The Reluctant Widow Read online

  The Reluctant Widow

  Book #2 of the Sweet Savannah Home Series

  American Historical Western

  By Marie Higgins

  Edited by: Lynda Floyd, Veronica Mesia, and Cherub Angel

  Copyright © 2018 by Marie Higgins

  Edition License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  The Reluctant Widow (Sweet Savannah Home, #2)

  Other published stories from Marie Higgins

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  Author’s Bio

  Sign up for Marie Higgins's Mailing List

  Other published stories from Marie Higgins

  “BARGAINING WITH A ROGUE” – Regency Romance

  “Royal Revenge” – Contemporary Romance Short Story

  “Finding the Perfect Man” – Romantic Comedy

  “Stealing the Duchess” – Regency Romance Suspense

  “Secrets and Lies” – Victorian Romance Suspense

  “Haunting Secrets” – Victorian Paranormal Romance

  “Love Lost in Time” – Victorian Time-Travel / Suspense

  “Waiting for You” – Paranormal / Time-travel Romance

  “Aim for the Heart” – 1920’s Romantic Suspense

  “Becoming a Lady” – Regency Romance

  “In the Arms of Danger” – Romantic Suspense

  “Crazy For You” – Romantic Comedy

  “My Heart’s Treasure” – Victorian Romantic Suspense

  “Protecting the Heart” – Contemporary Short Story

  Sweet Savannah Home Series (American Historical)

  “Surrender Your Heart” – book 1

  “The Reluctant Widow” – book 2

  “Destinies Unite” – book 3 (not yet available)

  “Love Heals All” – book 4 (not yet available)

  The Gifted Series (Regency Romantic Suspense – touch of paranormal)

  “Madison’s Gift” – book 1

  “Katrina’s Sight” – book 2

  “Felicia’s Spirits” – book 3

  Your Every Day Hero Series (Romantic Suspense / Romantic Comedy)

  “Prince Charming is a Liar” – Romantic Comedy / Suspense

  “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Altar” – Romantic Suspense / Romantic Comedy

  “You Are My Everything” – Romance

  “Dangerously Close” – Romantic Thriller / Suspense

  Where Dreams Come True Series (fairy tales)

  “The Witch Hunt” – Young Adult Fantasy

  “Champion” – Robin Hood / time travel

  “Her Very Own Godmother” – Modern-day Cinderella, romantic comedy

  “Keep on Believing” – Historical Cinderella

  “Once Enchanted” – Rapunzel romance

  Christian Historical Series

  “A Walk in Heaven” – book 1

  “Touching Heaven” – book 2

  “Reach for Heaven” – book 3

  Regency Romance Series – Sons of Worthington

  “The Sweetest Kiss” – book 1

  “The Sweetest Touch” – book 2

  “The Sweetest Love” – book 3

  “The Sweetest Secret” – book 4

  “The Sweetest Challenge” – book 5

  “Sweet Memories” – book 6

  Regency Romance Suspense Series – Heroic Rogues

  “Pretending You’re Mine” – book 1

  “After the Loving” – book 2

  “Wonderland by Night” – book 3

  “Worth Fighting For” – book 4

  Victorian Romance Series

  “Love Me Always” – book 1

  “Charmed by Knight” – book 2

  “True Love’s Deception” – book 3

  “Belong To Me” – book 4

  “Love Comes Blindly” – book 5

  Christmas Stories

  “A Thrill of Hope” - Contemporary

  “Dreaming of You” – Romantic Comedy

  “Love Lost in Time” – Victorian Time-Travel

  “Her Own Fairy Godmother” – Romantic Comedy

  “Becoming a Lady” – Regency Short Romance

  “Worth Fighting For” – Regency Short Romance

  “Dangerous Kiss” – Contemporary Short Romance

  “Snow Angel” – Contemporary Short Romance

  “Mistletoe Magic” – Contemporary Short Romance

  Widowed not just once... not just twice... but three times, Summer Black isn’t about to pursue marriage again. She hears the whispers around town. The suspicion that she’s a cursed widow, and she’s intent to live out the rest of her days in solitude, sheltered from anymore heartache. However, when her driver runs over a strange man, Summer is honor bound to care for him, and she learns that fate might just have other plans for her. Will she listen? Or close herself off to new and promising possibilities forever?

  Jesse Montgomery’s family is falling apart. One year after the death of his father, bill collectors are hounding his mother, and a fire has destroyed the family’s only source of income. Destitute and desperate, Jesse’s only hope is to beg his cousin’s widow for a loan. He’ll do anything to save his family... even make a bargain with the cursed widow.

  ONE

  Alabama 1886

  His life just turned from bad to worse.

  The rancid scent of burned crops hung thick in the air as Jesse Montgomery stared at the charred field. A pang of helplessness squeezed his heart. Beads of sweat slid down his heated face, and yet he didn’t have the strength to wipe it with the sleeve of his shirt. His strength had been sapped just trying to douse the fire that had consumed most of the family’s corn field.

