Mail Order Bride: Christy Read Online Free

clothing. “I know they’re not much but these ought to get you by for a little while in your new place.”
    Christy still had the luggage she had brought with her from Philadelphia, but these dresses would give her enough clothing to last a good while in her new home. Christy looked though the pile of dresses. “Thank you Meredith.”
    “Don’t mention it my dear. They belonged to my daughters, and now they’ve found a good second home with you. I know you’ll look after them. Now, let’s get you down to the station.”
    They made it there just in time. Meredith uttered a prayer of thanks out loud that, for once, she’d managed to get to the train platform on time.
    “Thank you for everything,” Christy said, grasping the older woman’s hands in hers. “I shall never forget the kindness you showed me at the worst moment of my life.”
    Meredith wiped away the tears that were spilling down her face as she waved goodbye. Christy stepped onto the train, taking a deep breath to steel herself for the journey ahead. It was her first time on a train since the robbery. She sat down in the first compartment she found, since her legs were threatening to give way beneath her.
    From the platform, Meredith waved again, her heart heavy with the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to a girl she’d already grown so fond of, and praying that such an innocent soul could make it on her own in such a tough world.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Brent
    On most days, Brent Taylor would have been off somewhere on the farm, tending to the daily business involved in running a property that bred horses and reared and sold beef cattle. But this particular day was different. It was a day for quiet solitude. On this day every year, Brent took a break from the work that would normally consume his waking hours, and spent time alone remembering the past, and thinking about what might have been.
    On this particular day, Brent led his horse to the empty field behind the farmhouse and tied his horse to a fence post. Then he took off his broad-brimmed, black riding hat and placed it against his chest. A moment’s silence in the spot where Annabelle had died. The place where the thunderstorm had hit, sending her horse on a mad dash across the field where she fell to her death. The dull thud of her head hitting a rock in the field still resounded in Brent's ears whenever he stood in this spot and remembered. Brent closed his eyes and paid his respects one last time. He would never do it again, because tomorrow he was to begin a new life with a new bride and would finally put the past behind him.
    The cry of crows in the distance and the occasional call of the cattle grazing nearby were the only sounds that broke through the silence. Brent gazed around at the bowing heads of seeded grass, swaying to nature's rhythm with the wind that blew across the open field. The brilliant sunshine glanced warmly from the grasses and made his eyes squint against its brightness. He closed his eyes and soaked it all in, allowing himself a moment of heartache as he remembered the love he had lost. The silence of the moment was disturbed by a shrill but familiar voice screeching out his name. Brent opened his eyes and cast a fierce glance over his shoulder.
    His farmhand, a young boy named Kip came running up to him. “Brent! Where have you been?”
    Brent drew in a deep breath. “What are you doing here Kip? I told you I was taking leave today. I asked you to take care of things for me and not to come looking for me.”
    Kip stopped in his tracks, suddenly remembering his boss's request. “Aw, shucks, I’m sorry Brent. I forgot all about it.” Guilt washed over the young boy’s face. “But one of the calves seems awful sick.”
    “You’re more than capable of handling that yourself, Kip.”
    Kip hung his head. “I know, but Brent, can’t you just come up and have a look?”
    Brent turned away. He clenched his jaw. He didn’t like to have to admonish Kip, and on any