McKenzie Read Online Free PDF

when the two of them were together, with the same appearance, the same laugh, and the same, mischievous personality.
    Lucille leaned in closer and whispered, “One night, I was unable to sleep, so I came downstairs and saw that Laverne had left the newspaper she’d brought from Kansas City on the counter. I decided to sit a spell and read it. After all, it had been so long since I’d read a real newspaper. On the very last page was a section that advertised for mail-order brides.”
    Suddenly, as if he’d been awakened from a deep sleep, Zach knew what Lucille’s suggestion would be, and he prepared his defense. “Now, Lucille—”
    “Now, you wait just a second here, Zach. I know what you’re going to say.” Zach found Lucille’s short finger inches from his nose. “I am not finished. As I was saying, I saw on the last page a section that advertised for mail-order brides. I read through the list and thought, Now, that would be interesting. I wondered for a minute how it would have been if I had been a mail-order bride and Fred had advertised and we’d met that way. It would have been so romantic. I can see it now…I would step from the stagecoach, and our eyes would meet. Nothing around us would matter, only the blossoming of new love.” Lucille held her hand to her heart and closed her eyes, as if to live the tale she had fabricated in her mind. After a short time, she opened her eyes, rolled them in exaggeration, and continued, “As it is, we met at a church potluck, so it was nothing exciting. Besides, it took me some time to fall in love with him. But this? This is exciting. I read through each advertisement and thought, Now, I know there is someone who could find a bride this way. Please forgive me, but I thought of Mr. Victor first, seeing as how he’s getting up in years and has never been married, the poor man. But then, just the other day, I thought of you.”
    “Lucille, I know you have the best of intentions, but that’s not how I want to meet my future wife. It seems so impersonal.”
    “Now, Zach. It is nothing of the sort. You correspond back and forth, and when you are convinced that she is the one, you send for her. When she arrives, if you are adamantly opposed—if she has lied in her correspondence, for instance—then you are under no obligation to marry her. But if you do choose to make her your wife, think of how nice it will be for Davey to have a mother again. That poor little boy….” Lucille shook her head ruefully. “No little boy should ever be without a ma,” she continued, reaching for her handkerchief and dabbing at the corner of her left eye.
    Zach sighed and suddenly felt sorry for Fred. He wondered if the man had ever won a debate with his wife. Considering the present situation, it was unlikely he had. “Lucille, God will provide me with a wife if it is His will, when His timing is right. Until then, I’ll just have to be patient.”
    “Oh, I agree God will provide you with a wife, all right, but what if it’s the good Lord’s will that you find one by advertising in a newspaper? After all, are you just going to sit there waiting for one to show up all on her own in Pine Haven, of all places? This isn’t exactly the New York City of the West.”
    Zach had to agree with Lucille that Pine Haven had little to draw women there of their own accord. “I don’t think so, Lucille, but thank you for thinking of me.”
    Just then, a customer entered the mercantile. “Lucille, I have a list of supplies I’ll be needin’.”
    Lucille looked up at the customer. “It’ll be about five minutes, Mr. Johnson. I have a critical conversation with Mr. Sawyer to finish. So, take your time and look around, if you wish. Otherwise, you may want to come back later.”
    Mr. Johnson nodded. “I’ll walk over to the post office and see if there’s any mail while I’m waitin.’”
    “Fine idea. You run along, then.” Lucille again leaned forward toward Zach. “As I was