Millie (Pendleton Petticoats Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter One

  Pendleton Petticoats, Book 7

  A Sweet Historical Western Romance

  by

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  SHANNA HATFIELD

  Millie

  Copyright © 2016 by Shanna Hatfield

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Please purchase only authorized editions.

  For permission requests, please contact the author, with a subject line of "permission request” at the email address below or through her website.

  Shanna Hatfield

  [email protected]

  shannahatfield.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Shanna Hatfield

  She’s adamant about prohibition —

  He’ll do anything to keep his saloon open…

  A childhood traumatized by the effects of alcohol in her home left Millie Matlock convinced she doesn’t need a man in her life. No longer able to stand by and watch drunken men terrorize the women in town, Millie forms a local committee of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Little did she know the one man who could turn her head owns one of the most successful saloons in Pendleton.

  Desperate to keep the WCTU from closing his saloon and the others in town, Gideon McBride agrees to a crazy plan hatched by the saloon owners. His objective is to woo the leader of the local temperance union, keeping her so distracted the committee disbands. However, he didn’t count on the beautiful, effervescent Millie working her way into his cynical heart.

  To those who give second chances,

  and those brave enough to take them…

  Chapter One

  1908

  Pendleton, Oregon

  “Here she comes.” Bartender Abel Jamieson set down the glass he was polishing and pointed outside the Second Chance Saloon.

  Gideon McBride looked up from the ledger in front of him, staring at the group of women approaching his saloon.

  The she to whom Abel referred was none other than Millie Matlock. Most everyone in town knew, or at least knew of, the take-charge woman who managed Pendleton’s telephone office.

  Every Tuesday evening, she and her temperance cronies marched through town singing songs meant to pour down guilt on those who imbibed. If that wasn’t bad enough, the women passed out pamphlets designed to inspire repentance from the abhorrent sins of liquor.

  In the months since she’d launched her campaign to terrorize the saloons and the men who occupied them, Gideon had done his best to ignore her efforts. Thus far, she’d proven to be an irritating, persistent, effervescent pain in his hindquarters.

  Of the thirty-two saloons in Pendleton, he didn’t know why she seemed to spend so much time in front of his, spouting claptrap about the evils of the men who peddled beverages crafted by Lucifer’s hand.

  “You’d think the snow and cold would keep them at home, where they belong,” Gideon commented, setting his fountain pen on the end of the bar where he’d been balancing his books.

  “I heard those women have pledged not to stop until every last saloon is run out of town.” Abel returned to polishing glasses. “My wife thinks they’ll succeed.”

  Gideon chuckled and shook his head. “A handful of busybodies don’t scare me. Who is gonna stand outside in this freezing weather and listen to what they have to say?”

  Abel shrugged. “No one with a lick of sense.”

  “That’s right.” A frown creased Gideon’s brow as the women stopped directly in front of his saloon. The January weather was far too cold to have his batwing doors up. He’d removed them after the first frost and relied on the heavy wooden doors to keep out the frigid air as well as unwanted patrons.

  The door cracked open and the sound of singing trickled inside. When the door didn’t swing inward and no one entered, Gideon lost his patience with the group.

  He’d put up with them harassing his regular customers, hanging signs on his windows, and attempting to drive him out of business. Miss Matlock spent hours Christmas night verbally lambasting every man who dared set foot in the saloon.

  Now, she’d opened his door just enough that a cold breeze blew in while heat flowed out. He might be any number of things, but he sure wasn’t dumb enough to pay to heat the outdoors while they caterwauled outside. As of that moment, he was through looking the other way.

  “That’s it!” Belligerently, Gideon popped his fist on the shiny surface of the mahogany bar.

  Caught off guard, Abel almost dropped the glass in his hand. “What are you planning to do?”

  “Kill them with kindness,” Gideon said. He disappeared into the kitchen behind the bar and returned with a coffeepot. “Grab a handful of mugs, Abel.”

  The bartender did as he asked and followed him to the door.

  The women launched into another song. As their voices harmonized on Oh, Turn from the Wine Glass Away, the words they sang floated through the Second Chance.

  Oh, turn from the wine glass away,

  Nor look on the wine when it's red;

  At last, like a serpent at play,

  It stings, and the poison will spread…

  Gideon yanked open the door, startling the women so thoroughly their song ended mid-chorus.

  A smile that would have charmed a matronly spinster right out of her corset filled his face, highlighting the dimples in his cheeks. “Ladies, it’s far too cold for you to stand out here tonight. Please, come in and have a cup of hot coffee. If you’d like to sing for us, we’d be happy to listen.”

  He held the coffeepot out toward Millie Matlock with an entreating look. “Maybe you’d even take a few requests.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Thank you for that generous offer, sir, but we prefer to remain outdoors.”

