Jared (Bachelors And Babies Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  What Some Readers say about Jared

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  About the Author

  Books in the Bachelors and Babies Series

  Visit Charlene on Social Media

  Other Books by Charlene Raddon

  Jared, Bachelors & Babies Book 7

  Copyright © 2019 by Charlene Raddon

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Charlene Raddon

  www.charleneraddon.com

  www.silversagebookcovers.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Jared / Charlene Raddon. -- 1st ed.

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to mothers everywhere—birth mothers, adoptive mothers, surrogate mothers, stepmothers and foster mothers. Bless you all.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I wish to thank my critique group, The Wasatch Mountain Fiction Writers, in particular, Kathi Oram Peters, Maureen Mills and Margaret Tanner, for all the support they’ve given me on this book and others I’ve written. Last but certainly not least, much love and gratitude to all my loyal readers.

  WHAT SOME READERS SAY ABOUT JARED

  "Jared (Bachelors & Babies Book 7), by Charlene Raddon, is a deeply emotionally satisfying story of two people leaving unhealthy relationships and finding out what love truly means, together. Plus, plenty of action, humor, and vivid characters, many of whom deserve their own stories and happily-ever-afters, just as you’d expect from Raddon. The writing is beautiful, and so descriptive you can practically smell the sagebrush. A worthy sequel to the excellent Barclay. Highly recommended." ~Maureen Mills

  "Superbly written story of adventure, poignancy and love. It will stay with you long after you have turned the last page." ~Margaret Tanner, Award winning author

  Chapter One

  November 1879, Cutthroat, Montana

  Jared Givens scuffed along the main street of Cutthroat, Montana, his boots kicking up puffs of dust to trail behind him. A month had passed since the last rain, leaving the earth thirsty. Unusual for November.

  Local folks drifted in and out of the stores lining the road, many calling out friendly hellos and how-dos. Jared acknowledged them all.

  He swerved to avoid a pile of horse droppings. Anyone wishing to get somewhere fast avoided the crowded boardwalk, and Jared had a mission. He'd left his paint gelding at the blacksmith shop for a new shoe. Now, he hurried to get to the dressmaker's shop to see a certain little filly he had his heart set on.

  Melanie Gainsford.

  She'd be working today, stitching up dresses for Cutthroat's wealthier ladies. Her vision appeared in his mind, golden hair trailing down her slender back, whiskey golden-brown eyes dancing and her soft mouth smiling. He aimed to ask her to join him on a buggy ride out to Cougar Falls for a picnic this Saturday. Thinking about it had his pulse humming and a grin on his face.

  Which reminded him, he needed to get his hair trimmed. Melanie didn't like it when it became too long and hung over his collar. He rubbed his jaw. Yep, should've shaved as well.

  "Hey, Mr. Jared!"

  He turned to see eleven-year-old Ephraim Simmons waving wildly at him. Switching directions, he strode toward the boy. "What is it, Ephraim? Did your pa send you for me?"

  "A lady gimme a quarter to find ya." He held up the coin proudly, his usual tip being a nickel. "She's waiting in the hotel lobby."

  "A lady?" That brought Jared up short. "Anyone you know?"

  "No, she come in on the stage this mornin'."

  Confusion crinkled his brow. "Did she tell you her name?"

  "Nope. Just to fetch ya back to Pa's hotel."

  Jared scratched his head. Shoot. This meant having to wait to speak to Melanie. "Well, reckon I'd best go see what she wants."

  He backtracked to the biggest hotel in town, The Empire. When he entered the lobby, a couple with a child stood at the desk talking with the clerk. Three business-type men enjoyed a spirited conversation by the window. His gaze settled on a young woman sitting on the settee, her head bent over an open book, a satchel at her feet. Her bonnet hid her face, but she looked up as he approached—and Jared came to a dead halt.

  Eyes the same deep blue as the gentians in the meadow at home met his. The biggest he'd ever seen, expressive yet difficult to read, and lined with dark lashes. Deep auburn hair peeked from beneath her bonnet's brim, causing the unusual hue of her irises to stand out even more. For the life of him, he couldn't recall the color of Melanie's.

  The blue-eyed stranger closed her book and stood up. "Mr. Givens?"

  Her whisper registered in his brain but the sight of her figure, displayed in a fitted, blue-striped travel suit, banished everything else from his brain.

  She picked up the satchel and hurried over to him, and he felt a strange urge to run. Which direction, toward or away, he couldn't say.

  "You are Jared Givens, aren't you?" she said, her gaze darting furtively around the room as if afraid of being overheard.

  "I am. May I ask your name?"

  "Ah, Mrs. Givens, I see you found your husband.” Josh Simmons, the hotel owner, chose that instant to walk up to them, grinning. “Jared, may I congratulate you? All the single ladies in town are going to be devastated to learn you're taken now."

  "T-taken?" Jared stuttered, too stunned to make hide nor hair out of the man's astonishing words.

  "Please excuse us, Mr. Simmons," the red haired woman next to him said. "Mr. Givens and I have much to discuss, as you can imagine."

  "Of course. Of course." Simmons continued to smile.

