Undercover Mail Order Bride

By Cia Leah

Rebecca Thorne was the daughter of Judge Thorne, known for being the Judge without a heart. When her father and Governor Pritchard encouraged her to answer a mail order bride advertisement by Gage Preston of Preston's Pass, she did, but on her terms.

Gage Preston was a wealthy man and wanted a woman who would marry him for himself, not his money. When Rebecca Thorne answered his ad, he never dreamed she was doing undercover work for her father and Governor Pritchard to find out how involved he was with his friend Dwayne Carter, known to them to be a nortorious outlaw.

Would Rebecca and Gage trust one another and fall in love despite Dwayne's deceitful manipulation for his own gain?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cia Leah
• Release date: Sep 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393610953

Cia Leah

Cia Leah is a multi-published author written in a variety of genres. Her favorite genre to read and write are westerns and historical romances. She successfully completed the Writer's Digest Short Story Course and a creative writing course. She is a member of Romance Divas and highly recommends it and the wealth of knowledge provided on the site for readers and writers. Semi-retired, she writes as time allows due to real life and thanks her readers for their support. At present time, she is writing western short stories, novelettes, and novellas.

Book preview

DEDICATION: To my readers. God bless you and your families. Love you all.

Chapter 1

Rebecca Thorne was perspiring and uncomfortable in the silk dress she’d changed into at the last stop they’d made at Wicker Falls. She stared out the grimy window of the train; thankful they only had about half an hour to travel to arrive at Preston’s Pass, a town named after Gage Preston, the founder of the town.

Surprisingly enough, the town had grown so well in the year since it was founded, that Governor William Pritchard contacted her father, whom was a judge in high standing in Boston, and confided in him that Gage Preston had an ad in the paper for a refined, educated mail order bride.

Since her father and the governor were good friends since childhood, he implored her father to agree to let Rebecca answer Preston’s ad. Governor Pritchard wanted a woman who could act undercover and find out everything they needed to know about Gage Preston and his dealings with certain high-class citizens of Preston’s Pass, especially Gage Preston’s friend, Dwayne Carter, whom he suspected of being an outlaw and hiding stolen goods on Preston’s ranch and using the town as a hideout.

She sighed and patted her forehead with her lacy hanky. It was so hot, all she wanted was a bath, and then to slide between cool, crisp, sheets and get some much needed sleep. The journey from Boston was quite taxing.

When she thought of the letters that she exchanged with Gage, she frowned. He seemed like a kind-hearted man with a head for business. She wasn’t a simpering female by a long shot, and when he asked her to marry him to the delight of her father and Governor Pritchard, she answered back that she would on her terms and her terms only.

She smiled, truly wondering what Gage thought of her demands when he read them. She thought for sure he’d back out of asking her to become his wife, but he accepted the conditions she set forth. She told him that they’d be engaged for a full month before a wedding date would be set. In addition, she demanded that there be an appropriate chaperone at the ranch, since she would be living under his roof and under his protection. She said she would not have her reputation tarnished in any way. In exchange, she would run the household, host parties, and attend parties with him.

She was also shocked when he stated in the last letter that he would pay for anything she wanted or needed and give her a generous amount of money befitting her role as his fiancée and future bride. She could live with that, although she had a huge dowry and money of her own. Her father always looked out for her best interests. She didn’t need to depend on any man.

She was pulled back to the present when the train jerked to a stop. She glanced out the window, expecting to see a town that was still in the process of evolving, but the buildings she saw across the street were very nice. The streets were clean and a wide boardwalk provided ample room for shoppers.

She stood, grabbed her carpetbag off the floor beside her and walked to the back of the train. She stepped out, down the steps, and walked over to the depot station. Inside, she waited in line to talk to the man behind