Violet's Mail Order Husband (Montana Brides #1) by Kate Whitsby

Author:Kate Whitsby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gold Crown Publishers

Chapter 14

The three sisters sailed into the house, each floating in her own separate dream and smiling the same secret smile. Iris and Rose disappeared before Violet knew what became of them, and she knew better than to follow them. She ought to go to her own room and lie down for a while before the men came up for supper.

But some nameless misgiving induced her to seek out Cornell one more time before they parted for the evening. Maybe Iris had a point and she felt guilty about flouting his wishes. She just couldn’t let him go with their quarrel hanging over her head.

She tiptoed along the passage leading to the library. None of the usual hum of human presence emanated from the walls the way they usually did when Cornell held office in there. Maybe he’d already gone home to the Bird House for the night. Maybe he’d given instructions to Rita to bring his supper up there so he wouldn’t have to deal with any of the Kilburn girls at all. Maybe he just wanted some peace and quiet.

Violet stuck her head into the library, expecting to find it empty. But she cried out when she saw Cornell putting the last of his papers away. “Are you still up, Cornell? I thought you’d be sitting on the porch smoking your pipe by now. It’s late, you know. You’re not burning the midnight oil, are you?” Violet crossed the carpet to his desk.

“I’m still working, Violet,” Cornell replied. “Have you and your sisters just come back from town with those men of yours?”

“Yes.” Violet blushed in spite of herself. “They’ll be staying in the Fort House until Friday, but I guess I already told you that.”

“You told me,” Cornell replied. “I just didn’t want to believe you’d go through with it.”

His tone snapped her out of her dream and brought her back to earth with a crash. “Of course we went through with it. Did you really think, after we went to the trouble of getting these men out here, that we would back out on our plan?”

Cornell sighed. “I guess I only hoped.”

“You should know us better than that by now, Cornell,” Violet told him. “You should know we aren’t given to flights of fancy or idle threats. When we make up our minds to do something, we do it, especially when we believe it will serve the best interests of the ranch and our future.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Cornell admitted. “I just hoped you wouldn’t. So, what are they like, these men? Are they everything you hoped they would be?”

The blood rushed to Violet’s cheeks and her eyes blazed at the memory of Chuck outside the Fort House. “They’re everything we hoped they would be. I think they’re going to be perfect for us. You’ll see, Cornell. The ranch will be so much better off with them here. We all will be.”

“No, I don’t think so, Violet dear.” Cornell put the last of his papers away, came around his desk, and positioned himself in front of her.

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