Rose's Mail Order Husband - A Historical Mail Order Bride Story (Montana Brides) by Kate Whitsby
Authors: Kate Whitsby
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up her hands and turned away from Rose. “You’re out of your mind. You’ve always been so level-headed in the past. I don’t know what Jake’s done to you to turn you into such a sniveling wreck. I just can’t stand to talk to you anymore when you just keep repeating the same nonsense.”
She spun away and stomped up the stairs, leaving Rose alone in her distracted despair.
Chapter 13
Rose retreated to her own room, but her dressing table mirror no longer held any sway over her. When she entered her bedroom, she cast one brief glance toward it and flung herself down on her bed.
How long would she have to wait here, on tenterhooks, before she knew whether the Sheriff had caught Jake? He might shoot Jake while attempting to capture him. What would she do then?
She sobbed into her pillow, already damp with tears, until she fell into a swoon of exhaustion.
She had no idea how much time elapsed before she woke up, but her restless anxiety tormented her more than ever. She took to pacing around the room, but before very long, she had no choice but to go out and roam the house.
Every place she turned repelled her. The clusters of daisies in the parlor, the cutlery and china laid out in the dining room for, even the open range outside every window plagued her beyond all endurance. They drove her onward to the next agonizing reminder of her loss.
The sun crept around the sky, hour dragged after painful hour, until Rose thought she would drop dead from the strain. Once, she found herself near the back door and the path leading up to the Bird House.
She couldn’t even go there anymore. The house only reminded her of her excitement at the prospect of going home to that house with Jake. Now the minister was up there, reading Cornell’s books and drinking the tea Violet brought him. She couldn’t even walk in the garden the way she used to. She fled from the sight of her lost future, around to the other side of the house, where she wouldn’t see the Bird House anymore.
She came around to the front of the house and spotted Iris sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. She would have walked away to avoid speaking to her. But at the same moment, Violet came out of the house, and all three sisters stood together, gazing toward the West, where their men rode in search of some elusive destiny.
“When do you think they’ll come back?” Violet asked.
“It’s impossible to say,” Iris replied. “If they find him, they could come back any time. If they don’t find him, it depends on how hard the Sheriff wants to keep pushing until they do find him. If the Sheriff wants to, he’ll just keep driving them day and night until they find him and bring him in.”
“Can he really do that?” Violet asked.
“He can do whatever he wants,” Iris told her. “He’s a lawman pursuing a wanted criminal. From what I saw, he’s determined to bring Jake in. He didn’t take Jake running off very well. He’s made bringing him to justice a personal campaign. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pushed on without stopping, and he’ll take Chuck and Mick along with him.”
Rose turned her face toward the range to hide her tears, and Violet touched her lips with her fingertips. “But this could take days, even weeks. When are we supposed to get married?”
“I guess we won’t,” Iris replied, “not until they catch Jake, at least.”
The three sisters gazed westward again. The sun shone in their eyes, but none of them saw the scenery around them. All three saw only their men, riding somewhere out there. Were they riding toward their brides, or away from them?
The sound of horse’s hooves disturbed the stillness of the moment, echoing out of the blinding sunlight, coming closer and getting steadily louder. The steady drumbeat of a galloping horse commanded all their attention.
Iris stood up from her rocking chair and shaded her eyes with her hand. Rose knit her hands together until her knuckles ached. Which one of them
She spun away and stomped up the stairs, leaving Rose alone in her distracted despair.
Chapter 13
Rose retreated to her own room, but her dressing table mirror no longer held any sway over her. When she entered her bedroom, she cast one brief glance toward it and flung herself down on her bed.
How long would she have to wait here, on tenterhooks, before she knew whether the Sheriff had caught Jake? He might shoot Jake while attempting to capture him. What would she do then?
She sobbed into her pillow, already damp with tears, until she fell into a swoon of exhaustion.
She had no idea how much time elapsed before she woke up, but her restless anxiety tormented her more than ever. She took to pacing around the room, but before very long, she had no choice but to go out and roam the house.
Every place she turned repelled her. The clusters of daisies in the parlor, the cutlery and china laid out in the dining room for, even the open range outside every window plagued her beyond all endurance. They drove her onward to the next agonizing reminder of her loss.
The sun crept around the sky, hour dragged after painful hour, until Rose thought she would drop dead from the strain. Once, she found herself near the back door and the path leading up to the Bird House.
She couldn’t even go there anymore. The house only reminded her of her excitement at the prospect of going home to that house with Jake. Now the minister was up there, reading Cornell’s books and drinking the tea Violet brought him. She couldn’t even walk in the garden the way she used to. She fled from the sight of her lost future, around to the other side of the house, where she wouldn’t see the Bird House anymore.
She came around to the front of the house and spotted Iris sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. She would have walked away to avoid speaking to her. But at the same moment, Violet came out of the house, and all three sisters stood together, gazing toward the West, where their men rode in search of some elusive destiny.
“When do you think they’ll come back?” Violet asked.
“It’s impossible to say,” Iris replied. “If they find him, they could come back any time. If they don’t find him, it depends on how hard the Sheriff wants to keep pushing until they do find him. If the Sheriff wants to, he’ll just keep driving them day and night until they find him and bring him in.”
“Can he really do that?” Violet asked.
“He can do whatever he wants,” Iris told her. “He’s a lawman pursuing a wanted criminal. From what I saw, he’s determined to bring Jake in. He didn’t take Jake running off very well. He’s made bringing him to justice a personal campaign. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pushed on without stopping, and he’ll take Chuck and Mick along with him.”
Rose turned her face toward the range to hide her tears, and Violet touched her lips with her fingertips. “But this could take days, even weeks. When are we supposed to get married?”
“I guess we won’t,” Iris replied, “not until they catch Jake, at least.”
The three sisters gazed westward again. The sun shone in their eyes, but none of them saw the scenery around them. All three saw only their men, riding somewhere out there. Were they riding toward their brides, or away from them?
The sound of horse’s hooves disturbed the stillness of the moment, echoing out of the blinding sunlight, coming closer and getting steadily louder. The steady drumbeat of a galloping horse commanded all their attention.
Iris stood up from her rocking chair and shaded her eyes with her hand. Rose knit her hands together until her knuckles ached. Which one of them
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