Gilbert peered over at the girl. “Sitter.”
Sadie chuckled. “Close enough.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “When she gets older, the two of you will have a lot of fun together. You two can play with blocks, learn how to ride a horse, help your pa with the animals, go for walks, and lots of other wonderful things. There’s a whole world out there to explore. Lots of good moments ahead to enjoy.” She glanced between him and the girl. “You two are going to have a wonderful childhood. Your pa and I will see to that. I promise.”
The door opened and Al smiled at them as he stepped into the house. “The animals are good for the night.” He set his hat and coat on the hooks by the door and approached them. “Have you decided on a name for her yet?”
“I think so,” Sadie said. “I’d like to name her Hazel. I think it’d be a good way to honor Hazel’s memory.”
Al knelt beside her and rubbed her back. “I think that’s a great idea. We have a lot to be thankful to her for.”
She nodded. “It’s good that her father’s new wife is expecting. He’ll have another child this fall.”
“The new child won’t replace Hazel, but he doesn’t have to be alone anymore.”
“I feel better knowing that.”
“I do, too,” Al said. “I’ll take care of our daughter tonight so you can get a good night’s sleep. You don’t do anyone any good when you’re so tired you can’t remember the difference between flour and baking powder.”
“It was an easy mistake,” she replied. “Anyone could have made it.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t make for good pancakes.”
She laughed. “At least we had some leftover muffins from Aunt Betty.”
Grinning, he brought Gilbert into his arms. “You think you might want to go out to the barn with me tomorrow and help out?”
“Yes,” Gilbert replied, giggling as Al tickled him.
Al looked over at her. “Next week we’ll pay Aunt Betty and Bear a visit. I’m anxious to give them the skin from that elk I caught.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Sadie said. “It was nice of her to help me when I was giving birth to Hazel.”
“I think she would have been disappointed if she couldn’t be here. She loves to help out whenever she can. She says it makes her feel useful.” Al got to his feet and picked Gilbert up. Leaning forward, he kissed her. “After I put him in bed, I’ll take care of Hazel so you can go to sleep.”
“Thank you, Al. And good night, Gilbert.”
“Bye, Ma,” Gilbert replied.
To her surprise, Al bent down and gave her another kiss. “I love you, Sadie.”
Her smile grew wider. “I love you too, Al.”
She watched him as he took Gilbert to the bedroom before she turned her gaze back to Hazel. “You, your brother, and your pa are all good things in my life,” she whispered. “And someday I’ll tell you about the woman who made this all possible.”
She kissed her daughter’s forehead. Yes, she had much to be thankful for, and she would embrace every good moment granted to her for as long as she lived.
Another Mail Order Bride Romance
by Ruth Ann Nordin
Eye of the Beholder
Mary Peters despairs that she will never get married. At nineteen, she has no prospects of finding a husband, so she takes matters into her own hands and becomes a mail order bride. When she arrives in Omaha, Nebraska to meet the man she's due to marry, he takes one look at her homely appearance and rejects her.
But fate has other plans for Mary, for Dave Larson happens to be nearby and figures she will make a suitable companion to help him on his farm. Though she is stunned that someone as handsome and as kind as Dave would ask her to marry him, she accepts, realizing that this marriage of convenience will not bear the fruits of love. Love, after all, is for beautiful women. Isn't it?
A Mail Order Husband Romance
by Ruth Ann Nordin
A Husband for Margaret
When Margaret Williams posted an ad for a husband, she expected Paul Connealy to arrive, but instead, his older brother Joseph came...and he brought four children with him.
List of All Romances by Ruth Ann Nordin
Regencies
Marriage by Scandal
The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife
A Most Unsuitable Earl
His Reluctant Lady
The Earl’s Scandalous Wife
Standalone Regency
Her Counterfeit Husband
Historical Westerns
Nebraska Romance Collection
Her Heart’s Desire
A Bride for Tom
A Husband for Margaret
Eye of the Beholder
The Wrong Husband
Shotgun Groom
To Have and To Hold
His Redeeming Bride
Isaac’s Decision
South Dakota Romance Collection
Loving Eliza
Bid for a Bride
Bride of Second Chances
Montana Romance Collection
Mitch’s Win
Boaz’s Wager
Wild Hearts Series (Co-Written with Stephannie Beman)
The Stagecoach Bride
Historical Romantic Anthology (Co-Written with Janet Syas Nitsick)
Bride by Arrangement
Native American Romance Series
Restoring Hope
A Chance In Time (novella)
Brave Beginnings
Bound by Honor, Bound by Love
Virginia Romance Collection
An Unlikely Place for Love
The Cold Wife
An Inconvenient Marriage
Romancing Adrienne
Standalone Historical Westerns
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Kent Ashton’s Backstory
Catching Kent
Meant To Be
Contemporaries
Omaha Contemporary Romances
With This Ring, I Thee Dread
What Nathan Wants
Florida Contemporary Romances
Substitute Bride
Across the Stars Series
Suddenly a Bride
Runaway Bride
His Abducted Bride
The Mail Order Bride's Deception Page 18