  She took Jared by the arm and led him to a quiet corner as if she'd removed him from his body and he simply floated mid-air in confusion and wonder. Who was this woman? Mrs. Givens? Could she be married to his long-lost brother, Gage? No, Simmons had congratulated Jared on his marriage. What the thunder…?

  "Please, Mr. Givens." The woman clung to his arm, her gentian blue eyes pleading with him for something he didn't understand. "Go along with me. I'm Cynara's sister, Ruth Healy Kimbrough, and I'm in a bit of trouble. She spoke of you in a letter. Saying I was Mrs. Givens was the only thing I could think to do. Forgive me. If we could leave for the ranch immediately, I will explain.”

  "The ranch?" he mumbled. "You want to go to…? You're Cynara’s sister?"

  "Yes. Please, can we leave now?"

  Jared peered around to see who might be playing a joke on him. A wife he’d never met? Insane. His world tilted, leaving him dizzy.

  He could do nothing but allow her to draw him outside onto the boardwalk under the hotel awning.

  "Do you have a buggy or wagon?" she asked.

  "Buggy?"Gert's grief, but she looked even prettier in natural sunlight. Her skin had a soft sheen that made him want to stroke it. He imagined it
sleek and soothing like velvet.

  Ruth Healy Kimbrough glanced around as if searching for signs of danger. Her expression and the tenseness of her body made him jumpy, as if a band of wild Indians were about to descend upon them and no one could see them except her.

  "Please?" She tugged on his arm. "We need to leave."

  "I don’t have a buggy," he said. "You’ll have to ride in front of me on my horse. We'll

  send one of the ranch hands for your luggage later."

  "I have none." She lifted the satchel."Only this. Let's go. Where's your horse?"

  His foggy brain made it difficult to think. It took a moment to remember he'd left his gelding, General, with the blacksmith. "You must have more than that. You're a woman!"

  "I didn't have time to pack more. I had to leave quickly."

  The woman's lilac scent exacerbated the situation. He wanted to plant his nose against her neck and breathe her in as if she were a garden.

  "Mr. Givens?" she urged.

  "This way," he managed and led the way to the blacksmith's shop.

  "All finished, Jared," Geoffrey, the smithy, said when he saw him approaching.

  "Find any problems?" Jared asked.

  "Nope." Geoffrey's gaze kept flitting to Ruth. "No pebbles or nothing. Just one worn shoe."

  "Go ahead and mount up," he told Ruth while he paid Geoffrey.

  "How?" She studied the horse and saddle. "I've never ridden without a sidesaddle."

  Jared swallowed hard. "Put your left foot in the stirrup, then…"

  She immediately obeyed, but without holding onto the saddle horn. General shied, leaving her hopping alongside. Jared grabbed her, his fingertips meeting around her narrow waist. As she struggled to free her foot from the stirrup, she fell against him and he nearly gasped at the sheer pleasure.

  Get hold of yourself, man. You're smitten with Melanie. Remember?

  "There," she said, standing on two feet once more. "Sorry. I should have waited for you to finish your instructions. What now?"

  "Grip the apple with your right hand—" Jared accepted his change from Geoffrey.

  "What apple?" Ruth asked.

  "The saddle horn. It's called an apple."

  "Oh. All right." She took hold of the object and waited for instructions.

  "Why don't I simply set you up there?" Jared asked, frustrated.

  "Excellent idea. Do it, and let’s go.”

  With his hands around her waist, he lifted her on and climbed up behind her, sitting on his bedroll. Her skirts rucked up around her waist and hips. Much of her white stocking-clad lower limbs showed, along with a set of tiny ankles. She did her best to push the skirt down, but it would only go so far.

  Red-faced but smiling, for Geoffrey's sake, Jared nudged the horse into action, forgetting about collecting the mail and other errands he'd needed to run. Even his visit to the dressmaker’s shop had slipped his foggy brain. The only thought in his head was how fortunate it was that he could see over her bonnet. Otherwise, he'd have to trust General to get them home.

  After they'd left town, traveling at a fair clip toward High Mountain Ranch, the breeze in his face began to banish the fog in his brain.

  Within the shelter of his arms sat a woman posing as his wife. When had that happened? He must have been asleep. Or drunk, except he'd never been much of a drinker.

  He didn’t question Ruth’s relationship to Cynara. Her eyes had the same shape and intensity and they both had red hair. Shouldn't she be in Ohio or somewhere rather than Cutthroat? If she’d simply come to see her sister, why the desperation? Her insistence on rushing to the ranch hinted at something more than wanting to see a relative, even one she hadn’t seen in a long time. He could swear he smelled fear on her.

  If she had a posse on her trail, he'd better find out, even a one-man posse consisting of some poor fellow hoping to court her. There had to be a reason for her urgency.

  He didn’t bother to survey the conifer trees and bushes that grew thick on each side of the road. Or keep an eye on their back trail in case they were followed. Anyone looking for them would have no problem finding them. If she truly was Cynara's sister, which he'd soon find out, he couldn't imagine her being some sort of thief on the run.

  Blast. He needed answers. When they reached a wide spot in the road, he reined in and slid off the horse, spooking a rabbit from the weeds.

