Not Quite A Mail Order Bride (Mail Order Brides) Read Online Free PDF

her room?”
     
    Sarah Catherine took Martha’s hand and led her down the hall to what was going to be her room. “This is your room here, Aunt Martha. My room is there,” and she pointed across the hall. “Johnny’s room is there,” and pointed again. Jed and Cale had put Martha’s trunk in the corner of the large room.
     
    Martha went back to the kitchen. “Sarah, I can’t get over this house. It’s larger than the one I was renting and Ma and Papa’s place combined. You really have it nice.”
     
    Sarah smiled, “Yes, I do pretty much have it all. Jedadiah is a wonderful husband and provider. He started from nothing. After he gave up trying to find gold and started farming and ranching, his hard work paid off. The income from the copper leases provides more than we’ll ever need. Now he and Luke are forming a separate mining company too. We have been well and truly blessed.
     
    I wasn’t kidding back at Grace’s. We’d really like for you to stay. You don’t have anything to hold you back in New York.
     
    I have something to show you, you’ll get a kick out of this. She got her mother’s letters from the small desk in the other room and handed it to Martha.”
     
    Martha read the letter, and began to laugh. “She doesn’t give up does she? Now that you’re fixed, she’s bound and determined to see me all married and everything. Daniel isn’t even cold in his grave and already she’s out prospecting and even trying to enlist you. If she weren’t my mother, I’d be angry, but that’s the way she is.”
     
    Sarah laughed with her. “One thing I promise. I won’t try to make a match for you, though I do know this one man who…” She let her voice trail off.
     
    Jed came into the kitchen. “Sarah, would you like to go with me tomorrow? I’m going to check up on Luke to see how he’s doing. Martha, you’re welcome to come with us, unless you’re too tired from your trip.”
     
    “I’d like that and thank you for asking. Just being around you two is invigorating.”
     
    “It’s only about three miles further down the road from where we turned off. When I first came here, Luke was my mentor. Still is as far as that goes. He taught me everything I know about ranching. He even sold me my first bulls and heifers. The copper seam that was discovered on our ranch extends onto his, so we’re sort of partners in that. We’re setting up our own company to do oil and mineral rights leasing. Luke’s only about three years older than I am but he was born on his ranch and has grown it. His operation is much larger than ours. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had over 10,000 acres.”
     
    The next morning…
     
    Jed rapped sharply on the door of the main ranch house. Hetty came to the door. When she saw who it was, she stepped out onto the porch. “Mr Jed, please talk to Mr Luke. He ain’t eating and he ain’t sleeping. He’s hardly spoken to the boys since they put Miss Clara in the ground. It’s just so sad, I don’t know what to do for him.”
     
    “I’ll talk to him, Hetty. How are the boys?” Jed asked.
     
    “Will is real sad. Jimmy keeps asking where his Mama is. They’ll be all right, but I’m worried plum sick about Mr Luke.”
     
    “Where is he,” Jed asked.
     
    “He’s up on the hill by Miss Clara’s grave. He ain’t hardly left it.”
     
    “I’ll go up and talk to him.” He turned, “Sarah, I’m going up to the cemetery and talk to Luke.”
     
    “Do you want me to come up?”
     
    “No, you stay here. I’m going to be hard on him, just as he was on me.”
     
    * * *
     
    “Luke, what are you doing?” Jed asked.
     
    Luke looked up. He hadn’t shaved in three days. His eyes were red and swollen from his crying. His hair was in wild disarray. “She’s gone, Jed. Clara’s gone. I can’t go on without her. I don’t want to go on without her.”
     
    “You should see yourself the way I see you right now. Clara would be ashamed of you. This is no