Free Freedom For A Bride: A clean historical mail order bride romance (Montana Passion Book 2) by Amelia Rose

wilds.
    Despite the constant chill in the air, the wind had died down considerably over the last few weeks, leaving the mid-morning feeling almost pleasant by comparison. Nathaniel snuck glances at Katia out of the corner of his eye from time to time, smiling to himself at the realization that she was finally here.
    “You?” he began, pulling the woman out of her thoughts. She looked up and waited, hoping to understand. “You… my house?” he asked, gesturing to himself and then holding his hand up above his eyes, mimicking someone looking for something.
    Katia looked unsure. She couldn’t decipher his full meaning, but she thought he meant to take her to his home. According to what she’d learned at the agency back east, she was not required to step one foot on his property without a legally certified marriage. She’d heard tales among her own people of girls who’d been swept off, never to be heard from again. But somehow, this strange man didn’t seem like the type.
    She wanted to trust him, to get to know him better but knew that she could never make herself understood. Finally, an idea came to her.
    “Gretchen?” she asked, pointing back in the direction from which they’d ridden. “Gretchen… Katia… you house?”
    Nathanial smiled and nodded eagerly, secretly thrilled at how easily he understood her meaning. “Sure thing! We’ll go get Gretchen and pack up a few blankets for the ride. I know, we can even stop by and get Mac and his wife! We’ll make a day of it!”
    Katia looked blank again but was happy with his reaction to her feeble attempts at communicating. He led them back to the cabin at a quick trot, also glad to see that his future wife was capable in the saddle and comfortable when riding. She had been all that he’d hoped she would be and more—good-natured, quick to smile, and strong, but beautiful in his eyes as well.
    “Miss O’Brien!” Nathaniel called out from his saddle. “Can you come out here?”
    Gretchen rushed to the door, worried that Katia didn’t just come inside herself. She wiped her hands on her apron as she ran out, confused at seeing the two of them grinning in the yard.
    “Katia was wondering if you would come with her to see my property. I’d like to show her where she’ll live if she’ll have me, but she doesn’t want to go by herself.”
    “Oh, aye, she told you that much now, did she?” Gretchen said with a light scoff. She knew the signs of a man who was smitten when she saw them, and Mr. Russell was certainly a goner.
    “Well, sure! She told me so herself!” he answered back playfully. “I thought we’d hitch my horses to the wagon out back, then swing by the MacAteer’s place and ask them to come along. We’ll make a grand day of it!”
    “That certainly sounds fine, Mr. Russell, but I’ve just set some bread out to rise. If you’ll both come inside a moment, I can finish the bread and gather some tasties to bring with us. Have you plenty of chairs at your place?”
    “Oh, I guess I don’t. I was waiting to make a rocker as a wedding present, but otherwise, I’ve just got a couple of old stools that I made from logs.” He looked somewhat downcast at not having provided better for his potential wife, whomever she ended up being, but Gretchen chalked it up to what she really knew was bothering him: Mr. Russell had been afraid of jinxing himself by getting his hopes up too high. She gave him a sympathetic look.
    “I was only inquiring to see if we needed to bring any chairs along. We can take these from the kitchen table, I’m sure Lady— I mean, Mrs. MacAteer won’t mind at all, seeing as how she’s not using them herself these days. Send Katia inside to help me fix some vittles, and bring in some more eggs from the barn, if you’ll be so kind. If there’s enough, I’ll make us a fine pudding for after supper!”
    Nathaniel couldn’t stop himself from helping Katia down from the saddle, any excuse to hold her hand, even if it was