A Bride for Tobias Read online

  A Bride for Tobias

  The Proxy Brides Book 26

  Linda Ellen

  A Bride for Tobias

  The Proxy Brides Series, Book 26

  Written by Linda Ellen

  Copyright © 2019 by Linda Ellen

  Trade Paperback Release: September 2019

  Electronic Release: September 2019

  http://lindaellenbooks.weebly.com/

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Although this book is a work of fiction, real locales, streets, and places were used. Brands are used respectfully. Details regarding the cities of Louisville, Kentucky and Brownville, Nebraska, in 1883 were taken from websites, information learned in person, photographs, and other information found online, such as Facebook groups.

  The following story contains themes of real life, but is suitable for all ages, as it contains no illicit sex or profanity.

  Cover design by Virginia McKevitt http://www.virginiamckevitt.com

  Editing by Venessa Vargas

  Proofreading by Kathryn Lockwood

  Formatting by Christine Sterling

  A Bride for TOBIAS

  Eight years ago, Toby Keller had been a clumsy, shy adolescent when he left his hometown of Brownville, Nebraska to go live with his grandfather, the famous Marshal Hampton Gibson. Now confident, mature and handsome, twenty-five-year-old, Deputy Tobias Keller has come home to visit his family. Once there, he finds out about a young woman under the employ of mutual acquaintance, in a city six hundred miles away, who is in dire need of a hero. Although they’ve never met, he takes it upon himself to volunteer to give her the protection of his name.

  When Pauline Christiansen, a beautiful twenty-year-old, living in Louisville, Kentucky, overhears her suitor discussing with another man a crime they were committing, she finds herself in need of protection when he threatens to extort her into an unwanted marriage. Her family and friends propose an outrageous plan—she’ll wed, by proxy, a man she has never laid eyes on, from a small town she’s never heard of, somewhere in Nebraska. Would this even be legal? Assured that annulment papers would be drawn up to safeguard the temporary marriage, she reasons that not much could go wrong.

  But once Pauline travels to the faraway hamlet of Brownville and gets off the train—sparks fly! The attraction between the two is as immediate as a bolt of lightning. However—as time passes, each one invariably believes the other is simply biding their time until Pauline’s family gives her the all-clear to come back home.

  Will they be able to overcome problems, dangers, outlaws, and over-protective brothers to stay together? Or will they let a marriage made in heaven slip through their fingers due to stubbornness and pride?

  This is a clean, inspirational romance. The story contains themes of real life, but is suitable for all ages, as it contains no illicit sex or profanity.

  Reviews for A Bride for Tobias

  With Linda Ellen’s magnificent writing, it truly felt like I was sitting on the train with her latest heroine, Pauline, and coming home to Brownville. Much like her deeply developed characters, the once small town has boomed with life thanks to the steamboat trade. And to my great delight so has Toby Keller, now a deputy marshal!

  I loved immersing myself in this vibrantly written world and could feel myself walking into the Larson’s boarding house, strolling down the walk past the jail, smell the water where the steamboats come in, and hear that nine o’clock whistle as the train pulled into the station.

  Not to mention peeking in on old but dearly beloved characters, for which Linda has a knack for creating with warm souls, big hearts, and a bright light that will have you grinning from ear to ear.

  With all the excitement of a western dime novel, and a romance made for the silver screen, A Bride for Tobias will definitely keep you on your toes.

  ~Venessa Vargas, Editor and Author

  When Pauline needs an escape from a potentially dangerous situation, a friend offers an unusual solution. Time will tell if her acceptance will be a blessing or lead to more heartbreak. Well written story full of romance, intrigue and humor. There are twists that I did not expect but a very welcome surprise. A must read for anyone who craves romance without explicit sex or foul language.

  ~Judy Glenn, Beta Reader

  Linda Ellen has never disappointed her readers when it comes to producing interesting, original stories that are both delightful and well written. Book 26 in the popular Proxy Brides series, A Bride for Tobias, plays on the theme of a marriage by proxy, all the while giving it her own unique spin. Tobias/Toby is a character loyal Proxy Bride readers will be familiar with, as we’ve gotten to “watch” him grow up through Linda’s first two Proxy books. I enjoyed seeing Toby get his own story and was very happy to see that he turned out to be a lawman.

  ~Liz Austin, Poet, Blogger, Pre-Reader

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Leave a Review

  Author Notes

  Acknowledgements

  The Proxy Bride Books

  About the Author

  Other works by Linda Ellen

  Chapter 1

  April 1883

  Louisville, Kentucky

  “B rr,” Pauline Christiansen mumbled as she tugged the edges of her cloak closer against a sudden brisk gust of wind. She could almost feel cold rain in the very air she breathed. Her skirts swished against her legs as she hurried along the street, anxious to get to her destination.

