Free A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears Page A

mooed when Julia gave her a quick pat. “I’ll see you in the morning, old girl.”
     Then she climbed the ladder and scurried over to her pallet of hay. After changing
     into her nightdress, she flopped down across the quilts and sighed. Emma’s wails reached
     her ears from the house. Julia smiled. Emma hated going to bed, and she couldn’t blame
     her. She didn’t want to be in bed either, but she couldn’t stay in the house. There
     simply wasn’t room for another adult.
    Julia knew it was time she stopped eating their food and interrupting their routine.
     She couldn’t remain a permanent houseguest no matter how much she’d miss Rachel’s
     dailycompany. The thought of never seeing Rachel again hurt. How sad that a woman she’d
     known for such a short time was the only person in the world she could trust. And
     going back to writing Rachel letters was unappealing.
    She mentally tallied her money. Half remained. She could go somewhere else if she
     wanted to—travel as far as her money could take her—and hope there was something there
     for her. It could be better, but it could be so much worse. She’d had worse, and she
     didn’t want it again. With Rachel’s recommendation of Everett and his own respectful
     distance, she didn’t think he’d ever hurt her like Theodore had.
    But would he marry her? He’d been over once this past week but had said nothing to
     her beyond what was necessary. Yet she’d seen that spark of male interest in his eye.
     She wasn’t too thrilled about that spark being there, but it meant that this option
     might not be lost.
    No matter how much she thought over each alternative, she couldn’t choose. So Everett
     would have to decide. Tomorrow.

    After breakfast, Julia and Rachel waved good-bye to Dex and the boys, who were going
     to Everett’s to mend a fence and then were bringing him back with them for supper.
     She’d decided to ask Everett today and now she’d get to, but the certainty of doing
     so made her jittery. She threw herself into performing her allotted chores. If he
     saw how many things she’d learned in two weeks’ time, wouldn’t he be more receptive?
     Hadn’t that been his qualm, that she couldn’t do the work necessary to be of service
     to him?
    Later that afternoon, while Rachel cared for Emma and worked inside, Julia fed the
     livestock and cleaned the animal stalls. Nerves quickened her pace so she had time
     to try herhand at chopping the stack of golden hedge wood, surely a good chore to work out nervous
     tension. Thankful the others weren’t around to see her first pitiful attempts at swinging
     an ax, she hacked until her shoulders ached. The pile of wood grew, and her pent-up
     aggravation eased. In no time she’d be able to do farm chores without difficulty.
    The creaking of a wagon and voices of men alerted her to the Stantons’ return. It
     was only a matter of time until she’d speak to Everett.
    Balancing a pile of wood in her arms for the supper fire, she turned the corner of
     the house and thumped into his chest. The wood fell, and she tried to pull her feet
     from the kindling’s trajectory. One piece managed to thwack her toe anyway. She grimaced.
    Dex came up behind Everett. “You got enough wood?”
    She nodded. “Chopped it myself.” Why was Everett always around when she looked like
     a fool?
    Dex stacked the wood pieces in the crook of one arm. “I’ll take these in. Doesn’t
     look like there’s much left to teach you, so why don’t you stable the oxen?”
    “Do you need me to do that now?”
    Dex shook his head. “I was kidding, Julia. The boys’ll do it.”
    “No, teach me if you don’t mind.” Looking directly at Everett, she squared her shoulders.
     “I’m plenty capable of doing whatever’s needed. You just have to show me.”
    Dex mounted the stairs behind his boys. “Everett can show you.”
    Looking unhappy, Everett spun and headed toward the team. “Come. It’s not hard,” he