Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Weaver Read Online Free PDF Page A

shelf?”
    “The very top shelf,” Matthew said. “She’s making it harder and harder for us, Pa.”
    “That she is,” his father agreed. “C’mon, boys, let’s have some, then put it back!”
    “Won’t Aunt Betsy get mad?” Daniel asked.
    “Sure!” said his uncle. “That’s half the fun!”
    Daniel scratched his head. “I got me a lot to learn about bein’ married.”
    “Don’t worry. You’ve got at least a month to learn a few things before your bride gets here,” his uncle assured.
    “What kind of things?” Daniel asked.
    Matthew almost choked as he stole a sip of his father’s coffee. He laughed half-heartedly. “Don’t worry. A lot of what you need to learn will just come … naturally.”
    Daniel and his uncle exchanged a look of confusion.
    “Never mind,” Matthew said. “Let’s have some pie.”
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    N owhere , Washington Territory, June 1876

    “ I can hardly believe it’s been four years since I’ve been here. The last time there was also a wedding for mail-order bride, only she wasn’t Swedish - she was Eye-talian. Pretty as a picture, too. Wait a minute, did I already tell you about her?”
    “No, Sheriff Hughes,” Ebba said. “You told me about your sister Leona and her family.” Not to mention his town of Clear Creek, the brothers Cooke and their huge ranch and all sorts of tall tales, half of which she didn’t believe. Heavens, but the man was a talker!
    Harlan Hughes sighed and tapped his head with a finger. “My memory ain’t what it used to be, I’m afraid. That’s one of the reasons I’m here, aside from visiting my sister and nephews. There’s a deputy working here, Tom Turner, that I’m going to try to talk into coming back to Clear Creek.”
    “You need another deputy?” she asked.
    “No, no. I want Tom to take over as sheriff.”
    She looked the man up and down. He didn’t look that old, maybe his late fifties, but what did she know? Maybe he was just tired of the job. “You wish to retire?”
    “Among other things,” he said. “But enough about me. You’re going to love Nowhere. I know it’s kind of a funny name for a town, but it’ll grow on you.”
    “Do you visit your sister a lot?”
    “I used too, but I’ve just been too busy lately. I can’t wait to see my grandnephews and grandnieces. Spencer, my sister’s son, he’s the sheriff in town. His older brother Clayton was the sheriff before him, but he went back to apple farming.”
    Ebba suddenly sneezed. It was as if the word “farming” set her affliction off.
    “Oh, that’s too bad,” the sheriff said. “And you were doing so well too. I think its been at least three hours since you sneezed last.”
    Ebba pulled a handkerchief out of her reticule and blew her nose, her eyes filling with tears. Hopefully the sheriff wouldn’t notice they were tears of frustration. She’d sneezed and hacked her way across the country – the trains weren’t too bad, but ever since she’d switched to traveling by stagecoach she’d had a time of it. She blew her nose again. “I don’t know how I’m going to survive this place, Sheriff Hughes.”
    He reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “There, now, Miss Knudsen. I’m sure the doc in town can help you. I know our doc from Clear Creek could – Doc Drake can fix whatever ails anyone. And Doc Brown in Nowhere is a fine man too. He and his wife Millie will come up with something.”
    “I know I’m not the only one that suffers so, but from what I’ve been told, there is no cure other than a different climate.”
    “What sort of climate?”
    “I hear that living near the sea is supposed to be good.”
    Sheriff Hughes shook his head. “I’m afraid there’s no sea around here, Miss Knudsen. But don’t worry, I’ll check around town and see if anyone has some sort of remedy. You can’t be the only one to suffer sneezing fits.”
    “I’m sure I’m not.” She swallowed hard and dabbed at her watering eyes, blinking a few