Finding Her Silver Lining (Preview)

Chapter One

Cora slipped into the house, relishing the quiet for a split second. The days working in town were long and sometimes exhausting. Annie, her younger sister rushed around the corner, her face lighting up at the sight of Cora. 

“You’re back! How were the Browns’ children today?” Annie wrinkled her nose, making Cora giggle. 

The Browns were one of the wealthiest families in Westfield, Chicago. They paid Cora to care for their four children, which was both a rewarding and tiring job. 

“They were fine. You know there are days when I love them and days when I can hardly stand it. What sort of mood is Papa in? How was your day?” Cora wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders as they walked down the hall. 

She walked over the wooden floors toward the parlor. Her father was always in the parlor if he was back from work before her. 

“Pa’s not in the best mood, but I’m sure his mood will only get worse if you avoid him. Don’t worry; I’ll try to intervene if things get too heated.” Annie shook her head with pretend annoyance. 

Cora smiled; Annie was always dependable when it came to calming down a situation between Cora and her father.

Her father and Annie were sitting in the parlor, reading a newspaper. Annie gave Cora an encouraging smile before slipping past her and settling down into one of the empty parlor chairs.

Her father looked up from his newspaper. “I see you are back. How was your day?” he asked. 

Cora knew that he didn’t care about how her day was but simply wanted to hear that it was bad so he would have more to use to convince her to stop working.

So instead of telling him that her back ached and that two of the children were sick and it had been a stressful day to get through, she simply said, “It was fine.”

“You know, you don’t need to work. You’re almost eighteen, and you’ll be married soon.” Her father set the newspaper down, and Cora saw the look of dread cross over her little sister’s face. 

Annie had heard more than one conversation between their father and Cora. Cora understood Annie wasn’t very happy about how her father saw marriage and their future, but she kept quiet. She was only fifteen and still had a good three years before she would have to deal with marriage and her father’s unrealistic expectations. On the other hand, Cora only had three short weeks before she would be eighteen, and she knew her father was probably already considering who they would pair her with.

“I know that I don’t have to work, but you know why I do.” Cora forced the words out. She didn’t want to argue with her father, but she knew that it was inevitable in a way. Her father owned a small feed store in town, but even though he wasn’t the best businessman in town, that didn’t mean they were hurting for money. 

“Men aren’t going to want a wife who works outside of the house. They will want a woman who knows how to take care of their home.” Her father shrugged. “You need to marry well too. That is where your future is, Cora, not in some job where you make a few pennies a week.” 

“I am making more than a few pennies, and it is not about that. I like to work.” 

“I’ve been asking around. Soon, I will find you a suitable husband. I am certain he won’t allow it. It’s just not proper.” Her father sounded sure, and Cora’s heart fell into her stomach. She knew that her father cared about her. He loved her and her sisters. But she also knew that in the end, he would do what he considered best for their future and not what they wanted, just as he always had. 

Knowing that trying to speak with him further was a waste of time and effort, Cora turned and headed toward the kitchen. “I’m going to help Ma with dinner.” 

“Thank you, child.” Her father offered her a quick smile as if he hadn’t just scolded her or reminded her that her future was already planned. Cora forced herself to look away from the sympathy in Annie’s eyes. They understood each other because they were all in this together, but it didn’t make it any easier. 

When Cora walked into the kitchen, her mother was busy placing pots on the stove and removing others. 

“There you are. I was wondering when you would be back,” her mother said with a kind smile. 

Cora sank down into one of the chairs by the kitchen table. “I had a long day at work today.” 

“I’m sorry. You know you don’t have to continue with that job if you don’t want to. Your father makes enough for all of us, and since you will be married soon …” her mother trailed off, clearly seeing Cora’s look of distaste. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Both you and Pa have my entire life planned out. Did either of you ask me if I even wanted to get married? Maybe I want to wait and see if I fall in love?” Cora knew that they didn’t care, but she had to try. At least her mother would listen, even if she wouldn’t do anything about it.

“He just cares about your future. You know how much your father and I struggled when we were younger. He doesn’t want any of his children to go through that. He wants you to find someone who can care for you for your whole life, so you won’t have to suffer any hardships.” 

“But what about what I want? Maybe I don’t need someone to take care of me. Maybe hardships are important and just part of life.” Cora fought tears. She knew that she was too close to this matter and letting herself focus way too much on it. 

“Cora, dear, don’t be selfish. Your father works very hard, and he works to make sure that you have something to look forward to in life. I know you don’t understand right now, and it might upset you, but in the future, you will thank him for what he is doing for you.” 

Cora shook her head, frustration brimming in her heart. 

