Mail Order Bride: Montana Bride (A Clean Inspirational Historical New Adult Romance)

by Nathan Adams

  “It’s not due for another week,” She said, stepping forward to block them.

  “Hey, is there a problem here?” Rick snapped, marching up from the barn, wiping his hands on his trousers. The banker men cocked a brow and looked him up and down.

  “Who are you?” one of them said. “This is none of your business.” He snapped and then paused, smirking and looking between them. “Has our lonely little widow decided to have herself some fun?

  Rick stood between the bankers and Mary, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t be vulgar. She is my fiancée.”

  “Well, you’re about to be homeless,” he said simply. “Little missy here owes her mortgage, and we all know she can’t pay it. She’s helpless. She’s never going to survive out here,” the banker said with a chuckle. “Even if she marries you, she’s too far in debt. You’ll never get out of it. It’s best if you run now.”

  Rick drew his lips back into a smirk and looked over his shoulder at Mary. “Go get my satchel from the den, will you?”

  She paused but nodded and went into the house, returning with the worn leather satchel. She handed it over to him, standing beside him nervously. She was trying to keep herself busy, tucking her hair behind her ear and under her hat, keeping her gaze on the bankers. She didn’t want to seem intimidated, but it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous

  Rick dug into the satchel and pulled out a wad of money, shoving it into the banker’s hands. “That is the money from our first payment from the local shops. They’re thrilled to have a dairy farm so close to town. I don’t think you’ll have to be worrying about how Mary is going to pay her mortgage anymore,” he said firmly.

  The banker took the money and stared at the pile of cash with wide eyes. It was enough to pay for the house for the next six months. As he ran his thumbs over the bills, he struggled to find words, grunting uselessly in disbelief.

  “This can’t be,” he whispered.

  Rick stepped forward, his hands shooting out and thick fingers wrapping themselves in the banker’s coat and lifting the man off the ground with ease. Even though the banker was quite tall, he was no match for Rick.

  “Who do you think you are, coming up her and trying to take her farm away from her? She’s paid her dues. If I ever see you on this property again, you better pray I don’t catch you. And if I ever hear you insult Mary again? Well, you don’t want to know what I’ll do to you, but you’ll wish you’d never opened your blubbering mouth. Do you understand?”

  The banker’s eyes were wide with fear, and he nodded weakly, his mouth too dry to speak. Rick tossed him to the ground and kicked snow in their direction as they scrambled to mount their horses.

  “Now get out of here!” he snapped.

  The bankers dug their heels into the horses, galloping away from the farm as quickly as they could, looking back over their shoulders. Rick was grinning, waving and laughing a deep, rumbling laugh.

  “Good riddance!” he yelled, taking off his hat and wiping his brow. He turned toward Mary and smiled, reaching out and taking her hand. “You can’t let guys like that scare you. Just got to get a little tough with ’em. They’re all wusses, anyway,” he said, smirking over at her.

  She smiled and paused, reaching down to take his hand. “You called it my farm,” she said softly, eyes wide.

  “It is your farm,” he said. “You’ve worked hard, Mary. You deserve some credit, but you have to claim it. Men like that will strip you of everything because you’re a woman,” he said sternly.

  She nodded and squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Rick. Thank you for standing up for me.”

  He smiled and wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her shoulders gently. “We have to stand up for each other if this is going to be our farm.”

  “It already is, Rick. It is our farm,” she whispered, putting her head on his shoulder.

  He didn’t say anything in return, but there was a silent understanding between them. Nothing needed to be said. They both knew they were in love.

  Chapter Seven

  Christmas Eve was upon them, and Rick and Mary decided to take the day off from working on the farm. At the moment they were hanging shiny red baubles and pinecones from a tree Rick cut down only a few days ago. It was the first Christmas since Mary left home that she had a Christmas tree. When she and Jacob first moved to Wyoming, they didn’t have the money or know-how to get a Christmas tree or ornaments, and the next Christmas was the first one Mary spent alone. She decided that she much preferred the festivities to sadness.

  Her guilt over Jacob slowly started to wane with time. There were still moments where she questioned whether letting herself fall in love with Rick was the right thing or not. She would kneel at the foot of her bed every night and pray for an answer. For a long time, her only response was silence. No one seemed to be listening.

  One night while she kneeled to pray, she felt the warmth of a hand on her shoulder, and she knew it was Jacob. She knew he’d come to tell her that it was OK and that she deserved love. It was time to move on. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she fell asleep, curled up and smiling as tears of joy streamed down her face. She was so happy she didn’t have to wonder anymore.

  “Mary, are you all right?” Rick asked, handing her another glass ornament.

  She blinked a few times, coming back to reality before nodding with a smile. “Yes, I’m fine, Rick,” she said softly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “I’m just thinking.”

  “Would it be rude of me to ask you what you’re thinking?”

  She smiled and hung the heavy ornament onto one of the thicker branches as she turned to look up to him. Ever since he’d chased the bankers off, they were more and more affectionate with each other. Mary found herself hoping and praying that one day they’d stop playing around and he’d hold her close and kiss her under the stars. He made her feel like a school girl in love, and she wanted more than anything for that dream to come to fruition.