  Oh, why did I waste time dilly dallying, daydreaming over that cape in those dratted enticing windows at J. Bacon & Sons’ store? she lamented. As she had been standing there in the midst of a vision of herself wearing the lovely fur wrap and hanging on the arm of a well-dressed gentleman while they strolled down the street, a man and wife had exited the high-end establishment. The woman had remarked about the time and that they were late to an engagement. It was enough to shock Pauline back into reality, and she’d been silently berating herself ever since.

  The image of herself with a well-dressed gentleman had not been that of Harold Barrow, the man who had been pursuing her as of late, and that spoke volumes. Yes, he always dressed nicely and was apparently wealthy…and he had stated his intentions that he wanted to marry her. Indeed, he had asked her repeatedly over the six weeks since they had met by accident in the hallway of Rufer’s Hotel, where her sister, Olivia, worked as a room maid.

  But there was just something…oily about the man. Pauline’s skin seemed to crawl whenever she found herself in his company. Added to that, he stank of cigar smoke and he used foul language—even in her presence, although most of the time he did mumble a half-hearted apology for the faux pas.

  Perhaps he’s only a little rough around the edges and merely needs some polishing, Pauline pondered—and not for the first time.

  Not only that, but he was somewhat of a mystery. In the dozen or so occasions they had shared dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, or sat in
the parlor enjoying the novelty of the establishment’s steam heating, or taken a stroll to look out over the waterfront, he had yet to inform her of his profession, despite her numerous inquiries.

  He seemed to also have an aversion to meeting her family…other than her sister. Pauline only knew he came from New Orleans and he was here on some sort of business that had to do with the building trades. This she knew because he had asked her to put in a good word for his company to her employer, Charles Simmons. Mr. Simmons was in the process of taking bids for work on the family’s large mansion located in the center of the opulent area known as The Point, which had suffered extensive water damage two months previous in the largest flood Louisville had ever seen. The newspaper was already calling it the Flood of ’83. The damage had been so bad that the Simmons family had temporarily moved into a suite of rooms at the St. Charles Hotel until their home was once again ready for occupancy. Thus, the need for workmen to complete the job and the reason Harold had asked for her help.

  The memory of that caused Pauline to inwardly wince, remembering the hesitation she had felt at the request. She had only worked for the Simmons family for about eleven months—when she had begun tutoring their youngest child, Frederick, after he had been left weakened by a severe bout of scarlet fever. She rarely saw the patriarch of the family, Mr. Simmons, and it had been quite difficult for her to seek an audience with him in order to put forth the request. At his questions regarding what she knew of the reliability of Mr. Barrow’s company, she had felt guilty stretching the truth as he had requested. The whole episode had left her feeling decidedly culpable. Should she have done so? At the time she had thought she was only helping someone from out of town who had yet to develop the right connections. But afterward, the doubts had mushroomed. Oh, if only I could ask Papa…

  As she had done so many times before, she wished again that her wise, wonderful, handsome father, Dwight Christensen, Sr., hadn’t been killed in that stupid accident while on his job at the Louisville Wharf. Every time she thought of it, she shook her head in sad frustration.

  It still didn’t make sense. Her father had been a stevedore for years and had never had an accident. Quite the opposite—he’d won an award once for impeccable performance of his duties and safety on the job. But that fateful, rainy night, in just a matter of seconds, a horse spooked and bumped into him, apparently causing him to slip on the wet cobblestones and fall into the rain-swollen Ohio River. They found his body the next day, down at the locks. Authorities said from what they could tell, he had hit his head on something in the water when he’d fallen in.

  Oh Papa…I miss you so…Pauline lamented. Indeed, she knew without a doubt her darling father would have been able to advise her on what to do. He could always see through any subterfuge and could discern a person’s true nature after just a few minutes in their company. Feeling the sting of tears threaten, she pushed them back. What am I thinking? If Papa were still here, Livvy wouldn’t be working as a maid. For that matter, neither would Mama. The twins would be thriving, and I wouldn’t be contemplating marriage to a man I can’t tolerate…

  With a soft sigh, she hugged her wrap closer and picked up her pace, resolutely steering her mind back to current matters. The only reason I’m even considering it is if I married this Harold…Mama wouldn’t have to work… Livvy could concentrate on finding a beau, or perhaps go to music school like she used to talk about…the twins could get new clothes and anything they need for school… Oh, but I just can’t abide the man! She shivered with revulsion as she imagined having to submit to him in marital relations.

  She couldn’t discuss the matter with her mother. She had tried on several occasions, but it seemed to make her mother, Pearl, distressed to the point of tears. Or maybe it’s just that she’s still grieving over Papa, so thinking about me having a wedding and Papa not here to give me away…

  Shaking her head to rid her mind of unwelcome thoughts and reminding herself of the lateness of the hour, she murmured aloud that she hoped Livvy didn’t try and start home alone.

  “Need a ride, miss?” a familiar voice called down from atop a hansom cab rolling along the same speed as her hurried gait. She had been so lost in woolgathering, she hadn’t noticed its presence.

  Pauline halted in her steps and brought up a hand to push back strands of silky brown hair that had blown loose from her bun, despite the protection of her cape’s hood as she swung her head to peer up at the driver.

