling a little out of place and wanted the attention off of herself. She loved meeting new people but hadn’t been prepared for a conversation with her soon-to-be-husband’s friend.

“Maybe you can tell me about Mr. Bronson,” she said softly, hoping that she could learn as much as possible about her future husband.

“All right,” he agreed. “I guess I’m the best man to tell you about him since we’ve been friends most of our lives.”

Ella didn’t reply, her stomach in knots as she waited for Mark to continue.

“I met Ethan when I was four and he was five. We became fast friends and have gotten into heaps of trouble together,” he laughed. “But nothing too terrible, I’m a priest after all, just some pranks and childish fun.”

“You’re a priest?” Ella asked as her eyes grew large. Mark hadn’t come across as a priest. All the priests she had met in her life were much older and always so serious.

“I sure am,” he replied, nodding his head, “but you want to hear about Ethan, so the first thing you should know is that he is a really large man, quite intimidatingly so, but he has a heart of gold.”

Mark spent the next twenty minutes telling Ella how great Mr. Bronson was, but no matter how many positive things he said, Ella just couldn’t get herself to relax. She was marrying Mr. Bronson, not Mark and he should have been the one to meet her at the train station.

Gathering all her courage, Ella glanced at Mark and asked him the same question as she had before. “Mr. Bronson sounds like a nice man, but do you mind telling me why he didn’t come to meet me at the train station?”

“I guess I should tell you before we get to his ranch,” Mark agreed as he ran one of his hands through his hair. “Mr. Bronson doesn’t actually know that you’re coming. I was the one who placed the advertisement in the paper and corresponded with Mrs. Weston.”

Ella stared at Mark open mouthed as she tried to process what he had just told her.

“I’m sorry for putting you in this situation but I knew Ethan would never do it himself and, although he would never admit it, he really needs a good woman in his life.”

“So, he has no idea about me?”

Mark shook his head. “None whatsoever, but don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

“Don’t worry!?” Ella exclaimed, her heart racing in her chest. “How am I supposed to stay calm when I came all this way to marry a man who doesn’t even know I exist?”

“Ethan is a reasonable man. I’ll make him see that marrying you is for the best.”

Ella was stunned into silence, unable to continue the conversation as she contemplated her options. She could go back to living with Mrs. Weston in Idanha or she could go with Mark to meet Mr. Bronson and hope that he agreed to marry her. Neither sounded inviting, but she was just going to have to put her faith in Mark and hope that he could convince his friend to take her as his bride.

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