  Mary stared up at him for a long time and crossed her arms. “I was thinking about Jacob.”

  His face fell just a little and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh.”

  “I was thinking about how much he loved me and how much he would have wanted to see me happy no matter what. And I’ve been wondering about how I might achieve that happiness,” she mused.

  Rick said nothing and watched her closely. She smiled and leaned against him, sighing.

  “Were you afraid to move on after you lost your family?”

  “I was very afraid,” he admitted. “I was afraid that if I moved on it would somehow be a travesty to their memory.”

  “You were afraid?” she asked. “But you aren’t anymore?”

  “I’m not.”

  “What made you not afraid?”

  He paused a moment, looking past her before he finally met her gaze. “Well, I prayed, and I asked God and I asked Julie to help me heal. I prayed for help, and I got you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she stared up at him. “I’m the one who helped you?”

  He nodded and smiled. “I never would have expected it when we first met. I thought you were a brat,” he said with a good-natured smile. “All I wanted was a share in your farm, you know? I was going to marry you and take half your farm and eventually all of it. I knew that once you got a taste of farm work you’d hate it, but you proved me wrong, and I fell in love with you, Mary. Somewhere along the way I fell in love.”

  Her eyes widened, and she reached up to touch his cheeks, tears coming to her eyes. “Me, too, Rick. I didn’t think I’d ever love anyone again, and then you walked right through that door, and it was like the world shifted,” she whispered.

  Rick paused and reached into the pocket of his working trousers and pulled out a small piece of dried mistletoe. There was a little red ribbon tied around it, and when Mary saw it, her eyes widened and a grin spread to her lips. Rick took the mistletoe and held it over their heads and between them, grinning down at her.

  “
Looks like we’re under the mistletoe.”

  “It seems we are,” she whispered.

  Rick paused, taking a deep breath before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, their lips meeting in a long awaited kiss. She always thought nothing would ever beat her and Jacob’s first kiss, but she was proven wrong that Christmas Eve.

  When their lips met, fireworks exploded behind her eyes. He pulled her close and held her tight as they held the kiss until the need for air became too strong to ignore. When they finally separated, her lips tingled pleasantly, and her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid it might pound right out of her chest.

  She blinked a few times, breathless as her knees became weak, and she leaned against him for balance.

  “That was … ”

  “Amazing,” he finished.

  She laughed and leaned up to catch his lips in another tender kiss before he lifted her into his arms and twirled her around, grinning. She gasped and laughed excitedly as he finally set her back on her feet, and she cupped his cheeks again, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

  “Merry Christmas, Rick.”

  Chapter Eight

  It was the first of many Christmas’ they would celebrate together. No matter how much time passed, they always made sure to hang mistletoe where they would be sure to find themselves underneath it. They were happy, and that was something neither of them expected after they lost so much. Their love was proof that the human spirit would endure and that God always had a plan.

  They eventually got married, though they waited a year or so in order to fall in love properly. Mary was ready to marry him on Christmas Day, but Rick never wanted her to wonder if their marriage was just about the farm, so he made her wait until the fall. They were married the very same day they met and had a beautiful wedding and invited everyone in town, including the bankers.

  The very men who tried to take her house came to her wedding bearing gifts and apologies for their harsh words. Their apologies were accepted, and they never bothered Mary or Rick again. No bankers and no guilt would ever burden them again.

  Mary smiled as she watched her children play in the snowy field near the tree where Jacob was buried. She hoped he could see them, and she hoped he knew just how happy she was. Her life was complete, and although she loved Jacob dearly and missed him every day, she’d learned that she wasn’t put on this earth to cry and be sad.

  She was a mother with a successful farm and a loving husband. She had so much in her life to be happy and thankful for that it seemed a travesty to get hung up on grief. Mary sighed and put her hands flat on the counter, smiling when Rick wrapped his arms around her from the back and kissed her temple.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “Christmas is just around the corner, you know.” She hummed, putting her delicate hands over his rough and calloused ones.

  “Our favorite time of year.”

  She smiled and turned around, wrapping her arms around him gently. “Is it by chance that we met?” she whispered, stroking his cheek.

  “I don’t think so.”

  She smiled and tugged on his sandy hair playfully. “What do you think it was then?”

  “I think there were a lot of angels watching over us.” He hummed, kissing her cheek. “I think Julie and Jacob wanted us to find each other so we could be happy.”

  Mary nodded and leaned back a little. “I hope they know how happy we are.”

  “I’m sure they do, Mary.”

  He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out some mistletoe and holding over her head. “It seems we’re under the mistletoe,” he said with a grin.

  She smiled and leaned up, placing and adoring kiss on his lips.

  “It seems we are.”

  THE END

  Return to the TOC for Bonus Content

  Mail Order Brides with Babies

  Anne and the Baby

  Chapter One

  Life was simple before—before things got bad. Irina lived on a small farm in rural Kentucky. She and her family weren’t rich, but they always did well for themselves. God graced them with a fruitful farm and a good family.

