Free ROMANCE: Mail Order Bride: A Sheriff's Bride (A Clean Christian Inspirational Historical Western Romance) (New Adult Short Stories) by Nathan Adams Page A

and daughter, passed away peacefully exactly seven months prior.
    Even though time had passed, Frederick still couldn’t get accustomed to the idea that his wife would never again greet him bright and early in the morning with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. He would never hear her sweet laughter ringing through the house again. She would never tend to their garden, which was now overgrown with weeds.
    The little ones, Angelina and William, were adjusting to the new situation in their own way. William was still too young to remember much of his sweet mother’s countenance, but Angelina was stricken with a sorrow that brought heaviness to Frederick’s heart. She would miss her mother for a long time, and he knew exactly how that felt because he shared her state of mind.
    As the wind howled through the trees, rustling the branches, Frederick remembered his sister’s latest letter and how she reminded him that, even though he was a bereaved husband, he was also a father who needed to provide for his children. However, there was only so much he could offer himself, which was why his sister’s suggestion was to find a new wife, one that would be good to both him and the children.
    “You all need it,” her letter stated gently, without urging or pushing for something that he wasn’t ready for. But at the same time, he also knew that the longer he waited, the more time his children would spend without a mother, an essential figure in bringing up two little ones.
    He buried his face in his hands and wished his wife were here to comfort him. She had always been a great source of comfort in dire times. Her sweet countenance, her strength of character and her faith always kept him on the right path. Now, without her guidance, he felt lost in the world, as if there was nothing left for him but to lead a solitary life, waiting for the sweet Lord to take him away and reunite him with his beloved Elizabeth.
    However, he knew that his sister was right. So that night when the rest of the house was soundly asleep, he took to his pen and paper. Under the soft glow of his candle, he wrote a personal advertisement to be sent the following day and published in the biggest county newspapers.
    He described himself as he was: in his late 40s, hard-working, a man of God who had been widowed and left to take care of two young ones by himself. He continued by stating what kind of a woman he was looking for, though in reality, he wasn’t sure. He’d like Elizabeth to come back, but since such thoughts were blasphemous, he decided it would be best to mention a few basic character traits that Elizabeth herself had: a pure heart, love for those around her, a profound sense of faith and a willingness to move to Texas, provided their correspondence leads to a fruitful and blessed union.
    Normally, he wouldn’t even dream of undertaking such an endeavor, but he knew time was of the essence. His children needed a mother. He was convinced when William, in his childlike naivety, said that this Christmas, he’d like to have a mother who would love him, play with him and take care of him, together with Frederick.
    It almost broke his heart. He hoped that in all her mercy and unconditional love, Elizabeth would understand why he decided to take another wife.
     
     

Chapter Two
    A few days later, on the other side of the county, a young woman was sitting at her breakfast table with nothing but a cup of coffee. She knew she had to have something for breakfast, but her current state of mind refused any thoughts or desires of food. In an effort to forget about her troubles, she was leafing through the morning papers, mostly trying to find people in worse situations that she.
    Namely, Christina Rose Hubbard was all alone in the world. Even this house she was residing in would be hers for only a while longer, and then, seeing that she had no means to pay for the loan that was taken while her father—God rest his soul—was still alive, the bank would take