Mail Order Bride - Westward Secrets: A Clean Cowboy Romance Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 13) Read Online Free PDF Page B

said, “He didn’t?”
                  Lacey sat down on a chair and said, “No.  He was footloose and fancy free, I guess you’d say.  I was sort of a mail-order-bride like you.  But my situation was completely different.  I needed to get away from my abusive father and Joe helped me do that.  He’s my hero.”
                  Gina said, “I’m sorry to hear that you were in a bad situation and I’m happy that it worked out for you.  I met Sammi Taylor earlier today.  She said there are a lot of brides around Dawson.”
                  “It’s true.  Sammi and I grew up in Walhalla, North Dakota, along with our friend Jamie.  All three of us came here.  Jamie came first because she’s not afraid of anything and said she would let us know if it was ok here.  I came next and then Sammi. It was a good choice for many of us,” Lacey said.
                  Gina’s eyes brimmed with tears and she couldn’t speak for a moment.  “Lacey, I don’t know what I’m going to do.  I can’t keep staying here and I don’t have any money.  I need to find work so I can find us a place to live.”
                  Lacey sat beside her and took her hand.  “Gina, you don’t have to worry about that right now.  Just stay here at least a few days.  Give yourself some time to get familiar with the town and meet some of the people here.  Take it one day at a time.  I know that this has been a big shock, but things will be ok.  You’ll see.”
                  Gina squeezed her hand back and said, “Thank you so much.”
                  Lacey said, “That’s what friends are for.  Dinner won’t be long.”
                  She left Gina then to go find Joe and their son.
                  All alone, Gina looked around the room and felt that, for the time being, they had found a safe place to land.  By some miracle, she had encountered kind people who were generous.  It brought tears to her eyes again.  She shut her door and gave into her fear and grief for several minutes. 
    Then she took a handkerchief from her pocket and dried her eyes and felt a little better.  Getting it out of her system allowed Gina to clear her mind and put a positive spin on things.  She and the kids had a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and they would have food to eat.  She told herself that for her kids’ sakes she was going to have to put her pride aside and accept help for the time being.  Opening the door again, Gina squared her shoulders and went to check on the kids. 
                 
                  She had been expecting dinner to be a stately affair as would befit the first family of any town or city.  Instead, the meal at the Dwyer household was noisy and hilarious.  She was also surprised to see that the employees ate with the family.  Gina had never heard of such a thing.
                  “Hey!  Addie!  Get your sweet fanny out here and eat!” Joe hollered in the direction of the kitchen.
                  Gina’s eyebrows rose but her kids and everyone else laughed.  She was further surprised when Lacey got up and went out a door that led beyond the dining room to a large sunroom.  Lacey opened the door that led to the outside and shouted, “Eddie!  We’re not waiting on you to eat!  Stop what you’re doing and come to dinner!”
                  She came back to the table and sat back down.  Lacey caught Gina’s surprised expression and laughed.  “I think it’s only fair to warn you that we’re pretty rowdy.  We’re very laid back, so please don’t be nervous.”
                  “Ok,” Gina said with a smile.  “I’ll try.”
                  The sunroom door opened and the man who jogged into the dining room was broad in the shoulders and slim in the hips.  He pulled out a chair