Rose's Mail Order Husband - A Historical Mail Order Bride Story (Montana Brides) Read Free

acting this way?”
    Rose studied her sister. “Not really. I’m not worried about that. As long as I have Jake to ground me, I know I won’t lose my footing. I might be acting irrationally now. Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not. It doesn’t matter. Once I marry Jake, everything will be okay.”
    “You’re banking an awful lot on this marriage,” Violet remarked. “Do you really think that’s wise?”
    “Whether it’s wise or not,” Rose maintained, “that’s the way it is. Now, come on. Help me with the dress. Which one do you think I ought to wear?”
    Violet laughed. “This one, of course!” She pointed to the dress on the bed. “What’s wrong with you?”
    Rose flung the closet door closed. “Fine. I’ll wear it.” She stomped back to her dressing table and turned her back on Violet.
    Violet recognized the rejection. “I’ll go downstairs and talk to Rita about the food. I could come back up here later and help you get dressed if you want.”
    “If you want to, you can.” Rose didn’t look at Violet again, and the door shut behind her.
    Ah, peace at last. She could let her thoughts drift. If she could only get through the next few hours without further interruption, her life would improve dramatically.
    But no, here came Iris. How did they get the idea they could walk in without knocking?
    “Do you mind if I talk to you for a while, Rose?” she asked.
    “Actually, I do,” Rose replied. “I’d rather not talk about anything to anyone right now.”
    Iris ignored her and sat down on the bed. “We’re getting married today, Rose. I think we should talk a few things over.”
    “Why should we?” Rose asked. “Why should we talk now just because we’re getting married?”
    “We’re sisters,” Iris replied. “It’s natural for us to talk things over before we get married.”
    “It might be natural for you,” Rose shot back. “It isn’t for me.”
    “Then just sit there and listen so I can talk,” Iris snapped. “You might do something for someone else once in a while.”
    “Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want to listen, either?” Rose asked. “What part of sitting in my room with the door shut do you not understand? Are you really so dim that you don’t understand I want to be left alone?”
    “It isn’t normal for you to be alone all the time,” Iris insisted, “especially on your wedding day. You’ve been acting strangely ever since Jake showed up. You’ve got me and Violet worried sick about you.”
    “You don’t have to worry about me,” Rose told her. “I’m fine.”
    “You shouldn’t want to be alone all the time,” Iris repeated. “It isn’t normal.”
    “I don’t want to see anyone other than Jake,” Rose told her, “and I won’t see him before the wedding. I don’t care if it’s normal or not. He’s the only one who understands me. What a stupid tradition that is. Now, when I need him the most, I’m not supposed to see him.”
    “What about me and Violet?” Iris asked. “Are you saying we don’t understand you? Are you saying you care more about Jake than you do for us?”
    “Do you understand,” Rose asked, “that every time one of you—or anyone else, for that matter—bursts in here or tries to talk to me, I have to grit my teeth to get through it?”
    “Is it as bad as that?” Iris asked. “Why do you have to grit your teeth? Explain yourself for once. Then I might understand.”
    “I have to grit my teeth so I don’t saying something I might regret later,” Rose told her.
    “You won’t regret talking to people, especially us,” Iris maintained. “We’re your family.”
    “Just about everything I say these days, I regret later,” Rose returned. “If only I could stop talking altogether. That would be a significant improvement on these ridiculous conversations you insist on having with me.”
    Iris stared at her with her mouth hanging open. “Do you realize just how deeply you’ve hurt Violet by saying you won’t