Mail Order Bride--The Burned Bride by Catherine Harper

Author:Catherine Harper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mail order brides of the west, free mail order brides western romance, mail order romance, mail order brides western romance, mail order bride
Publisher: Catherine Harper
Published: 2016-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

RIDING UNDER THE WOODEN arch that proclaimed they were on Henley property now, Neal found a soft whistle come unconsciously from his mouth. Embarrassed that he did so, he found Charles grinning over at him.

“Impresssive, ain’t she?”

“You can say that again.”

“I remember thiss placce when it wass nothing.” Charles cackled. “You should have sseen the half-starved cattle we had back then. I swear we couldn’t have given the thingss away.”

A waft of manure passed by Neal’s nose as they drove by a group of animals grazing lazily nearby. Watching the cattle return his stare until they’d gone by, he found the man’s comment hard to believe. Everywhere he looked he couldn’t see anything that spoke of that time. The fence that guided them toward the farm would have kept him and his brother busy for weeks. Not to mention the large farm house that was growing in size the closer they got to it. “So, what happened?”

Charles pointed off to a large water tank that sat on stilts. “We found gold in the river bed over there.”

“Really? All this came from what you found?”

“Well, that—and Anna’s hussband. He’s in the railroad bisness.” He nodded. “And before you ask, yess it was one of hiss trainss that crashed.”

Although the question hadn’t entered his mind, he found another part of Aileen’s story begin to fall into place. He’d wondered how an Irish woman had ended up living with the Henley's. Now he could see why they’d taken her in. Part guilt, part charity, he could understand Anna’s husband wanting to do right by her. He’d probably do the same in his shoes.

“That’ss where she livess.”

Neal followed the finger to a small wooden house that sat on the edge of the property.

“I’ll take you over there. I’m shure you’re keen on seen her.” Charles took the next fork in the path and turned the horse toward the house. “So, you never told me, how do you know Aileen?—New York?”

His chest tightened. New York? What happened in New York? His mind clutched for an answer. Finding nothing, he waved at an invisible fly and pretended to swat it away. “Sorry. What was that you said? Darn fly.”

“I ssaid New York. You know her from when sshe and her brother lived in New Yorkk.”

He doubted Charles knew anything about Aileen’s brother. “Yes, her brother and I used to work together. That’s how I met Aileen.” He watched the man nod. There was no mention of a mail order bride. Maybe no one but the two of them knew what she was doing. Was there a reason she was keeping it to herself? The tightness in his chest grew the closer he got to the house. What was he going to say or do? He needed time to think. That was it. He needed time to plan what he’d do next. “Charles you can let me off here.”

“What?—I can at least take you the last hundred yardss there.”

“No really, I’ve got to get down, I’ve got a cramp in my leg.

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