  The smile on his face never wavered as he took a mug from Abel and poured it full of the steaming, richly brewed coffee. “I insist on at least providing a hot drink for you ladies. You’ll freeze out here on a night this cold.” He offered the cup to Millie.

  Rather than accept it, she tilted her chin upward and glared at him. “No, thank you, sir.”

  “Are you certain?” Gideon moved closer to Millie and leaned forward, blowing the steam so it wafted around her face.

  “Positive,” she said, stiffening her already straight posture. “That won’t be necessary.”

  Gideon handed the mug to Abel and t
ook Millie’s elbow in his hand, pushing her inside the saloon before she could protest.

  No proper lady would ever set foot inside a saloon and he knew it. The startled, horrified look on her face gave him an immense feeling of satisfaction. A dozen sets of eyes stared at them from around the card tables. A few men smirked, two laughed outright, and the rest wisely returned their attention to their cards.

  With as much decorum as she could muster, Millie jerked her arm away from Gideon. “How dare you?”

  Instantly, he summoned an innocent, boyish grin. “I don’t want you ladies to take a chill out there. My offer stands. Any evening you’d like to sing to us, please walk right in.”

  Indignant and furious, Millie spun around and returned to the sidewalk outside. She motioned to her friends. “Come along, ladies. It’s time to go.”

  The women rushed down the street, but before Millie took more than a few steps, Gideon grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

  Eyes as cool and frosty as the ice he’d broken out of his horse’s water trough earlier that day traveled from his fingers on the sleeve of her coat up to his face. Unsettled by the pale blue orbs, Gideon’s thoughts scrambled.

  Imperiously, she held his gaze. “Would you please remove your hand from my person?”

  “I merely wished to make your acquaintance, miss. After all, you’ve stopped by my business establishment every Tuesday for the past three months.” Gideon dropped his hand, snatching his composure back together. “I’m Gideon McBride, owner of the Second Chance.”

  As though she’d just stepped in something vile, she backed away from him and lifted her nose in the air. “I’m well aware of who you are, Mr. McBride. Your den of debauchery will need more than a second chance to save it or you from everlasting condemnation. Good evening.”

  Insulted yet intrigued, he watched her march down the sidewalk and cross the street to where the group prepared to sing in front of another saloon.

  Although Gideon had seen Millie Matlock around town numerous times, observed her bully his customers, and knew exactly who she was, it was the first time he’d been close to her.

  From a distance, she seemed much older and more formidable than she did only a few feet away. If memory served him correctly, she’d been the manager of the telephone office for several years, so she had to be older than her youthful appearance implied.

  Average height for a woman, the plume on her dark woolen hat had slapped his cheek when she spun on her heel and stalked out the door. Porcelain skin made him want to reach out and trace his fingers along her heart-shaped face. Lips the color of luscious berries stirred his curiosity, wondering if they’d taste every bit as sweet. Rich black hair left him longing to remove her hat and hairpins and bury his hands in the thick tresses. The lingering hint of her soft floral fragrance caused him to breathe deeply, inhaling her scent and a lungful of arctic air that caused him to cough and wheeze.

  “You okay, boss?” Abel asked as he stepped inside and firmly closed the door.

  “Dandy,” Gideon mumbled, returning to the kitchen and setting the coffeepot back on the stove.

  Abel followed, handing him the cup of rapidly cooling coffee.

  Gideon accepted it and took a long drink before returning to his spot at the end of the bar while Abel helped the handful of customers who’d braved the blowing snow to drink and play cards at the Second Chance.

  Thoughts of Miss Millie Matlock kept Gideon from accomplishing any work the rest of the evening. In spite of her beautiful face and proper deportment, she’d left him more rattled than if she’d screeched at him like an enraged fishwife.

  Frustrated by how thoroughly she’d piqued his interest, he had no intention of getting to know her better. If the woman planned to run him out of business, she’d better think again. He’d fight her with every last ounce of his considerable strength.

  Chapter Two

  “Gracious, Millie! Are you well? Did that brute injure you? Perhaps we should alert the sheriff of his reprehensible behavior.” Almira Raines patted Millie on the back as she rejoined their group.

  “I’m well, Almira, but your concern is appreciated. There is no need to alert the sheriff to anything that transpired. Mr. McBride was only attempting to be helpful, in his own dunderheaded way.” Millie smiled at the hawk-nosed spinster and opened a book of temperance songs. “Why don’t you lead us in our next selection, Mrs. Greene?”

  As the women blended their voices, singing about the heartache of being a drunkard’s child, Millie’s thoughts wandered back up the street to the Second Chance Saloon.

