Mission: Children
Rounding up a gaggle of orphans isnât Wyatt Reedâs specialty. Still, the bounty hunter is being paid handsomely to bring these children from Evans Grove to the next town. And then he sets eyes on one pigtailed, pint-sized complication, and the beautiful widow who needs his help.
Charlotte Millerâs marriage lacked love, but at least it gave her the right to adopt little Sasha. Now without a husband, she canât be a mother. Wyatt agrees to be her groom-for-hireâonly until Sasha is hers. But the man who couldnât wait to leave town is finding unexpected reasons to stayâ¦and glimpsing a future surpassing any fortune heâs known.
âI wonât lose my daughter.
Iâll do anything to keep her.â
Wyatt flinched and looked away. âIâm sorry. I tried my best.â
âI know.â Charlotte boldly grasped his arm, forcing his gaze back to her. âThank you.â The time had come. âWill you help me again?â
Confusion clouded his expression. âHow?â
She opened her bag and pulled out the wallet. âCharles left me some money. Whatever Mr. Baxter paid you, Iâll pay double.â
He pulled back. âItâs not that simple.â
âOf course it is.â
âNo, itâs not. The Orphan Salvation Society has an agreement with Greenville. If the judge rules that the children must go to Greenville, then I have no choice but to take them.â
Charlotte shook her head. He didnât understand. âIâm not talking about all the children. Iâm talking about Sasha.â
Instead of walking away or shouting at her, he spoke firmly. âThereâs nothing I can do to help you keep Sasha.â
âYes, there is.â
He stared at her. âNo, thereâs not.â
âYou can marry me.â
CHRISTINE JOHNSON
A small-town girl, Christine Johnson has lived in every corner of Michiganâs Lower Peninsula. She loves to travel and learn about the places she visits. That puts museums high on her list of âmust seeâ places and helps satisfy her lifetime fascination with history.
A double finalist for RWAâs Golden Heart award, she enjoys creating stories that bring history to life while exploring the charactersâ spiritual journeyâand putting them in peril! Though Michigan is still her home base, she and her ship captain husband also spend time exploring the Florida Keys and other fascinating locations.
Christine loves to hear from readers. Contact her through her website at www.christineelizabethjohnson.com.
Special thanks and acknowledgment
to Christine Johnson for her contribution to the Orphan Train miniseries.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
âRomans 8:28
For those whoâve lost earthly parents,
may Our Heavenly Father hold you close.
My deepest gratitude to fellow authors, Allie Pleiter and Linda Ford, whose gracious guidance and assistance helped me through many a rough patch. You taught me so much!
Also, thanks go to Elizabeth Mazer,
whose insights opened my eyes to new possibilities. Itâs been a pleasure working with you.
Above all, the glory goes to God,
without whom there would be no story. For out of weakness, He brings strength.
Chapter One
Evans Grove, Nebraska
Late April, 1875
Get in, do the job and get out.
It sounded simple, but Wyatt Reed knew that âsimpleâ jobs seldom turned out that way.
All he had to do was escort a bunch of orphans to Greenville. Thatâs what the townâs wealthiest citizen, Felix Baxter, had told him. Apparently, the kids had gotten off in Evans Grove when robbers held up their train. They were supposed to continue on to Greenville the next day. Two weeks had passed, and still no sign of the children.
Baxter had sent telegrams and only got excuses. The town was fed up with waiting, and wanted the children now. Thatâs where Wyatt came in.
The thing he couldnât understand was why. From what he could tell, the orphans had been rounded up out of Eastern cities and sent west by one of those do-gooder charities, the Orphan Salvation Society. Families were found for the children along the way, and Greenville was the final stop. Theyâd only get the worst of the lot, the children that hadnât been taken in anywhere else. Logic said this would be a rough bunch of kids, yet Baxter, claiming to speak for the town, had pounded his fist on his desk when demanding they come to Greenville as promised. The town wanted those children badlyâtoo badly.
It made no sense, but Wyatt wasnât hired to ask questions. He was a tracker. He found what needed finding, and he wasnât about to turn down the kind of money Baxter had spread out in front of him.