COLLEEN: A Sweet Western Historical Romance Read Online Free Page A

poured in the eggs. A few minutes later, she handed her a plate of fluffy scrambled eggs and hot, buttered toast. She set one down for herself as well and then joined her at the table.
    "After we eat, I thought I'd show you around the farm so you can see what our typical day is like here. It's quite different from Boston." Julia smiled as she picked up her toast.
    A short while later, Julia took Colleen with her as she fed the animals, collected eggs from the chickens and then lastly, showed her how to milk the cows.
    "That was one of the first things I learned here. Liam taught me how to do it, and it was quite an experience."
    "I'm not sure if the girls will believe me when I write to tell them you taught me how to milk a cow." Colleen chuckled. It hadn't really been that hard, but it was a bit odd to get used to and she was initially a little fearful of the cow as the animals were huge. But they were also very sweet and once she got the hang of holding the udder properly to get the best stream of milk, it went smoothly enough.
    After finishing the outdoor chores, they came inside to wash up, and then Julia mixed up a batch of dough for bread and set it in a corner to slowly rise overnight.
    "That's another trick I learned from Mrs. Johnson. The longer it rises, the better it tastes. I'll bake it tomorrow morning in a cast iron pan and we can have some at breakfast."
    Once that was all set, they set out for Emma's house and arrived about thirty minutes later. Emma must have heard them coming down the drive. She opened the front door to greet them. She was holding baby Jeremy with one arm while Emily stood close by and peered around her skirts to see who was coming.
    "I'm so glad you're here. Come on in. I just filled the teakettle and set it on the stove to heat up."
    They followed Emma inside and settled themselves at the kitchen table while she put the baby down for his nap. Emma came back into the kitchen just as the teakettle whistled that it was ready. She poured tea for everyone and then joined them.
    "I can't believe you're really here," Emma said to Colleen.
    "It doesn't quite seem real to me yet, either," Colleen admitted.
    "You'll get used to it quickly. It's very different from Boston, but in a good way. Plus, you have friends here. That makes all the difference in the world," Julia added.
    "So, what did you think about the brothers, Paul and David?" Emma asked, with a twinkle in her eye.
    "They both seem really nice. I'll be lucky if either of them is interested." Colleen hoped that one of them would be.
    Julia looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing Emma’s way and then saying, "They almost didn't agree to this, you know. I'm only telling you so you'll understand how close they are. Paul and David are just a year apart and have always been inseparable, even though they seem like such opposites. Their farms are next to each other and they work together, along with Ethan, of course."
    "They almost didn't agree to meeting me?" Colleen didn't like the sound of that. She was under the impression that both were eager to find a wife.
    "Only because they didn't want to be fighting over the same girl. David felt more strongly about that, from what I heard. He tends to be more serious about things and didn't want to risk damaging his relationship with his brother."
    "But Paul talked him into it," Julia added. "He pointed out that there was no harm in meeting you and seeing where it went and if you were even interested in either of them."
    "I see." Colleen wasn't sure she did, though. What if they were both interested? How would they decide?
    "Now I can see that we've worried you." Emma reached out and patted Colleen's hand. "Don't give it another thought. Just get to know them both and see what you think. It will work out the way it's meant to. Have faith."
    Colleen smiled at that. At six years old, she'd been older than most of the other girls when she first came to the orphanage, and her memories of her mother