  As much as he and his family tried to stop the fire from spreading, there wasn’t anything they could do. Their field hadn’t been large to begin with, but selling the corn – along with the small herd of cattle they raised – kept his family fed and a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs. But now...

  Despair nearly suffocated Jesse and he sighed. What was he going to do now?

  Being the eldest of his parents’ four children – and the only male – Jesse felt the weight of their problems. Pa had died twelve months ago, leaving Jesse in charge. Two weeks ago, the debt collectors had come to gather what little money Jesse and his mother could squeeze out of the family’s coffers.

  And now the fire.

  Groaning, Jesse raked his fingers through his dirty, ratted long hair. The grime covering his body made him feel as though he hadn’t taken a bath in over a month, and yet he knew that wasn’t the case. But the desire to clean himself up had fizzled out just as surely as the fire had.

  A soft hand touched his back just as the charred crops around him crunched under someone’s footstep. Out of the corner of his eyes, the movement of his mother captured his attention.

  “Oh, Jesse.” Her voice broke. “What are we to do?”

  He took in a deep breath, trying to fight the panic rising within him. He couldn’t lose composure now. He must be strong, especially in front of his mother. As he pulled his stare away from the ruined fields and focused on his mother, tears brimmed in her blue eyes. A lump of deep emotion lodged in his throat. Not often had he witnessed his mother crying, and when he did, it nearly tore him apart.

  She looked as grimy as he felt. The brown hair she’d always kept in a tight bun now hung limply around her shoulders. The gingham dress that had been crisp and clean this morning was now caked with mud and ashes. Smudges of dirt marred her normally lovely face.

  “I don’t know, Ma.” He swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump painfully tightening in his throat. “I was hopin’ you’d have a brilliant idea right about now.”

  She shook her head. “Unfortunately, I’m out of brilliant ideas.”

  He slipped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. The pain in his heart twisted. “We’ll think of somethin’. We have to.”

  “I just pray the debt collectors understand our predicament and will be patient with us for payment.”

  Jesse knew the type of men who worked for the banks well enough to know they always thought of themselves first. It was all about money, no matter how many people they stepped on to get it. “Let’s pray that’s what happens.”

  His mother wiped away a tear sliding down her face, leaving a clean trail on her cheek amongst the grime.

  Jesse hadn’t had the strength to think of what he and his mother could do. Of course, for the past several hours, his mind had been preoccupied with the fire. His four younger sisters wouldn’t know how to earn extra money, and they were still in school.

  “Ma, you wouldn’t happen to know if we have any
well-to-do relatives that could help us out?” he asked jokingly.

  His mother’s chuckle sounded forced. “Actually, I do.”

  Surprised, he pulled back and looked at her. “Are you pullin’ my leg?”

  “Not at all.” She stepped away from him and folded her arms. “My oldest sister, Gertrude, had one of her sons marry a wealthy woman. Of course, Charles had just made a good deal of money on the railroad, if I remember correctly. The woman he married had been a wealthy widow in her own right.”

  Memories of Jesse’s childhood surfaced through the haze of weariness still filling his head. “I remember Charles. He was ten years older than me. He was a little hellion, if I recall.”

  “Yes, that was Charles.” She chuckled lightly. “The family blamed it on his red hair. They said redheads always had stubborn tempers.”

  An idea popped inside Jesse’s head, and he grasped his mother’s shoulders. “I think I have a solution to our problem. I’ll go to my cousin and ask him for a loan. Once we get the crops replanted, we’ll start makin’ money again. I could pay him back in a few years.”

  “That would be a good idea, however...” as his mother paused, she frowned. “Charles is dead. He died three months before your pa died.”

  Closing his eyes, he groaned and rubbed his forehead. Jesse’s headache grew faster the more bad news he received. He shook his head, not wanting to give up hope just yet.

  He met his mother’s sad gaze. “What of Charles’s widow? Do you think I could beg her to help us?”

  “We’ve never met her.”

  He recalled a time he’d gone to see his cousin and had met the woman Charles was courting. She was a beauty, but she’d had a rotten attitude toward him. Although... her eyes had told him that she’d been slightly interested in Jesse even if she was engaged to his cousin.

  “No, I believe I’ve met her once when I was visiting Charles. It was before they were married.”

  Hope shone in his mother’s eyes. “Perhaps she’ll remember you, then.”

  “I can only pray that her temperament has changed since I’d met her. And I hope she considers me family even though Charles is dead.”

  “Well, she may have married your cousin, but she might not feel obligated to help us.”

  “What do you know about her?”

  “Not much.” His mother shook her head. “I know she lives on a large cotton plantation that was her first husband’s. Her cotton fields are the largest around.”

  “She’s up north?”

  “She actually lives in Atlanta, Georgia. If you ask anyone about Mrs. Summer Graham, I’m certain they can point you in the right direction.”