“Cora, are we going to visit Hanna?” Annie’s voice from the kitchen door made Cora turn. Her sister looked hopeful, and Cora was relieved by the question. She was more than ready to escape the house for a few hours and visit their older sister. She was grateful that Hanna lived nearby. 

“Yes, Ma, we promised Hanna we would come visit today. We’ll be back in a few hours.” 

Her mother nodded. 

Cora knew that her mother understood deep down. She knew how Cora and Annie and even Hanna felt. But her mother would never stand up to her father or demand any sort of change from the plans he set forth. 

“Thank you, Ma, would you tell pa where we went for us?” Cora asked. 

“Of course, just don’t stay out too late, and tell your sister I said hello.” 

Cora nodded, wrapping her arm around Annie’s and leading her out of the house. 

She didn’t want to wait around and have her father say they needed to stay for dinner. The fact was that her parents weren’t too strict when it came to keeping them away from Hanna. 

Hanna was matched with the man her father had picked for her. The difference between Cora and Hanna was that Hanna loved her husband. They had fallen in love, and that was something Cora hadn’t done and had no plans of doing any time soon. 

“I really wanted to say something to Pa. He should let you do what you want to do with your life.” The anger in Annie’s eyes was clear. 

“Unfortunately, no one would see it that way but us.” 

“I don’t want to marry just anyone that Pa tells me to. I want to fall in love with a handsome man and be swept off my feet.” Annie’s eyes turned dreamy. “I want to meet someone tall and handsome who loves me and wants to treat me right.” 

“I hope that you can have that. I’ve seen how happy Hanna is. I hope that both you and I can find that.” 

“What are you going to do about your birthday?” Annie leaned into Cora, and she squeezed her little sister’s shoulders. She didn’t want to worry Annie or make her feel bad, but there wasn’t much to hide. Annie had heard all of the arguments she had shared with her parents. Annie knew what was about to happen, and she knew how much Cora loathed it. 

“I don’t know yet. I am going to wait and see what happens. Who knows, maybe I can convince Pa to just let me choose my own husband.” Cora shrugged and giggled. 

“That is never going to happen.” Annie was half laughing too, but there was sadness in her tone. “Seriously, Cora. What if you hate the man he matches you with?”

“I haven’t decided what I will do. But don’t you worry about me. Let’s go and see Hanna and have a good evening. Soon, Hanna will be a mother, and she won’t have time for us anymore.” 

Annie shook her head. “I don’t think so. Hanna will always have time for us.” 

Cora smiled at her sister’s confidence. She wasn’t convinced that it would be the case, but she wasn’t about to tell Annie that. 

They arrived at Hanna’s home in record time and knocked on the door. Hanna answered a few moments later. 

Cora was stunned by how perfect Hanna looked all the time. They shared the same light blonde hair and blue eyes. But Hanna seemed to always look like a princess, even though she had a growing belly that reminded everyone she was expecting. 

A light breeze curled through the evening and made its way into Cora’s nose. She covered her mouth and coughed, ignoring the burn in her lungs that the cold air brought. 

Hanna was still standing in the doorway, whatever greeting she had planned frozen on her lips, and Annie was staring at her in concern. 

“Are you all right?” Hanna asked. “What are the two of you doing out there in the cold night? Come in!” Hanna ushered them inside. 

“We thought you could use a visit, and Pa was up to his normal activities, reminding Cora of her impending doom.” Anne touched Cora on the shoulder, her laughter turning to concern. 

Cora opened her mouth to speak but was attacked by another fit of coughing. 

“Cora, take a seat. You shouldn’t be out in this cool evening air.” Hanna gave her more worried looks.

Cora had always struggled with her health. When she was younger, she’d had some episodes where she would get terribly ill and would have a hard time breathing. When she overexerted herself or was hit by the wind, it could become hard to breathe. 

But Cora did her best to hide any issues she still had from her sisters and her parents and anyone else who knew her. She didn’t like being seen as a helpless girl, and she didn’t like being the center of attention. She felt like it was her job to make sure that Annie was heard and felt loved. She felt like she needed to stay in contact with Hanna and show strength and no weakness in front of her parents. 

If they were already set on her finding a wealthy husband to care for her, they would feel even stronger if they knew how badly she felt physically most days. 

“I’m fine. I’m sorry; that breeze just caught me off guard.” Cora waved the concern away and forced herself to breathe evenly even though she wanted to gulp in big breaths of air and take her time to recover. But she hated seeing Hanna and Annie all worried, so she tried to make it look as if she really was all right. 

“Okay. You know if you are feeling bad, you can tell us.” 

