Double Wedding: Sweet Historical Mail Order Brides of Lowell Read Online Free Page A
Author: MaryAnn Burnett
said.
“Are you serious? A marriage needs to be built on trust. Annie needs to know you didn’t write those letters.”
Annie felt all the blood drain from her face.
“She’ll forgive us when she knows I wrote that advertisement and answered all her letters out of concern for you.”
Annie gasped as the words she heard registered in her mind. She stood up and the tin bowl of potato peelings clanged to the floor and clattered loudly down the stairs. The voices inside the house stopped.
Annie couldn’t believe the man she loved had lied to her. No wonder his letters had sounded so different. He hadn’t written them. Annie couldn’t think. She could barely breathe. She needed to get away. Picking up her skirt, she ran. Tears streamed down her face as she headed for the small corpse of trees near the house. She heard the door bang open and George call her name. She ran faster. She didn’t want to talk to him.
In her headlong rush to get away, she wasn’t watching where she was going. Her foot caught on something and she started to fall forward. She grabbed at a tree to catch herself and felt a burning pain in her arm as she scraped the tree bark on her way down. She quickly sat upright then froze.
An unearthly rattle sounded just in front of her.
There on the ground no more than two feet from her toe was a coiled rattle snake on a pile of decayed leaves. It’s rattle pointed straight up and the rest of its body coiled and ready to strike. Annie and the snake stared at each other.
Vaguely, in some other part of her mind, she heard George coming for her. But she knew he would be too late and that there was nothing he could do. The snake was too close.
She was afraid to look away. She prayed while looking into what she knew was certain death.
“Please Lord, watch over George and Molly.”
CHAPTER NINE
When George heard Annie gasp, he saw the windows were open. She’d heard them.
He had to get to her. He had to explain.
He sprang across the room and was almost to the door when her metal bowl clanged as it hit the porch. Swinging the door open, he saw Annie racing away from the house.
“Annie, stop!”
She was ignoring him and he couldn’t blame her. Molly was right. He should have told her about the letters.
His heart stopped. His call had made her turn toward the trees near the creek. A rattler had spooked his horse the other day and gotten away in the underbrush near the area she was headed for.
He ran after her with all the speed he could. He berated himself as he ran. George knew he should have taken the time to find that snake then and there. But they’d been headed for church and he hadn’t wanted to be late.
If something happened to Annie, he’d never forgive himself.
Just as she crossed into the underbrush she went down. She quickly sat back up but then didn’t move. Fear gripped his insides. He forced himself to slow as he got near. Though his lungs wanted to explode, he clamped his mouth shut to quiet his breathing. Grabbing the pistol at his hip, he pulled back the hammer and crept the last few feet as quietly as he could.
There. Less than two feet from her outstretched leg was the rattler coiled and ready to strike. Sending a prayer Heavenward, he aimed and squeezed the trigger.
Annie screamed. And from behind him, Molly screamed.
George raced to Annie’s side. The snake’s headless body flopped then stilled. George fell to his knees and gathered Annie into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his shirt. He pulled her head back to get a good look at her.
“You’re alright? Did it bite you?” He was frantic. He needed to know she was okay. She shook her head. “It didn’t bite you?”
“No,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Oh, thank God.” He kissed her forehead. Then slid his arm under her legs and behind her back and lifted her up and out of the brush.
“My dearest Annie. I thought I’d
“Are you serious? A marriage needs to be built on trust. Annie needs to know you didn’t write those letters.”
Annie felt all the blood drain from her face.
“She’ll forgive us when she knows I wrote that advertisement and answered all her letters out of concern for you.”
Annie gasped as the words she heard registered in her mind. She stood up and the tin bowl of potato peelings clanged to the floor and clattered loudly down the stairs. The voices inside the house stopped.
Annie couldn’t believe the man she loved had lied to her. No wonder his letters had sounded so different. He hadn’t written them. Annie couldn’t think. She could barely breathe. She needed to get away. Picking up her skirt, she ran. Tears streamed down her face as she headed for the small corpse of trees near the house. She heard the door bang open and George call her name. She ran faster. She didn’t want to talk to him.
In her headlong rush to get away, she wasn’t watching where she was going. Her foot caught on something and she started to fall forward. She grabbed at a tree to catch herself and felt a burning pain in her arm as she scraped the tree bark on her way down. She quickly sat upright then froze.
An unearthly rattle sounded just in front of her.
There on the ground no more than two feet from her toe was a coiled rattle snake on a pile of decayed leaves. It’s rattle pointed straight up and the rest of its body coiled and ready to strike. Annie and the snake stared at each other.
Vaguely, in some other part of her mind, she heard George coming for her. But she knew he would be too late and that there was nothing he could do. The snake was too close.
She was afraid to look away. She prayed while looking into what she knew was certain death.
“Please Lord, watch over George and Molly.”
CHAPTER NINE
When George heard Annie gasp, he saw the windows were open. She’d heard them.
He had to get to her. He had to explain.
He sprang across the room and was almost to the door when her metal bowl clanged as it hit the porch. Swinging the door open, he saw Annie racing away from the house.
“Annie, stop!”
She was ignoring him and he couldn’t blame her. Molly was right. He should have told her about the letters.
His heart stopped. His call had made her turn toward the trees near the creek. A rattler had spooked his horse the other day and gotten away in the underbrush near the area she was headed for.
He ran after her with all the speed he could. He berated himself as he ran. George knew he should have taken the time to find that snake then and there. But they’d been headed for church and he hadn’t wanted to be late.
If something happened to Annie, he’d never forgive himself.
Just as she crossed into the underbrush she went down. She quickly sat back up but then didn’t move. Fear gripped his insides. He forced himself to slow as he got near. Though his lungs wanted to explode, he clamped his mouth shut to quiet his breathing. Grabbing the pistol at his hip, he pulled back the hammer and crept the last few feet as quietly as he could.
There. Less than two feet from her outstretched leg was the rattler coiled and ready to strike. Sending a prayer Heavenward, he aimed and squeezed the trigger.
Annie screamed. And from behind him, Molly screamed.
George raced to Annie’s side. The snake’s headless body flopped then stilled. George fell to his knees and gathered Annie into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face in his shirt. He pulled her head back to get a good look at her.
“You’re alright? Did it bite you?” He was frantic. He needed to know she was okay. She shook her head. “It didn’t bite you?”
“No,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Oh, thank God.” He kissed her forehead. Then slid his arm under her legs and behind her back and lifted her up and out of the brush.
“My dearest Annie. I thought I’d
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