  Jesse gazed toward the north. Dark, gray clouds hung in the sky. Light drops from the rain touched his face. If only the rain could have been here once the fire had started. This summer had been abnormally hot and dry, and a careless spark from a sickle as it struck a rock had quickly ignited the flame.

  He didn’t dare leave his family alone to clean up the mess and replant, and yet, the sooner he could find his cousin’s widow, the quicker Jesse could convince her to loan them money.

  “It’s rainin’,” his mother said with a tight voice. “That will help.”

  Ma had always strived to be positive no matter what the circumstances. Of course, in his recollection, this was the worst problem their family had ever faced.

  “Yes, the rain will help,” he said. “That’s a good sign of better things to come.”

  Her gaze met his. She smiled through trembling lips. “Yes. Things will only get better from here on out. I’ll start on my journey tomorrow mornin’.”

  She smoothed her hand down his long hair. “You need to look your best. I’ll cut your hair, and—”

  “No, Ma. I’m not cuttin’ my hair.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “Because of what Grandma Liz told me when I was a young boy.”

  “Oh, Jesse. You cannot still believe that you’re Samson from the Bible.”

  Jesse rolled his eyes. “Of course I don’t think I’m Samson, but Grandma Liz was fond of my hair. She told me it gave me strength, and although I know it wasn’t really true, her strength gave me hope. Right now, I need to hold onto that hope.”

  Tears filled her eyes again. “Indeed, we do need that. Your grandmother was a wise woman. I miss her so much.”

  “As do I, but she’s always in my heart.”

  She nodded. “Fine, we won’t cut your hair, but you need to wear your best clothes. You must make a great first impression. You don’t want her to think you’re desperate.”

  Jesse chuckled in a sarcastic tone. “But Ma, we are desperate.”

  “True, but you don’t want her to know that.”

  “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” Jesse just prayed his dead cousin’s wife was on her best behavior and that she had a kind heart, too.”

  SUMMER GRAHAM KEPT her head down as she moved with the throng of people heading out of the church. She’d always been a faithful church-goer, but this last year had been extremely difficult. Being out in public was impossible sometimes, especially when awful rumors still floated around about her. If only she had a way to prove them false, but as it was, hiding was her only way to make the rumors die down.

  So then why were people still talking?

  It had been months since she stepped inside a church, but today’s event was different. Her second husband’s younger sister had gotten married. Some of Brandon’s family members still glared at her as they blamed her for his death. But with her attendance at the wedding this morning, she hoped they would change their minds. Summer still considered them as family.

  She hurried out of the double doors and toward the walkway. The fresh, but very warm, air touched her face and she breathed deeply, hoping it would somehow cleanse her soul. But just as today’s humid temperature, she feared the heat would never leave her scarred soul.

  “Mrs. Graham! Over here.”

  Hearing her name, she glanced up. Her first husband’s brother, Lewis Claremont, waved his arm as he stood by the coach. She sighed and gave him a nod, acknowledging him. Slowly, the enclosed feeling she’d experienced inside the musty old building began to dissipate, helping her to breathe better.

  Lewis had been such a dear friend even before his brother died of pneumonia three years ago. Angus had been a sickly man before Summer had married him, but since their wedding had been arranged, she had no other choice but to take him for better or worse. Of course, it helped that the man was wealthy, and Summer’s main purpose in marrying Angus was so that her family could upgrade their livery stable.

  Lewis, her brother-in-law, was more her age, which was why she could get along with him so well. Angus had been a good eighteen years her senior, and at times, she felt like his daughter instead of a wife. Lewis made her laugh and he could put her at ease. He was also the one who stood by her side, helping her through the mourning of her three husbands.

  Sometimes his constant presence irritated, but thankfully, the moments were few.

  Summer reached her brother-in-law and stopped. “Oh, Lewis, thank you for waiting. I’m sure the heat nearly baked you.”

  “I sat in the shade of a tree until the wedding was finished. I promised I’d be here for you, and I never back out of my promises.” He smiled, and his brown eyes twinkled. “How was the wedding?”

  “Brandon’s sister went through with the marriage, the poor fool. But it was the crowded church that bothered me more.” She cringed. “At times I felt suffocated.”

  His gaze left hers as he scanned the crowd lingering on the church grounds who visited with the family members of the married couple. “Indeed. There’s quite a crowd today, and I’m sure you were the prettiest lady there.”

  Summer arched a quizzical eyebrow and snickered under her breath. Lewis had always been such a charmer. His good looks and sweet smile would make any maiden swoon. And yet, he remained unmarried. At times, she wondered if he was interested in having a relationship with her, but he’d made no overture. In fact, he was the one who’d helped find husbands two and three for her. Thankfully, Summer’s marrying days were over – as was the silly notion of falling in love. Who would love a cursed woman, anyway?

  “Are you ready for me to take you home, now?” Lewis asked and arched his eyebrow. “Or would you rather stay and mingle with your former in-laws? I’m sure you could give them fuel for those women with leaky-mouths.”