Judith: Bride of Wyoming (American Mail-Order Bride 44) Read Online Free

that she’s here.”
    “Probably came to get away from someone and was willing to take a chance she’d find work, or a husband.” Eloise frowned. “What if she’s running from someone and they come after her. We don’t want to expose Bethany to any danger.”
    His sister pinned him with a hard stare. “You need to speak to her and find out how and why she’s here.”
    “She came by train,” he explained in a flat tone. “The why is her business. I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready.”
    Eloise, not one to back down, huffed. “There is the matter of a single, young lady living with you. You can’t allow it. Something needs to be done.”
    “What do you propose I do about it? I need someone to care for Bethany. It’s an answer to both of our prayers.” He frowned at the thought that he’d not actually prayed in a long time. If anything, God had forgotten him a long time ago and he wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with Him at the moment.
    “You should marry her, of course. You need a wife and obviously, if she’s desperate enough to come this far, she needs a husband.”
    Sean choked and sputtered. The hard thumps against his breast made him gasp for breath.
    Eloise laughed. “There is no other way. You and I both know it.”
    “What are you up to now woman?” Jack Jacobs, her husband, walked in and picked up one of the toddlers that rushed to him. Sean’s brother-in-law studied his face. “You look a bit green, Sean.”
    “My brother is getting married,” Eloise announced with an innocent smile. “A young woman is at his house now. She’s resting from her journey from out east. I assume we’ll meet her soon.”
    “Is that so?” Jack neared and slapped a still silent Sean on the back. “Congratulations.”

Chapter Three

    It was dark when Judith woke up. Disoriented and confused, she lay atop the bed still fully dressed and looked up into the dim lit space. In the near distance, she heard an infant’s cry and the stark realization the baby was her charge brought her fully awake.
    What was the baby’s name? She couldn’t remember. At the moment, the only clear picture was of the dark-haired, muscular man who’d come for her at the train station. Had it been that day? How long had she slept?
    Judith waited, listening for the baby’s crying to either continue or stop. She heard the shuffling of feet followed by a low voice. She slipped from the bed and went to the doorway from where she could look into the larger room, a combination of kitchen, dining area and sitting space. In front of the fireplace, Sean Montgomery paced back and forth, the tiny figure of his daughter tucked in his arms. He held a glass bottle to the babe’s mouth and she heard the soft sounds of the baby’s suckling.
    He murmured softly as the child drank, his dark head bent as he watched the baby with interest. It was endearing to see how he awkwardly rocked the baby once she finished eating while yawning and rolling his neck. It must be hard for him to work all day and have to care for the infant who didn’t sleep through the night yet.
    She remembered now. He’d said the baby’s mother had died during childbirth. It seemed strange to her that the woman’s parents had not stepped forward to care for the infant. It was rare for a man to shoulder the responsibility of child rearing. Although he did have his sister, it was still his burden.
    A few moments later, he laid the sleeping child into a cradle next to the fireplace and he sunk down on the wide chair next to it. With one hand on the child’s bed, within seconds, he was snoring.
    Judith crept toward the crib and peered in. The baby was fast asleep, too. She was beautiful, with a head full of dark curls. It was hard not to smile down at the infant. The father was sprawled on the chair, his neck at an odd angle, making her wonder how many times he’d slept like that. Her heart went out to him. Although she wasn’t sure what he did for a living, it