A Bargain For A Bride: Clean mail order bride romance (Montana Passion Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

room in the servants’ quarters, were too frivolous at a time like this. She put on a brave face for her maid’s sake, trying to remain cheerful as she reminded her that their lodgings would be even more sparse once they arrived at their appointed plot of land.
    “Come, Gretchen! We’ve travel supplies we must gather. We’ll wait until we arrive in Montana—how I never tire of saying the name! Montana!—to buy the bulk of our dry goods and equipment, but we’ll certainly need more suitable travel clothes for the train journey. I apologize, dear, but it appears that Mr. Walsh didn’t book us a private car as the expense was very great. I attempted to pay the difference at the train station this morning, but the private cars are all booked. But it will be more than suitable, I know it will. Besides, we need to plan our funds carefully. We will be fine financially, of course, but I can’t know what needs we will have once we arrive, and certainly not once we face the winter out West.”
    “Will the winter be fierce, my lady?”
    “I’ve heard talk of the seasons and it seems that the temperature is much like home.” Moira’s voice cracked on that last word, but she cleared her throat lightly before continuing. “After all, we’ll be living in a cabin, practically a shack smaller than our carriage house, so I should think the winters would be quite cozy, nothing like trying to warm the stone rooms of Brennan Castle. My only fear is the wind from the mountains, wrapping us in snow that we cannot fight our way out of.”
    “Do you think we’ll have much snow?” Gretchen asked, her eyes brightening. Moira remembered looking out through the windows and watching some of the servants romp and play in the light dusting that landed one Christmas Eve, wishing more than anything that she could have gone out and joined them in their fun. Instead, with her mother already passed away, Moira had to be the lady of the house. She’d smiled watching them, but wished she could have been a child herself instead of a lady.
    They discussed what they knew about Montana and America in general, which both admitted was not a lot. They speculated on the things they would see, the area in which they would live, and their plans after staking their claim. Moira was excited about the opportunity to take charge of her own life, and even made the scandalous pronouncement that she might purchase work pants for herself, causing Gretchen to cry out in alarm.
    By the time the day had arrived for them to depart, cabin fever had set in again, far worse this time than it had been on the ship. Knowing there was an entire bustling city just outside their doors, and an even greater frontier awaiting them to arrive, made their stay indoors almost unbearable. Between their brief, icy cold walks about the city and their meals taken at the boarding house’s dreary, rather dirty kitchen, Moira and Gretchen hadn’t ventured too far from the apartments. Their only interactions in the city were limited, as their focus was on their journey.
    They finally boarded the train and tried to hide their disappointment at seeing the crowded train car. Barely better than a freight car, their fellow passengers were crammed into the aisles and rows, with those who didn’t purchase a seat having to stand. They wedged themselves past the crowds of travelers until they found their seats, collapsing gratefully and overjoyed to see that theirs were situated side by side next to a wide window.
    “Here, Gretchen, you take the seat beside the window. We can open it slightly if you feel faint, as the fresh air will do you good once we begin moving,” Moira said, directing her maid to the narrow cushioned seat before sitting down beside her. She took their bags and stowed them beneath their feet, then settled back into the seat, eyeing the passengers around her to see who looked trustworthy. To her dismay, much of the group seemed shifty instead.
    The train, unexpectedly fast