Free A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears

little hole.” Dex rubbed his side.
    Julia leaned back into the chair. A yelp caused her to jump from the seat. Emma turned
     on the waterworks, clutching her little hand against her chest.
    Rachel scooped her up. “Mama’s told you not to play behind the rocking chair.”
    “Dolly!” Emma’s hands reached for her doll, whose porcelain fingers lay precariously
     under the chair’s rocking edge.
    Julia handed the doll to Emma. The little girl clutched the toy to her chest, and
     a big drop of moisture fell onto its painted face.
    “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Taking care to look behind her first,
     Julia lowered herself into the rocker. “Seems I’m intent on drawing blood from everyone
     tonight.”
    “That’s why we’re staying up here!” John leaned over the loft edge.
    Ambrose’s curly fair head appeared next to John. “Yeah, it’s dangerous down there.”
    Giggles burst from the two boys dangling over the living room as Dex walked around,
     hunched over and moaning, his hand clutching where she’d stabbed him.
    Julia yanked her dress bodice from the basket and pulled out the rest of her seam.
     She took her time, making sure thefew family members who’d yet to receive a wound from her tonight remained unscathed.
    “What I don’t understand is how a woman can know how to cook, but not know how to
     sew.” Dex lowered himself into a chair, with a wince for good measure. Then he winked
     before pulling out a paper and pen.
    Julia sighed. “I didn’t know how to cook until about six months ago. That’s when I
     answered Everett’s ad, or rather Rachel’s. I’d run away from home—”
    “You’re a runaway?” The eyes of the two boys above her turned as large as their ears.
     And it seemed that little boys had big ears.
    “Yes, I ran away from home.”
    “Why?”
    “I’d rather not discuss that.” She squirmed in her seat and frowned at another misplaced
     stitch. “But I couldn’t find a job as a clerk. So I started working at . . . at a
     tavern. But only in the kitchen, mind you. Seems a saloon as shabby as Halson’s doesn’t
     care too much if the cook has no idea what she’s doing.”
    Rachel turned to frown. “They let you stay in the kitchen?”
    Julia hung her head. “They were desperate, and no. Once the other cook was no longer
     sick and could handle cooking again, they wanted me to serve in the front. But that
     only caused problems. . . .”
    Dex hummed in disapproval.
    “But I learned a lot from Marie. But I wouldn’t say I’m a good cook.” Her thread wasn’t
     pulling out very easily. As she turned over the fabric, the knotted mess underneath
     made her growl. “Just like I’ll never be a good seamstress.”
    “You’ll do just fine. We might never fully overcome our problems, but God never gives
     us more than we can handle.”Dex smiled, then turned to Rachel with a frown. “Like spelling. How do you spell calves ?”
    William trudged in reeking of barnyard animals. Pulling a chair from the corner, he
     leaned over to take off his boots. The sound of his yawn filled the room.
    While William gave his parents a rundown on the cattle’s condition, Julia worked steadily.
     But she couldn’t focus. All she could think about was how much of a burden she was
     to this family and her need to relieve them of her presence. After folding her material,
     she dropped her scissors into the basket. “I’m going to go to bed. ’Night, everyone.”
    “Good night,” the boys’ voices chimed in above her.
    “Good night,” Rachel said, grabbing Julia’s shawl to hand to her.
    Julia opened the front door. The night air was a welcome relief on her sweaty skin.
     She let her eyes adjust before stepping off the porch and scurrying across the yard.
    She never thought she’d be thankful for getting to sleep outdoors with animals, but
     when she entered the barn, the draftiness was a welcome change from the cabin’s smoky
     stuffiness.
    Daisy