Mail Order Devastation (Montana Mail Order Brides, Book 4) by Julianna Blake Read Free Book Online Page A

resent her young sister.  If it wasn’t for the fact that Chloe was so sweet—as long as she was getting her own way—Mollie doubted she could have tolerated sharing a room with her sister.  And Chloe had loved having Nell around, even when the baby had cried at night.  Nell was just a real life doll to Chloe.  As long as you didn’t ask Chloe to change or wash a diaper, she had been eager to help with Nell, too.  She was the only person in the family, besides Mollie, who was devastated at Nell’s absence.
    Mollie said nothing as she sat on her bed and tore open the envelope, then yanked the letter out.  She ’d rather have read Noah’s letter in private, but with Chloe home, it wasn’t likely that she’d get that chance.  Though Chloe appeared to be reading, Mollie could feel her sister’s eyes on her as she read the letter.  She glanced up quickly to catch Chloe sneaking a peek at her, so Mollie tucked her legs under her on the bed, and turned away toward the wall.
    “ What does it say?” Chloe begged.
    “ None of your business.”
    “ You don’t need to be rude.”
    “ I’m not— you are.  It’s not your letter.  If I wanted to share the contents, I’d read it out loud.”
    “ I know what you’re up to, you know.”
    Mollie didn ’t take her eyes off the letter, but she couldn’t focus on the words due to her sister’s pestering.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “ Yes you do.  You’re hoping that fella in Montana will marry you, so you can go find Nellie.”
    Mollie whipped her head around, peering at her sister over her shoulder.  “Why would you say that?  Nell was adopted here in Boston.  That idea is just silly.”  She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice as she spoke her daughter’s name aloud.
    Chloe shook her head emphatically.  “No, she’s in Montana.  I know it.  You would never let a man from so far away court you, because it would mean living far from Nell.  You want her back, and you’d never leave Boston your whole life long, if she was still here.”
    Mollie turned away, silently blinking back tears.
    “Which means Nell is in Montana,” Chloe announced smugly.  “Or at least, you think she is.”
    She thought about denying it, but Mollie knew Chloe was smart as a whip —she’d see right through any pretense, just as she’d figured everything else out.  “Don’t you dare say a thing to Ma, or anyone else.”
    “ I won’t!”  Chloe sounded hurt.  “I love Nell too, you know.  I’m still mad that Ma took her away.  She didn’t even ask me if it was alright.” 
    Leave it to a spoiled nine-year-old to think that her opinion on my daughter ’s kidnapping should matter more than mine.   Mollie sighed.
    Chloe put her book aside and slid off her bed, crawling onto Mollie ’s.  “I miss her.”
    “ Me, too.”  Mollie swallowed over the lump in her throat.
    “ Do you think you can really find her?”
    “ I…I don’t know.  But I’m going to try.”
    “ What if the man in Montana doesn’t want to marry you?”
    Mollie hesitated.
    “What?”  Chloe pulled on her sleeve.  “You’re hiding something.  Tell me!”
    “ He already proposed.”  Mollie grinned, watching Chloe’s excited expression. 
    “ You’re getting married?!”  Chloe let out a little squeal, bouncing on the bed.  “When?”
    “ Shhh!  Keep quiet or I won’t tell you another word.”  Mollie waited and listened, but didn’t hear anything from the hall.  She lowered her voice to a whisper.  “He proposed in the fall.  But he wanted me to wait until spring to come out there, when the weather is better.”
    “ So you have to wait?”  Chloe was crestfallen.
    “ I hope not.  I sent him a letter toward the end of November, telling him I’d rather not wait.  Nell has already been gone more than nine months.  For all I know, the couple who adopted her is already on a train back to Boston.  There’s no time to