Cora nodded, “I know.” 

“So, how are you feeling, Hanna, and when will she be born?” Annie said, touching Hanna’s stomach and moving the attention from Cora and over to their sister and the little one on the way. 

“I’m feeling fine, thank you, and the baby should be here soon. In a few weeks, I reckon. Or maybe a month or two. I can’t imagine that I can get much fatter. I feel like I’m going to burst.” 

“Annie, Cora, is that you?” Michael’s voice reached them as he entered the front room from upstairs. 

Michael was a banker. According to Cora’s father, he was wealthy and well known in town and all of Chicago. 

But what mattered to Cora was that Michael loved Hanna, and it showed. He was kind and doting and always laughing and smiling with her sister. Cora couldn’t imagine Hanna getting with anyone better than Michael. She knew that a big reason Hanna hadn’t fought her betrothal was because she already had feelings for Michael before her father announced that he had arranged their marriage. 

Cora wished that she loved someone or that her father would wait until she had someone to love, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen. She could see similar thoughts in Annie’s eyes as they watched Michael plant a soft kiss on Hanna’s forehead. 

“We weren’t expecting the two of you, but you are welcome to stay for supper.” Michael offered them an easy grin. He really was quite handsome, and that made Cora happy for Hanna. She deserved the best. She and Michael looked good together, probably better than any couple Cora had seen ever before. 

Michael was tall, with broad shoulders and an easy grin. He had that boyish look to him that made people instantly comfortable around him. And more than all of that, he was head over heels in love with Hanna and their unborn baby. 

“Thank you, Michael. We didn’t want to bother the two of you, but we wanted to come.” 

“You could never bother us. You’re family. I’m glad you take the time to visit.” 

Cora watched as Michael placed a hand on Hanna’s waist. She wondered if having someone to love was worth it. Especially if that person was someone she didn’t even know. She wondered if she would ever have someone she felt that way about or if she even wanted that. 

“Come on then, dinner is already on the table. I didn’t expect you, but I still made way too much.” Hanna led the way, and Cora followed along with Annie. The truth was that they loved visiting Hanna for several reasons.
Cora knew that one of those was because they loved Hanna. She was their sister and friend, and they would always want to be near her. 

But there were other reasons. Hanna’s home was warm, inviting, and erased bad feelings that any of them might have after being at their parents’ home. Being around Hanna and Michael was fun. It was light, and it was cheerful. It was like having the perfect family away from home. There were times when Cora wished that Michael and Hanna had been her parents, though she knew it was a ridiculous thought. 

She wondered if Michael would make his children marry who he thought was best. She liked to think that he wouldn’t. 

Cora kept on a happy face for dinner, even though her chest was aching both because of her coughing fit and feelings. She knew she needed to cherish these moments because soon they could be gone forever. 

Chapter Two

Cora woke up with a splitting headache and a strong desire to stay in bed all day long. They hadn’t gone to bed until late the night before. It started with staying late at Hanna and Michael’s, and it finished with her and Annie talking long into the night. 

The general conclusion to their conversation was that Cora would talk with their parents and convince them for once and for all that she wanted nothing to do with an arranged marriage. Yes, lots of people arranged marriages for their children, and some were happy with that, but Cora didn’t have to be and didn’t want to be. 

She wanted to find someone she loved, or maybe she just didn’t want to marry at all, but she’d decided she wouldn’t mention the last part to her parents. 

Cora got prepared for the day and then stopped with doubt in the hall. She was surprised to see that Annie was just stepping out of her room as well. They exchanged a quick smile, and Cora felt a rush of returning courage. Maybe there was still hope. Maybe she could convince her father that she didn’t need to have a marriage arranged for her. 

Annie reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “You’ve got this.” 

“Thank you, Annie.” Cora felt a bit sad. Annie was always the one who knew exactly what to say. In some cases, it seemed like Annie was the older sister, and she was the younger one. 

“You’re welcome. Now come on, I think that Ma and Pa are in the parlor.” 

“Are you sure I should do this?” Cora knew that they had gone back and forth for hours the night before, discussing the repercussions having this sort of conversation with their parents could have. She just needed to hear Annie say it was a good idea one more time. 

“Yes. You should do this. It is your future that is on the line.” 

Cora nodded. Annie was right. When they got downstairs, their parents weren’t in the parlor but the kitchen. 

Both their father and mother looked up from what they were doing when Cora and Annie walked in. 

“There you are. I was just about to go wake you both.” Their mother smiled. 

“Thank you, Ma. I wanted to talk to both you and Pa.” Cora could already hear the nervousness in her own voice, and she knew that wasn’t a good sign. 

