An Irish Bride

By Ann Laurel

Kathleen Hayes fears her papa will die leaving her all alone in the world. She meets a new friend who offers safety from the elements as she struggles to get back on her feet. She answers a mail order bride ad she discovered in the back of a magazine. The answer comes back from an interested cattleman in Wyoming. She is thrilled but her current obligations make a turn for the worse again. Being Kathleen is loyal she has to forego her plans of traveling west while she takes care of her ailing friend.

Will she be able to keep her promise to her papa to head west? Will Kathleen find the man she hopes to marry someday has moved on?

You will enjoy the clean romance of how Kathleen fights and struggles to find real love and happiness in spite of her own mistakes.

This romance is a sweet, clean, western historical romance filled with inspiration. Though it is a part of the Cattlemen’s Wives series it is also a stand-alone book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Perfectly Plotted Books
• Release date: Jun 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370092406

Ann Laurel

Ann loves to write inspirational sweet romances. Her first series, The Cattlemen's Wives, are western historical mail-order brides. All of her books are guaranteed to make you feel good when you reach the end.Ann lives with her husband and children in the beautiful Ozark Mountains in the south. She enjoys raising Godly children, volunteering with her church, homemaking, and writing.

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An Irish Bride (Cattlemen’s Wives Mail-Order Brides) by Ann Laurel

Copyright © 2016, 2017 by Ann Laurel.  All rights reserved.  Published in the United States by Ann Laurel & For Him Publishing.  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher/author.

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction.  Therefore, all characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance whatsoever to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Chapter One

Water, I need water, dear, Harold called for his daughter.

Kathleen lifted her head up as she sat in the rocker reading a book she had bought at the bookstore in town. She barely heard her father's weak voice from the other room and cursed herself for not staying closer in case he had been calling for her longer. The rocker squeaked and creaked on the old wooden floor as she got up and went to the pitcher to pour her father a cup of water.

Kathleen's boots scooted across the dusty floor as she walked back to her father's room. Making a mental note that she needed to scrub the floors she walked into her father’s room with a big smile on her face. His daughter was the only soul he had left in the world. He struggled to sit up just enough to drink the water passing through his parched lips and swallowed hard.

Thank You, dearie, Garrett said to his daughter. His head laid back on the pillow as he struggled to breathe for the lifting of his head and the swallowing of the water took every ounce of energy he had. Kathleen glanced at him with a worried look and reached over to fluff the pillows. She quietly set the cup of water on his nightstand and walked over to the wooden straight-back chair that went with the dining room table.  She decided to stay there in case he needed her again.

Why don't you drag that old rocker in here, Garrett mumbled to his daughter as she barely heard him.

Kathleen jumped up and went to her father's bedside and took a rag and wiped his head, sopping the sweat on his brow. The spring had come with warmer than average temperatures. Papa, the little rocker squeaks and I don't want to disturb your rest, Kathleen said as she smiled.

Why are you so concerned about my rest? I'm about to enter into eternal rest so rest right now doesn't matter. If you going to read your books I'd rather you be right here so I can see you when I open my eyes, Garret said with his eyes barely open.

Papa, don't talk like that! You're going to get better and by summer we're going to be able to take strolls uptown and enjoy going to the park and feeding the pigeons, Kathleen said as her eyes filled with hope.

Garrett slightly shook his head and waved his hand as it came to rest on his rising and falling chest. He struggled to breathe and he coughed and when he finally caught his breath again, he spoke. You know as well as I do I'm not going to make it. The old war injuries got me good, I never did recover. Would have been better if it had taken me like it did Emmett, God rest his soul. Garrett began to cough again for talking too much brought on a coughing spasm.

The sadness and pain on Kathleen's face etched into a frown and she could not muster up a smile for her papa, for she knew her father was right. He didn't have long in this world and she was amazed he'd made it as long as he did. Her brother, older than her by nine years, was killed in battle during the Civil War while he fought on the Union side. Garrett presently shut his eyes and went back into a peaceful sleep but his rattled breathing could be heard from the next room.

Kathleen turned slowly tiptoeing out of the room trying not to scoot her boots against the gritty floor. She sat down on the rocker as the tears struck her eyes and she thought about all she had lost. Her precious brother had gone off to war and it only been gone for two and a half months when he was killed. Kathleen's father had gone to serve at the Capitol not exactly fighting but had received an injury from fires that had been started by the Confederate Army. He had the scars on his face and on his arm and on his side, something he never overcame. Kathleen stepped back and allowed the rocker to rock with the creaking sound as it soothed her when she wanted to drown out the