Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) by Claire Holiday Page A
Authors: Claire Holiday
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alone. She told me that he died when I was a baby, but I’ve never really believed that story.” Grace answered.
“I am really sorry. Is that why you came out here then?” Owen asked. “To get a fresh start.”
“Sort of.” Grace hesitated. “We didn’t have a lot, growing up. My mother did as well as she could for me, but it was all she could do most of the time just to provide for our basic needs. Toward the end, after she got sick, she worried a lot about what would become of me, when she would pass. I didn’t want to add to her stress, so when a local guy proposed to me, I accepted, though I really was not that eager to marry him.”
“So what happened? Did you end up marrying him?” Owen asked.
“Nope. In the end, he ended up leaving me standing at the altar. I guess he wasn’t any more eager to marry me than I was to marry him. I was just glad that my mother wasn’t around to see it. It would have broken her heart.”
“I can imagine. But it sounds like it was for the best for you.” Owen said. “How did you end up engaged to the guy from here then?”
After my fiancé walked out on me, I was in a desperate situation. My mother had not left me much when she died, and I could only earn enough just to feed myself. I didn’t know what to do, until I stumbled upon a marriage journal. I ended up responding to an advertisement in it. I figured that it was a means to an end, and that if I worked hard to be the best wife that I could be, then we could both be happy. Well, you know how that turned out.”
Owen became quiet, and Grace wondered if she had shared too much with him. She always felt that she had a difficult time stopping herself before she said too much, but it felt good to be unburdening herself with Owen. He listened, when most men would have changed the subject. Now she was not sure. His silence could be taken either way.
“I come here sometimes when I want time alone to think.” Owen said, the uncomfortable silence finally broken. For a moment, Grace thought he was changing the subject, but as he spoke, his expression gave the impression that he was somewhere far away, that he had something serious on his mind. “I found this spot shortly after we arrived here, and I’ve been here many times since.”
Grace didn’t say anything, but turned to face him so he would know that he had her undivided attention. She sensed that he had more on his mind, and that he wanted to share it with her. He sat silent for a time, staring at his boots. Her heart ached, she recognized the pain that he felt, as the same pain she experienced when she thought about her mother.
“I completely understand how you feel.” Owen said, and then as if anticipating the questions on her mind. “I knew my father, early on. He abandoned my mother, and my sister and I, for a woman that he met in a saloon. I haven’t seen him since, and never want to again. He left my mother with nothing, and we struggled through life because of it. She died, I believe of a broken heart. I was only 15. She lived long enough to see my sister get married, but died shortly after. I was not of age yet, so my sister and her husband took me in with them, and we moved to Montana. He had big plans to find gold, but he didn’t make it long enough to have a fighting chance. It’s been my sister and I for most of the time since we arrived here.”
“I’m sorry. Nobody should have to live through that.” Grace felt her heart breaking. He said that he understood, and she now knew that was not just his way of being polite. He was a kindred soul, who had experienced much the same pain in life as she had. She was just glad that he had his sister to help him through it.
“You should be able to find a good man to marry out here.” Owen suggested, changing the subject off of himself. “Men outnumber women by huge numbers here. As soon as word gets out that there is a beautiful single woman staying with us, they’ll come knocking at the
“I am really sorry. Is that why you came out here then?” Owen asked. “To get a fresh start.”
“Sort of.” Grace hesitated. “We didn’t have a lot, growing up. My mother did as well as she could for me, but it was all she could do most of the time just to provide for our basic needs. Toward the end, after she got sick, she worried a lot about what would become of me, when she would pass. I didn’t want to add to her stress, so when a local guy proposed to me, I accepted, though I really was not that eager to marry him.”
“So what happened? Did you end up marrying him?” Owen asked.
“Nope. In the end, he ended up leaving me standing at the altar. I guess he wasn’t any more eager to marry me than I was to marry him. I was just glad that my mother wasn’t around to see it. It would have broken her heart.”
“I can imagine. But it sounds like it was for the best for you.” Owen said. “How did you end up engaged to the guy from here then?”
After my fiancé walked out on me, I was in a desperate situation. My mother had not left me much when she died, and I could only earn enough just to feed myself. I didn’t know what to do, until I stumbled upon a marriage journal. I ended up responding to an advertisement in it. I figured that it was a means to an end, and that if I worked hard to be the best wife that I could be, then we could both be happy. Well, you know how that turned out.”
Owen became quiet, and Grace wondered if she had shared too much with him. She always felt that she had a difficult time stopping herself before she said too much, but it felt good to be unburdening herself with Owen. He listened, when most men would have changed the subject. Now she was not sure. His silence could be taken either way.
“I come here sometimes when I want time alone to think.” Owen said, the uncomfortable silence finally broken. For a moment, Grace thought he was changing the subject, but as he spoke, his expression gave the impression that he was somewhere far away, that he had something serious on his mind. “I found this spot shortly after we arrived here, and I’ve been here many times since.”
Grace didn’t say anything, but turned to face him so he would know that he had her undivided attention. She sensed that he had more on his mind, and that he wanted to share it with her. He sat silent for a time, staring at his boots. Her heart ached, she recognized the pain that he felt, as the same pain she experienced when she thought about her mother.
“I completely understand how you feel.” Owen said, and then as if anticipating the questions on her mind. “I knew my father, early on. He abandoned my mother, and my sister and I, for a woman that he met in a saloon. I haven’t seen him since, and never want to again. He left my mother with nothing, and we struggled through life because of it. She died, I believe of a broken heart. I was only 15. She lived long enough to see my sister get married, but died shortly after. I was not of age yet, so my sister and her husband took me in with them, and we moved to Montana. He had big plans to find gold, but he didn’t make it long enough to have a fighting chance. It’s been my sister and I for most of the time since we arrived here.”
“I’m sorry. Nobody should have to live through that.” Grace felt her heart breaking. He said that he understood, and she now knew that was not just his way of being polite. He was a kindred soul, who had experienced much the same pain in life as she had. She was just glad that he had his sister to help him through it.
“You should be able to find a good man to marry out here.” Owen suggested, changing the subject off of himself. “Men outnumber women by huge numbers here. As soon as word gets out that there is a beautiful single woman staying with us, they’ll come knocking at the
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