  For the past three generations, the Moore family had lived in Pikeville, ever since they had arrived in America from Europe. It was their home and a place they’d come to love. The rolling hills and tall trees were just a few of the things that attracted the Moore family to the beautiful state of Kentucky. What kept them there was the sense of community that seemed to pervade every aspect of society. Big cities held no appeal to the close-knit family. Pikeville was the type of place where everyone knew everyone, and Sunday morning church services were something to look forward to.

  Anne sighed as she threaded her fingers through her hair, twisting her golden locks into a messy braid. She glanced outside and softly as she watched tiny white snowflakes fall from the sky. She couldn’t remember the last time it snowed like this. They seemed to get a few small flurries every year but nothing like this.

  She pushed herself up from her bed and slipped into her coat before knocking on her sister’s door.

  “Ashley, wake up or we’ll be late for church,” she called through the door.

  The younger girl poked her head out and looked up at Anne, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Just beyond Ashley’s sleepy figure she could see that Beth was still asleep in the bed her youngest sisters shared. “It’s so cold, Anne. And Ma and Pa are not back yet.”

  There was a hint of worry in the girl’s voice, but Anne just leaned down and kissed her forehead. “They’ll be home today, but we need to go to church and pray for their safe arrival.”

  Ma and Pa left nearly a week ago to travel to the city in order to get to a doctor. Pa had fallen ill, and the local physician couldn’t help him, though he seemed positive that a doctor in a hospital might be able to cure his ails. The elderly physician seemed confident in her father’s recovery. Anne wasn’t going to question it.

  After her sisters were dressed, Anne led them up the small hill to the church. The preacher welcomed them with a smile, and everything seemed right in the world. Of course, Anne was worried, but she knew that she needed to have faith and to believe in God’s plan. He would guide them through this trying time. It was the attitude she was raised to have, and she wasn’t going to start questioning it now.

  The sermon was as beautiful and moving, as always, and she thanked the preacher for giving them strength and comfort. They certainly needed it. The sisters stuck around after church and chatted with their neighbors about the upcoming harvest and how badly they wanted for spring. They were true Southerners and didn’t take kindly to the cold weather and snow. They said their goodbyes and headed back down the hill.

  Anne’s heart skipped a beat when they reached the bottom: Her parent’s horses were back. They were neighing softly, steam rising from their nostrils. Apparently, they didn’t like the cold, either.

  Anne ran into the house, her face bright with excitement, and her sisters followed behind. “Ma! Pa!” she cried out. But Anne was surprised to find only her mother sitting beside the cold fireplace, her eyes dead and lost. She was alone, and anger and sadness hung in the air. Anne looked around, blinking quickly. Where was Pa? As she inched closer to her mother, she could see tears sliding down her face. “Ma, where is Pa?” she asked, her voice quivering ever so slightly.

  Anne’s mother didn’t look up to meet Anne’s gaze. She just stared into the fireplace. “The angels took him, Anne.”

  “But the doctor said … ”

  “I know what the doctor said!” she snapped, the tears flowing faster now.

  Anne just stared at her mother’s shoulders heave with each sob. She wanted to comfort her mother, but she didn’t know where to begin. She could hear weaker sobs behind her. Anne was fighting tears herself, but she knew she needed to be strong. Pa would have wanted that.

  She knelt beside her mother and wrapped her arms around her. The tears were hot against Anne’s ski
n, but she didn’t pull away. She wanted to tell her mother that it would be OK and that they were going to make it, but Anne wasn’t so sure. Pa was the backbone of their family. Without him, she wasn’t sure what would become of them.

  Anne wasn’t just worried about their well-being, either. Her heart was broken. She and her Pa had a special bond. Her life would be empty without him, and she wasn’t sure how to cope with the loss. She wanted to cry, but she knew that Pa was looking down on them and that she would be the one expected to take the reins. She wasn’t going to let him down. “It’ll be all right, Ma. It’s going to be all right.”

  Her mother let out another sob and clung desperately to her daughter. Anne closed her eyes and did the only thing she could think to do: She prayed.

  Chapter Two

  Anne tried to stay hopeful and strong, but it didn’t last long. Pa’s funeral was a few days after his body was delivered from the hospital. They said their final goodbyes and then buried him behind their beloved church. Watching Pa be lowered into the ground was the hardest thing Anne ever had to do. She cried more that day than any other in her life.

  The family mourned the passing of Pa all winter long. The community offered the family food and as much comfort as they could, but the town eventually moved on, and the Moores were expected to as well. It was a brutal truth, but life didn’t stop moving just because someone died.

  Anne tried desperately to take over her father’s role in the family. Ma was too shattered to take control. When spring came, Anne took to the fields and tended to the animals and crops as best she could. She’d spent time on the farm with her father, though her mother rarely allowed her to spend too much time outside. It wasn’t ladylike to play around in the field with the pigs and corn.

  Anne didn’t remember everything Pa taught her, but what she remembered she put to use. Anne did her best to nurture the crops and keep the animals fat, but nothing seemed to be working. She didn’t have enough skill or know-how to make the farm thrive. She grew a few ears of corn and a pumpkin or two but not enough to sustain the family.