“What about?” Her father’s voice was touched with annoyance, showing that he already had an idea what the topic of the conversation would be. 

“I don’t want to get married.” Cora waited for them to respond angrily or to yell, but instead, only silence greeted her proclamation. 

Cora looked around, slightly taken off guard. It was worse that they weren’t saying anything than it would have been if they both started scolding her. 

“That is not something we are discussing.” Her father’s voice was firm and clipped. 

“I mean, I do want to get married, but just not yet. I know lots of women who don’t get married until they are nineteen or even twenty or older. Why can’t I wait a few years until I find the right man for me?”

“What has gotten into you?” Her father gave her a stern glare that made Cora shake to her core. “First bringing up these things yesterday, and now saying you don’t want to marry. Do you want to be an old maid with no future and no love in your life?”

“What?” Cora was caught off guard by his words. “No. I just want to be happy. I don’t want to marry someone that you picked out that I don’t even know.” 

Her father shook his head, disappointment etched all over his face. “Actually, you don’t have to worry about not knowing who it is. I had some time this morning, so I spoke with a friend of mine, and we’ve come to an agreement about you and his son.” 

“What?” Cora’s heart seemed to stop beating, and her blood ran cold. 

“I found you a husband. Cheer up; you even know him.” 

“I don’t understand.” Cora knew she was repeating herself and sounding like she didn’t know what was going on probably wasn’t the best idea, but she couldn’t stop herself. 

“Abram Thaler, of course. He’s the mayor’s son. He’s the perfect choice. He has a bright future ahead of him. I’ve been friends with his father for years. You’ve met Abram a few times. I am sure of it.” 

Cora searched her memory for these meetings. She had met Abram a few times but never had any interest in getting to know him better, and that still hadn’t changed. She knew very well who Abram was because she had heard her share of rumors about him and what sort of man he was. 

“I can’t marry Abram.” Cora’s voice shook. She had heard so much about Abram and not a single good thing. Of course, rumors could be made up and rumors could be false. But when there were so many rumors about Abram and all of them were the same, it was unlikely. 

Abram was speculated to be terrible with women. Some said he couldn’t marry because no woman in their right mind would stay with him after seeing what sort of person he was. She didn’t want to think about half the things she’d heard repeated about him. 

“You are going to marry Abram. My goodness, I don’t know what has gotten into all of you lately. Abram’s father reassured me that it is very likely Abram will be mayor next. He will have money, even if he isn’t the mayor. He is an only child. There is no one to compete with when it comes to his inheritance.” 

“I don’t care about money. I don’t know Abram, and I don’t love him. I doubt I ever will. Why don’t you want me to be happy?” 

Her father’s eyes turned stormy, and he stood from where he was sitting. It seemed that the anger rolled off him in waves. 

“I don’t care about your happiness? I am the only one who cares about your happiness! I want you to be wealthy, comfortable, and well taken care of. I want you to be able to do what you want, to be respected and looked at like a respectable woman would be. I don’t want you to waste your life on silly ideas of love and wistful thinking when it comes to fanciful families and fairy tales that aren’t real.” Her father paused a moment, taking a deep breath to continue his rant. “You don’t know what it is like to hurt for money. You work because you want to; because you want to do that doesn’t mean it is necessary. I care about your happiness. You and Hanna and eventually Annie should thank me for what I am doing. I am securing your future!” 

Cora fought the tears gathering in her eyes. She didn’t want to be weak in front of her father, but she hated everything he was saying. How could he be so convinced that he was doing something for her when he was not doing what would make her happy? She didn’t want to lose her composure in front of her father, but she wasn’t sure how to hold herself together. 

“I don’t want to marry anyone right now. I’m only seventeen. I have my whole life ahead of me. I will find a man who loves me.” 

“Child, you know nothing about life or love. No one wants to marry an old maid. I don’t want to discuss this with you further. I never wanted to discuss it with you, and you insisted, and then you don’t like what I have to say. You are marrying Abram Thaler, and that is the end of the story. If you don’t want to, you will learn that you have to, and then in the future, you will look back at this moment, and you will scold yourself for being such a naïve child who did not appreciate what her parents were doing for her.”

Cora looked to Annie, who appeared as shocked and terrified as she did. How had it come to this, and how could she get out of it?

Cora turned and ran from the kitchen. She was briefly aware of the sounds of her parents arguing about what had just happened. She heard her father going on and on about how she was out of her mind and didn’t understand what was right for her. 

Instead of her room, Cora found herself stepping into her father’s study. Even though it was her father’s room, he rarely used it. He often spent his time in the parlor or the kitchen, strangely enough. 

