Read Online A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears - Free Book Online Page B

comparison to Julia. Of course, Everett agreed with his
     assessment. “He wasn’t so bad. I’ll have to go over every joint and beam Ned worked
     on, though.”
    “That’s not what I was talking about and you know it.”
    “Then why don’t you talk plainer?”
    “You’re giving her up, then?”
    “In order to give something up, you have to have it in the first place.” Everett wasn’t
     even going to ask God for anything this time—he had before and gotten nothing.
    “She came here for you.”
    “She came here for Rachel.”
    “And you’re going to let Axel have her? He’s a scant two years older than William.”
    “No, I’m not going to let him have her.” Everett wondered how old Julia was. He was
     afraid to ask. Would she rather marry closer in age, despite the boy being younger?
     “I’d rather she be allowed to choose who she wants rather than feel obligated to fulfill
     a make-believe arrangement.”
    “She doesn’t know about that. Rachel hasn’t told her.”
    “And all the more reason to give her room to decide.” Would she choose him? Today
     she’d seen the whole miserable mess of a farm he claimed as his own—the same one that
     caused Helga to look elsewhere. Though Helga probably rued her decision more than
     he.
    Axel’s thick, throaty laughter snaked its way from the cabin and squeezed at Everett’s
     guts. This time a man closer to Julia in age—and charming to boot—openly pursued his
     mail-order bride.
    He’d proposed marriage to her on the first day, and she’d yet to accept. Everett wouldn’t
     push her, but with each day, his faint hope faded. How many times could this happen
     to him before he felt like less than a man?
    “You could lose her to Axel.”
    Everett sat back and looked at the moon in the pale blue sky. With each bride he’d
     brought to Kansas, the more fearful he’d grown of being jilted and the more humiliated
     he’d felt when he was. He had to completely let Julia go and let the Lord direct their
     paths. If Axel won her, Everett would have to learn to deal with it, just like he
     had with the others. “Then he’d be a lucky man.”
    Now all he had to do was prayerfully fight the urge to follow Dex’s tempting suggestion
     of imagining Axel’s face on the head of every nail.

Chapter 5
    Julia sat in the rocking chair, sewing. She was doing tolerably well after nearly
     two weeks of Rachel’s instruction on stitching, but she’d learned nothing more about
     Everett. He’d only stopped by once since the day of the barn raising.
    “Ouch!” Julia stuck a bleeding finger in her mouth.
    Rachel chuckled. “That dress is going to be dotted with blood the way you’re going.
     Perhaps you should start stamping your fingers on the cloth to make a pattern. Won’t
     notice the stains that way.”
    Julia crumpled the bodice piece in her lap. “I’m no good at this.”
    “You’ll get better. You’ve no choice.” Rachel stacked some freshly washed plates on
     the shelf behind the stove. “No tailor around here.”
    Ambrose opened the door for Dex, who was carrying a load of wood, before climbing
     the loft’s ladder.
    “I’m tired of having to take my seams out.” She took her tiny scissors and chomped
     them through the stitches she’d undone three times already. “It’s taking forever.”
     She shoved the blades through a knotted piece of threading. The scissors slipped through
     and right into Dex’s torso.
    “Woman!” Dex dumped his handful of logs and grabbed his side. “More antics like that
     and see if I let you sit around all day while I slave away, bringing in your wood.”
    “Sorry.” She worked at keeping a straight face. She never knew if he was serious or
     not. If he wasn’t, he’d make a to-do over her amusement when he was in pain, and if
     he was, well, it wasn’t kind to laugh, even if he was overreacting
    Rachel inspected Dex’s shirt. “He’s fine. Not even bleeding. Barely a hole.”
    “An unpleasant