A Bargain For A Bride: Clean mail order bride romance (Montana Passion Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

at twenty-five miles per hour, was nearly dizzying with its speed, and more than once, Gretchen had to turn away from the window to avert her eyes from the colors that blurred past. Moira traded seats from time to time, content to let her ladies’ maid rest her head on her shoulder while she slept, a gesture of familiarity that had gotten her chastised more than once by some older relatives. More passengers exited at each of the tiny train depots they stopped at, and although a few more passengers came and went throughout the journey, the car was practically empty by the time they’d reached the Ohio Valley.
    This went on for days. The ladies made use of the washrooms as best they could, but by the third day, they mourned even the comforts of the slummish boarding house. They took their meals in the small towns where the train would pause for longer stretches, and at the start of the second week of travel, Moira surprised both of them when she let a room for the day, just to give them a chance to wash in a bathtub and sleep in a real bed, even if it was only for a luxurious nap. They barely made the train before it departed West again, but they managed.
    “My lady, how is it possible that we haven’t gone ‘round the whole world and ended up back in Brennan by now?” Gretchen said mournfully, her shoulders slumping from the weeks of riding in her seat. Everywhere they’d stopped and every train change they’d made, she’d stretched and walked, but the miles were showing in her thin frame.
    “I understand your worry, but it’s for naught. I never would have thought it possible that the country could be so enormous. It makes me worry that Ronan would never find us, if he ever chose to, that is.”
    “Oh! You don’t think we’ll never see him again, do you? Surely someone as stalwart as Lord Brennan could move the very mountains that stood in his way to come to his sister!”
    “I dare not think of it. My heart is torn in pieces at what I’ve done to him. Is he sad that I’ve left him? Is he angry that I’ve gone against his wishes? I only hope he knows I did it to save his life and the Brennan lands. If I’d stayed, either Ronan or our estate would no longer exist.”
    It was Gretchen’s turn to pull her mistress into a comforting embrace, resting the lady’s head on her thin shoulder and patting her arm comfortingly. They’d noticed that every stop brought a rougher and rougher crowd of passengers, none of them women, and they’d tried their best to avoid attention and keep from looking too prosperous. Fortunately, none of the other passengers paid them any mind, all too intent on their own affairs and their own reasons for travel.
    The weeks stretched on and the endless miles of country proved just how immense this new land really was. Cities gave way to farms, which gave way to sporadic settlements dotting the landscape, but all the while, Montana never appeared. Rain beat at the windows at times, and every evening, the car was wrapped in eerie darkness as the sun descended. The scant light from the oil lamps on the walls only cast an ominous flickering over the assembled passengers, making the view inside the car even scarier than the view outside.
    It was a welcome shock when the conductor shook both ladies gently by the shoulder early one morning before the sun had risen above the horizon. He peered down into their faces with his weathered smile and said those most blessed words: “We’re here. Welcome to Montana!”
     

Chapter Six
     
    New Hope, Montana, had a population of merely eighty-six people, or so the wooden plank hanging by one corner above the unofficial postmaster’s house claimed. Moira scanned the train depot for any hint of civilization, and was dismayed to see no one in sight. She pulled the collar of her coat closer to her chin and reached out a gloved hand to point out their baggage to Gretchen.
    “Come, Gretchen, we’ll find someone to greet us and tell us where we’re to