ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) Read Free Page B

the letter until he went home that evening, but throughout the day, he was aware of its presence in the pocket of his trousers. Lorna McGill had delivered the letter in person, not from dedication to her work as postmistress in the general store but from curiosity.
    “Who do you know in Boston, Sheriff?”
    Reilley was alone in the office, reading a report about a cattle rustling gang that had been striking close to Liberty Bell.
    “I have a maiden aunt in Boston, Miss Lorna,” he lied.
    “She surely writes a fine hand.”
    “She surely does,” he agreed, noticing the delicate penmanship on the envelope.
    “Doesn’t look like an elderly lady’s hand,” Lorna said.
“I didn’t say she was elderly, Miss Lorna,” he replied. “She’s something around your years, I reckon, and you’re just a girl.”
    Lorna’s girlhood was long behind her, but as the maiden aunt in Boston didn’t exist, Reilley just wanted her to leave so that he could finish the day’s business, go home and read his letter.
    Dear Mr. Reilley , he read that evening when he got home. By the time he’d chased Lady Jane back to the coop, booted Luther from the house, milked Nettie, fed Stonewall and admired Jezebel’s kittens, he decided he’d rather dine on bread and cheese rather than cook.
    Dear Mr. Reilley,
    I read with great interest your advertisement, and I would relish the opportunity to come to Liberty Bell Texas to be your wife. I have longed to live in Texas for a very long time. My name is Trice—that is pronounced Triss, which rhymes with kiss—and I am old enough to wed a man of my own choosing and I think I would choose you. I also have chickens and a cat and a horse; I wish I had a dog as well. I have never milked a cow. Is it hard to learn how? I am willing to learn.
    Please tell me about Texas. I have never been West although I’ve ready much about it. Have you ever been in a gun fight? I understand that they are quite common. Is it dangerous to be the sheriff? Please tell me everything about Liberty Bell. Do people move there frequently? Do you have many visitors from the East? I hope that you will write back and relate to me the story of your home.
    Truly yours,
    Trice
    Dear Miss Trice,
    I would rather learn about you than write about Texas. It’s not hard to milk a cow. It just takes practice. I’ll teach you how. Liberty Bell is as safe as any town in the West and safer than many. There’s a fort a day’s ride east of Liberty Bell if we need help, but we take care of most things ourselves. The town is growing fast but most people are honorable. You haven’t told me much about yourself. Texas isn’t a fancy place; we don’t have the kinds of high society that you’re used to in Boston. But Texas is a fine place if you want to live your own life.
    Dear Mr. Reilley,
    I haven’t done very much of note, so there’s very little to tell. I don’t suppose I have many practical qualities; I’m told that I daydream too much. But I’m not flighty, so please don’t think that. I’ve never fainted and I once, with a friend, helped the farrier when a mare was giving birth. That was a most amazing thing to witness. I hope you don’t think me unladylike for telling you this. The truth is that I don’t enjoy high society and I would think it fine to live in a place that isn’t fancy, and I would prefer to learn how to milk a cow than ever have to endure anther afternoon making social calls. If you think that someone like me could be a suitable wife for someone like you, then I want to come to Texas as soon as possible. I don’t want to wait any longer. I suppose you want to know if I am frightful to look at. I have been told that I am pretty, but of course beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
    Truly yours,
    Trice
    Dear Trice,
    I’ve enclosed a railroad ticket for you to come to Liberty Bell on the train. I think you and I could get along tolerably well and I pledge that I will try to make you as happy as a woman