  No surprise, it was her brother, Dwight, grinning down at her from his lofty perch. He tugged on the reins of the solid black mare to get her to stop and gestured for Pauline to climb aboard.

  “Dwight, you know Livvy and I feel badly when you take time away from your cabby business to cart us home,” Pauline tried to argue, but he shook his head, answering in that usual way of his, with the same argument they’d had many times in the past year, since Dwight had stepped up to be the man of the house. Pauline knew customers were important to the cab service. A British hansom cab was a novelty in Louisville, and the brainchild of a man named Richard Harrington, who had purchased a wrecked cab from the Hansom Cab Company while on a business trip to New York City. He repaired and refurbished it and then subsequently set up a small business in the large river town to see if he could make a go of it. He and Dwight were the drivers.

  “None of that, Pebbles,” he chided, resorting to the nickname he had crowned her with when he’d been four and she only two. They had been on an outing when she had become fascinated with some pebbles she had found along the river’s edge. Somehow, the moniker had stuck all through the years. “Climb aboard. You’re running late and you know how that sister of ours is a bit on the impatient side.”

  After a few more half-hearted arguments, Pauline acquiesced and climbed into the once elegant, but still quite serviceable conveyance, quickly spreading the lap blanket over her shoulders against a gust of the damp evening breeze. It did little to warm her, however, as another chilly bluster ruffled her skirts. As Dwight flicked the reins and the horse, Pepper, moved forward again, her hooves clip-clopping along the brick surface of Market Street, Pauline sat back against the padded seat to enjoy the ride.

  Glancing over as they rolled through an intersection, she sighed at the beauty of the lovely spring sunset visible between two of the tall downtown buildings. It lit up the sky and reflected on the waters of the Ohio River.

  Looking up, Pauline gave her dark-haired, dark-eyed brother a grin as he slid open the small trap door in the roof of the cab. He grinned back.

  “Have you had many customers today, DJ?” Pauline asked, using the nickname their father had coined for him when Dwight had still been a boy in short pants.

  “I did,” he responded, tipping his hat to the driver of a passing trolley. “Besides a few of my regular businessmen transports, I took several fares out to the race track and back. And…from what I could discern, they were thoroughbred owners here to get a feel of the track for the Derby. But right now, I’m just coming back from taking a well-heeled couple from the Galt House to the Brennan Mansion for some sort of musicale. They requested I be available to return them to the hotel around ten tonight. And I might add, each one tipped me handsomely.”

  “That’s grand, DJ,” she replied, a hand on the edge of the cab as the vehicle turned the corner at Fifth.

  In a much quicker span of time than she could have achieved on foot, they rolled to a stop at the workers’ entrance of the hotel. Pauline climbed out and tossed over her shoulder, “Liv and I can walk home, so if you get the chance at a fare, take it.” She barely heard her brother’s answer as she entered through the door, but she figured it was of a negative bent.

  “Now, where is she?” Pauline mumbled to herself as she looked around for her sister, who was nowhere in sight. Oh, if that girl has already taken off to walk home alone, I’ll bend her ear but good… Spotting another of the establishment’s other maids, whom she thought was named Sadie, she approached the woman.
r />   “Excuse me, have you seen my sister, Olivia?”

  In the act of tying the ribbons of a flowered hat under her chin, the woman stopped and smiled a greeting. “Yes…she was just here, but she mentioned she wanted to tell Clarence, at the front desk, something or other.” She indicated the direction Livvy had taken, before she finished donning her bonnet and made her way to the door.

  Pauline thanked her and headed down the hall.

  As she reached the front lobby, she saw Harold Barrow having what appeared to be a private conversation with another man whom she didn’t know. Not feeling particularly in the mood to talk to him, in case he pressed his suit more vigorously, Pauline backed up and ducked behind a tall potted plant out of sight, hoping the two would head in the direction of the restaurant.

  They didn’t.

  Instead, they turned and headed her way, much to her chagrin. Pauline looked around quickly, but there was no time for her to make an exit without him seeing her.

  The men were walking slowly and as they neared her position, she heard Barrow remark, “Town’s full of stupid fools, like old man Hendrickson, paying me up front for the work my company is supposed to do on his house. I knew when I heard about the damage that big flood caused, I’d find plenty of pigeons ripe for plucking,” he added with a snicker that Pauline deemed downright evil. She held her breath and didn’t move a muscle, hoping against hope that the two men would reverse their direction and go back the other way. There was no place she could hide. Afraid they would see her if she stepped out to head back down the hall, she shut her eyes with a quick, heartfelt plea, Father, please help me, protect me…do something!

  “What happens, though, when they find out you’re pullin’ a bait and switch?” his companion asked.

  “Nobody suspects…’cept Silverman. Rotten luck him spotting me down at the wharf that day. But he’ll be no threat, not after I thrashed him to within an inch of the pearly gates. He knows he better not turn rat on me.”