  "Why are we stopping?” Ruth asked.

  "You have questions to answer, lady."

  He pulled her from General's back. Her face took on a closed look until a grasshopper jumped onto her bosom. Screaming, she performed an interesting dance trying to swat the insect away.

  "I'm waiting," he said, as the hopper disappeared into the long grass. "You tell me what's going on, or I'm not taking you one more foot."

  She adjusted her bonnet which had gone slightly askew and glanced around at the towering pines and shrubbery that surrounded them as though she expected bandits to jump out. "I told you, I'm Cynara's sister. Can't I explain when we get to your ranch?"

  "No. Now." He slammed his hands onto his hips.

  She drew in a deep breath as if preparing for battle. "I was working at a hotel in St. Louis and hadn't heard from Cynara for months. I became terribly worried about her. The last I heard, her husband had died, and she'd been offered work by a Barclay Givens who owned a ranch with his two brothers, Jared and Chase. Not knowing where you lived except for Cutthroat, Montana, I couldn't think of any way to find you except to claim to be your wife."

  With her every word, one or both of her hands moved constantly, her own kind of sign language. Might have been entertaining if he hadn’t been too busy trying to make sense of her astonishing words.

  "Is Cynara okay?" Her hands finally went still.

  Jared studied her. Besides being beautiful and tiny, she appeared to honestly need help. The look in her eyes and the fact that she was his sister-in-law's sister made it impossible not to at least try to believe her. Besides, her concern showed in her every action and glance.

  Even so, she could have found a more sensible way to locate Cynara than pretending to be his wife. Shoot. Word would have spread through town like a grass fire by now. Melanie would be hurt and furious. They'd had a sort of unspoken understanding that they'd marry someday. Whoever this Healy might be, she'd created a huge mess for him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "She's fine. You could have simply asked where Cynara lived, you know. You had no reason or right to claim to be my wife."

  Chagrin filled her face. "I see that now. I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me. My concern for my sister prevented me from thinking straight. And I thought pretending to be married would keep men from bothering me."

  He doubted that was all there was to it, but he might as well try to train a hive of bees to herd cows than argue with a woman. "Okay. Better get you to Cynara then." He lifted her onto General's back, ignoring her thinly clad ankles. Before he could mount, a buggy came around the corner from town. Recognizing the rig, he groaned.

  “Mr. Givens, someone’s coming,” Ruth said worriedly. “What do we do?”

  “Nothing. It’s my mother.”

  Seconds later, she pulled up beside them, halting the horse.

  “Jared, I’m glad I caught you.” She kept her seat, raking Ruth with her gaze. “I heard the craziest rumor in town and had to check on it. They’re saying you’re married. Is this your bride?”

  “Yes and no, Ma. This is Ruth Kimbrough, Cynara’s sister. She arrived this morning and asked for me since she didn’t know how to find us.”

  “Ruth?" Her brow furrowed. "I don't recall Cynara mentioning a Ruth."

  "She calls me Healy. That's my middle name," Ruth said.

  "Oh, yes. It’s a joy to meet you." Ma did indeed look pleased."Cynara's told me so much about you. Are you on leave from your job in St. Louis?”

  Ruth—Healy—whoever—squirmed in her seat. “Not exactly. It's a long story. I’m very glad to know you.”


  “Shall we continue on to the ranch?” Jared asked. “Ruth’s eager to see Cynara.”

  “Yes, of course,” Ma answered. “Call her Healy, though, as Cynara does. You go first. I don’t want to drown you in dust. Healy, would you care to ride with me? I’m sure it would be more comfortable for you.”

  Jared didn't feel comfortable calling her Healy until she invited him to. Being his sister-in-law gave him some right to use whatever name she preferred, but he decided to call her Miss Kimbrough to remind her they weren't married.

  “That would be lovely. Thank you.” Miss Kimbrough swung her right leg over General’s back and slid down.

  Jared helped her into the buggy, then mounted up. He kept a fast pace, wasting no time. Without the girl in front of him blocking the wind, he felt almost cold.

  Had Melanie heard the gossip yet? Must have. Ma lived at the far end of town and she knew. Blazes, he’d had enough trouble fighting off all the single men who wanted to court her. If this ruined everything between them, he doubted his willingness to start over. Miss Kimbrough might be a real pleasure to gaze upon, but would the trouble she caused be worth having her here? To Cynara maybe.

  When they turned onto the ranch lane, Ma’s voice reached him, saying, "You're on High Mountain land now, Miss Kimbrough."

  "It's beautiful," she answered, sounding sincere. "I can see why Cynara is happy here."

  "She told you that, did she?" Ma asked.

  "Yes, Mrs. Givens." Miss Kimbrough spoke louder as if she meant for him to hear her. "In her letter after she came here to work."

  "Well, she's always looked content to me, but I’m not here a lot, of course, since I live in town. Call me Julia, by the way."

  "Very well," Healy agreed."Julia is a pretty name."

  "My parents thought so." Ma chuckled. "Healy is a lovely name too. Unusual. I know Cynara's mother named her for her Greek grandmother. How did you get your name?"