Cora, on the other hand, loved the study. It had large shelves covering three walls, all stacked to the ceiling with books. Reading was something that helped her escape to other worlds, and writing … when she was writing, she could write her life out how she would have loved it to be. 

Today, Cora didn’t pick up her book and read or sit down to write. She sank down in the corner and buried her face in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. She let the tears flow freely from her eyes, and they tumbled down her cheeks. 

She took deep, shaky breaths. She didn’t like letting herself lose control and didn’t like crying and being weak. But sometimes, she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t stop the tears, and this was one of those times. She heard the door of the study open, and she tensed. She hoped this wasn’t one of the rare days her father decided to work in the study. 

To her relief, she saw that it was Annie. Annie was the only one of the three sisters who had gotten their father’s looks. She had dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. Some would say that she was the ugly one of the three, but Cora would disagree and say that Annie by far was one of the most beautiful, especially because of the beauty she carried on the inside. 

Cora tried to wipe the rest of her tears away. She was supposed to be the older sister, the one who cared for Annie and comforted her. But instead, it was Annie who held everything together as she sat down beside Cora and wrapped her arm around Cora’s shoulders. 

“Hey, it’s going to be all right. Hanna will know what to do.” 

“He just doesn’t understand. I don’t want to marry Abram. I am not ready to marry anyone, but he is the last man I would want to marry. He is nothing like Hanna’s husband.” 

Annie nodded. “I know what you mean. I don’t know what I am going to do when it is my turn. I suppose I have to try and fall in love with someone who is wealthy from the start, don’t I?” Annie laughed softly, but Cora could tell it was something she was actually worried about and with good reason. Two or three years would pass very quickly. 

“I don’t know what to do. What if the rumors about Abram are true? I’ve only met him a few times, and I don’t really know much about him, but I am afraid of those things being true. I can’t marry someone who will treat me badly forever.” 

“No one could treat you badly. If they did, they would be a terrible person.” Annie squeezed Cora gently, and Cora forced a watery smile. 

“I hope you are right. I need to talk with Hanna. I don’t know. Maybe I need to try and tell Pa about the things people say about Abram. I know that he does care about us deep down. Maybe if I can make him understand that Abram isn’t a good person, he might change his mind.” 

“Maybe. We can figure something out. You aren’t quite eighteen yet, so we still have a little time.” 

Cora nodded, they did have some time, and she was going to do everything she could to resolve this to something she could tolerate before it was too late. She wasn’t going to end up as one of those women who were married to a man that treated them terribly and that they couldn’t stand the marriage just because it was out of obligation. 

She wasn’t necessarily expecting to suddenly fall in love with someone, but if she did get married, she wanted it to be her choice, and she wanted to know that she chose to put herself in that situation. She wanted to have some control over her life, no matter how unrealistic that dream seemed. 

As Annie led her out of their father’s study to clean herself up, Cora’s eye fell on the book she was reading, written by Jane Austin. She wanted to be an author one day. She was going to write a book one day, and in that book, her life would be perfect. 

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“Finding Her Silver Lining” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Cora feels like her life is falling to pieces when her father pressures her to marry a man she despises. Determined to escape this nightmare, she decides to take control of her life and become a mail-order bride. After her parents discover her plans and try to expedite the wedding, she desperately flees to the west to meet a man she’s been exchanging promising letters with. Her plans go awry, however, when she realizes this man is only looking for a wife to please his family and is not interested in a real marriage. Even though she is disappointed, she still feels she has no choice but to marry him. When Cora starts to develop unexpected feelings for him though, will she trust him enough to give their relationship a real chance?

Luca doesn’t believe in true love and wants nothing to do with marriage. Yet after his father presents him with an ultimatum, he’s forced to find a wife as soon as possible. When Cora responds to his ad for a mail-order bride, he’s captivated by her kindness and he starts to feel guilty for making her think he is offering a real marriage. Thankfully, in spite of her shock after he comes clean about his plan, she agrees to marry him as soon as she arrives. In an unexpected twist of fate, Luca gradually finds himself caring deeply about Cora, but he’s been hurt too many times before to risk his heart again. Can he overcome a past that haunts him and take a leap of faith to experience real love?

Luca and Cora may have come to an agreement about their marriage, but their feelings soon take on a life of their own. When an enemy from Cora’s past threatens to come between them, their fragile bond will be tested more than ever. Will misunderstandings and a lack of trust threaten to tear them apart forever? Will they find the courage to finally be honest with each other and experience true happiness?

“Finding Her Silver Lining” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!