Instant Frontier Family
Little matchmakersMaddie O’Rourke’s orphaned half-brother and sister have arrived safely in Seattle—with a man they hope she’ll wed! Though Michael Haggerty’s not the escort she planned for, Maddie allows him to work off his passage by assisting in her bakery…and helping care for her siblings. But she’ll never risk her newfound independence by marrying the strapping Irishman—or anyone else.In New York, Michael ran afoul of a notorious gang. Traveling west was a necessity, not a choice. The longshoreman grew fond of his young charges and now he's quickly becoming partial to their beautiful sister too. So when danger follows him, threatening Maddie and the children, he’ll do anything to protect them—and the future he hopes to build.
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Little Matchmakers
Maddie OâRourkeâs orphaned half brother and half sister have arrived safely in Seattleâwith a man they hope sheâll wed! Though Michael Haggertyâs not the escort she planned for, Maddie allows him to work off his passage by assisting in her bakeryâ¦and helping care for her siblings. But sheâll never risk her newfound independence by marrying the strapping Irishmanâor anyone else.
In New York, Michael ran afoul of a notorious gang. Traveling west was a necessity, not a choice. The longshoreman grew fond of his young charges, and now heâs quickly becoming partial to their beautiful sister, too. So when danger follows him, threatening Maddie and the children, heâll do anything to protect themâand the future he hopes to build.
When was the last time someone had cared enough to listen to her fears, offer support?
âI just want the best for Ciara and Aiden,â Maddie said. âThey deserve more than I hadâa roof that doesnât leak when it rains. A family that isnât falling apart from work and weariness. Am I selfish for hoping I wonât have to go into debt for all that?â
âNo,â Michael answered. âThereâs nothing selfish about you, Maddie. You work harder than anyone Iâve ever met, and youâre being clever about it, if you ask me. Youâre building a business to support you and Ciara and Aiden. Thatâs something to be proud of.â As if to prove it, he bent and kissed her on her forehead.
A warning rose inside her, insistent, demanding. She had a future all planned, and it didnât include falling in love. That way led to sorrow. She knew that.
Why then had she offered Michael a chance to stake a claim on her heart?
REGINA SCOTT has always wanted to be a writer. Since her first book was published in 1998, her stories have traveled the globe, with translations in many languages. Fascinated by history, she learned to fence and sail a tall ship. She and her husband reside in Washington State with their overactive Irish terrier. You can find her online blogging at nineteenteen.com. Learn more about her at reginascott.com or connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorreginascott.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God.
â1 John 4:7
To Kris, who knew where Maddie needed to live and that she needed a cat; and to the Lord, who gives me friends and family, both two-footed and four-footed, to love.
Contents
Seattle, Washington Territory
October 1866
Maddie OâRourke stood on the pier beside Mr. Yeslerâs mill, waiting for the ship to come in. Every inch of her tingled, from her carefully braided red hair under her green velvet hat to her toes inside the leather boots. After nearly a year of working and striving, she was about to reunite with her little brother and sister.
She shifted on the scarred wooden planks, the bell of her wide russet skirts swinging in the cool fall sunlight. She could hear the whine of saws from the mill, the hammering that told of new buildings going up behind her. Gentlemen crowded around her, ready to receive the passengers and cargo from the sailing ship that had swept into Elliott Bay an hour ago. Among those about to disembark would be Ciara and Aiden. Maddie could only pray, as she had for months, that her brother and sister had forgiven her for abandoning them in New York.
But what else could she have done? Her income then as a laundress had barely been enough to pay her room and board, let alone support two others. She and her half siblings had struggled along for months after Da and her stepmother had been killed in that horrible tenement fire. It had been a dark time for them all, one sheâd prefer to forget.
Only the advertisement in the paper, announcing the need for teachers, seamstresses and laundresses in far-off Washington Territory, at exorbitant salaries, had given her hope. Sheâd managed to scrape together enough money to join the Mercer expedition to Seattle and find a safe place for Ciara and Aiden to stay until she could send for them. But though she had plenty of work here, the costs were high, and she hadnât been able to bring her family to her or pay for a lady to accompany them on the ship.
Until now.
The brine-scented breeze off the blue waters brushed her cheek, setting her net veil to fluttering and tugging a strand of hair free of her coronet braid. So much had changed in the past few months since her friend Rina Fosgrave had suggested a different future to Maddie. No more was Maddie a nameless laundress lugging pounds of dirty linens up three flights of stairs to labor over a steaming tub as she had in New York. Now she was Miss Madeleine OâRourke, owner of Seattleâs finest bakery, upstanding, respected, admired...