  Long before she joined the temperance movement, she’d been keenly aware of Mr. Gideon McBride. He’d lived in Pendleton his entire life, or so she’d heard. His face was one she’d noticed immediately after she moved to town six years ago when she secured the job of managing the telephone office.

  From the time she was fifteen, she’d worked in a telephone office as an operator, then a shift supervisor. The offer to manage an office in the growing eastern Oregon town was the perfect opportunity to spread her wings and leave her past far behind.

  The day she stepped off the train in Pendleton, she’d seen a friendly young man loading heavy boxes into a delivery wagon. He’d laughed at something someone had said and the flash of his dimples made Millie suck in a gulp of air.

  In spite of the scruffy stubble on his face, Millie thought he was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. Tall and strong with broad shoulders and hair the coppery shade of a brand new penny, the very sight of him had set her twenty-year-old heart to pounding in a frenzied beat. For a brief moment, he’d glanced her way with mossy green eyes full of humor. The whole world came to a standstill. Then he turned back to his work. Millie realized what he loaded were boxes and barrels of liquor. In that moment, she made a vow to stay far, far away from the man.

  With no plans to wed or ever give her heart to a member of the male species to destroy, she turned her interest in him to cool reserve, doing her best to pretend he didn’t exist.

  She succeeded up until she took charge of the temperance movement in town three months ago.

  A drunken man assaulted and nearly killed one of her employees on the girl’s way home from the telephone office, so Millie vowed to do something. No longer able to turn away from the fact there were far too many saloons in town, she stepped into the role of leader and gathered her small troop of volunteers.

  Every Tuesday, she carried signs, distributed pamphlets, and delivered speeches as she and her band of petticoat-wearing warriors traveled through town, encouraging men to step away from the bottle and back into the waiting arms of their families.

  Regardless of the weather, she made a point of visiting saloons every Tuesday evening with any of the local women available to support the temperance efforts. Sometimes as many as thirty women joined their group. Other weeks, only half a dozen accompanied her on her rounds through town.

  Due to the fact their committee remained peaceable, merely singing, talking, and sharing pamphlets, the law enforcement in Pendleton considered them harmless.

  Although she didn’t purposely set out to do so, hardly a week went by that Millie and her fellow temperance workers didn’t end up outside the Second Chance Saloon.

  Nonetheless, this evening was the first time Gideon had acknowledged their presence. In the past, he’d acted as though they were invisible.

  Millie supposed she shouldn’t have opened the saloon door, letting the precious warmth inside escape. However, with the door closed, the men most likely wouldn’t have heard their singing.

  Astounded by Gideon’s invitation to join them inside, she’d almost taken the cup of coffee from his hand when he offered it. Her toes were so cold, they felt as though they might break off in her boots and her fingers had gone numb half an hour ago.

  The temptation to accept the mug and sip the steaming, aromatic brew was strong, but she resisted. The even stronger temptation to fall into the verdant green v
alleys of Gideon’s eyes nearly got the best of her when he leaned forward and blew across the coffee. He smelled like the fresh air just before a summer storm, mixed with a hint of something dark and dangerous.

  The layers of clothes separating her arm from his touch did nothing to quell the spark that had stunned her by the mere brush of his hand.

  Disgusted with herself for her attraction to the incredibly appealing saloon owner, she reminded herself of all the reasons she despised his kind and the men who frequented businesses such as his.

  Mindful of the dropping temperature and the lateness of the hour, Millie closed her book when the women finished the song. “I do believe we should call it an evening and reconvene next week. Thank you all for your support again this week.”

  Millie turned and took hurried strides toward her apartment downtown. Her friend Lacy Hill fell into step beside her.

  “My goodness, Millie! If I didn’t know better, I’d think Mr. McBride is quite taken with you.” Lacy grinned when Millie scowled at her.

  Millie quirked an eyebrow and shook her head. “You’ve gone into shock from the cold, Lacy. Complete nonsense is coming out of your mouth.”

  Lacy laughed. “Would it pain you to admit he’s very handsome and charming?”

  “Indeed, it would.” Millie slid on the ice and grabbed onto the hand Lacy held out to her. The two of them took a few unsteady steps before regaining their balance. “I don’t care how pleasing he is to the eye or how nice he might seem, the fact remains he is an enemy to my cause.”

  “Be that as it may, he’s the most handsome enemy I bet you’ll ever encounter.”

  Exasperated, Millie rolled her eyes as they walked around the corner and neared the bank. “Just because you married one of the few genuinely wonderful men alive doesn’t mean every woman would be as fortunate.”

  Lacy tapped on the glass of the bank window where her husband waited for her. He waved and hurried to turn off the lights and slip on his coat.