Once Upon a Mail Order Bride - Linda Broday Page 0,22
from Addie. “My husband, Travis, and I have two older children besides this one. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of us.”
Without a doubt. Adeline nodded, a smile still glued to her face. She reached for her paper and pencil and wrote, “I’m happy to meet you, Rebel. Thank you for the nice welcome—and the dessert.”
Rebel accepted the paper, read it, then took Adeline’s hand. “Please don’t feel embarrassed. I know about your situation. In hindsight, I probably should’ve held off before descending on you, but I couldn’t wait to meet you. Out here, we women have to stick together.”
“Stay for tea? I can make some.”
“Oh, no, I must hurry back—I have a birthday cake to make. Ely, my oldest, is eleven today. I want to have it ready when he and Jenny get out of school.” Rebel wiped Rafe’s nose. “We’re losing the schoolmaster soon, and I don’t know what we’ll do. I hope they find a good teacher before too long.”
A wave of longing for one part of Adeline’s old life came roaring back. She’d loved teaching and had grown so fond of her students. If only she could speak, she’d apply for the job. But at present, that was out of the question.
She accompanied Rebel and the baby to their wagon and waved as they pulled away. In parting, Rebel called out, “You’ll make Ridge very happy. I just know it. If ever anyone needed a wife, it was that man. He’s salt of the earth.”
Adeline went inside, closed and locked the door. Leaning against the heavy wood, she thought of all Rebel had said. Could she make Ridge happy? In her observation, people had to make themselves happy and not depend on others.
Some, like her parents, chose to stay locked in a cheerless, dismal existence. They embraced bitter words and judgmental attitudes as though pain and grief were to be welcomed. Ezekiel Jancy had been cursed with all girls and never hesitated to let everyone know his disappointment. His quest for the boy he’d so desperately wanted, an heir to carry on his life’s work, had been fruitless.
A familiar yearning to jot down her thoughts grew strong inside her and drew her to her pencil and little stack of paper. She’d kept a journal most of her life, and that had proven disastrous when, at her trial, they’d used her words against her, cementing her fate. Yet it seemed safe enough now, so she sat at the table and began to write her thoughts, scattered though they were.
I suppose an outlaw seems like a poor choice for a woman like me, but no one else is strong enough to protect me and stand up to my powerful father. Ezekiel wants to force me to reveal where the boy is, but I’ll never tell, because once I do, he’ll kill me. Only someone like Ridge, who lives outside the law, can protect me. I’ll always be grateful to Nettie Mae. I learned about Luke Legend’s private bride service through her, and through Nettie, I corresponded with Ridge. If not for that, I would’ve fallen back into my father’s clutches upon my release.
I was six the first time I really saw my father for what he was. Even at that age, I saw his fake caring, his obsession with control, his rigid thinking—none of it was normal. I was older than my three sisters, and each time another of us was born, my father’s displeasure became louder. I yearned to live free of his horrifying rages and find a place where laughter and light could erase the darkness. I’m beginning a new life here, where there are endless possibilities, and I’m excited. I have companions in Miss Kitty and her baby, Squeakers. I love them dearly.
The sound of hoofbeats and jangling tack came from behind the house. Fear stiffened her. Adeline dropped the pencil. Her safe room beckoned, but she wanted to be sure. She rose and crept to the door, moved the curtain aside just a fraction, then relaxed when she saw Ridge and Clay riding in. Her gaze shifted to the two horses they herded—a spotted pony and a buckskin.
The beautiful buckskin aroused an old yearning inside her. How she’d wanted her own horse. She’d asked only once. Ezekiel had delivered an instant rebuke in a cutting voice, said she was unworthy, that horses were reserved for boys. That had stung to the quick, and she’d never asked again. Addie blinked hard and shook her head