Sarah: Bride of Minnesota (American Mail-Order Bride 32) (11 page)

"Let me show you to your room," Bobbie said, suddenly remembering her job as hostess.

Sarah followed Bobbie into the small room and smiled. "This looks lovely, Bobbie."

"I stayed here for a while when I first got here. It's a good room."

"I have letters from Hope and Poppy with me. I decided to wait to read them until we were together." Tears sprang into her eyes again. "I just can't believe we're really together!"

"Why were you on a train so much longer than I was?" Bobbie asked. "That's the only thing I don't understand."

"There's no train that goes over the lake," Sarah explained. "Instead of having me arrive with you and rowing me across the bay, Karl had me go to Minneapolis, and then up to Duluth. If he'd realized we were traveling together, he would have chosen the much cheaper option of having me come through Superior and rowing me across the bay."

Bobbie shook her head. "It's amazing, isn't it? All of our friends I've heard from are happy. Maybe Bob Brown burning that factory to the ground was a good thing after all. I certainly wouldn't go back to the way things were. I'm happy with Jakob and the boys."

"And I'm happy with Karl and Simon. Oh, there are days when they both make me crazy, because I love them so much, but most days? I'm happy to be with them both. My life is so much better here."

"Mine too." Bobbie sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her. "Let's see your letters!"

Sarah pulled the two letters she had from her pocket, handing one to Bobbie. She knew her friend would have no qualms about reading it. It was from their friends after all.

The letter Sarah had kept was from Poppy.

My sweet Sarah,

I hope you’re staying warm in Minnesota. If you can believe it, I will soon be somewhere even colder…ALASKA! Not long after you left Lawrence, I responded to an ad in The Grooms' Gazette. I am now married to Matthew Turner, a fine doctor who is taking me to Sitka in the morning.

Don’t be alarmed, and please don’t tell Roberta as she will only worry, but ours is not a typical union. It’s a marriage in name only, which is a tremendous relief to me. You see, the group that wanted to send Matt to the wilds of the north requires their people to be married. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he’s even less interested in the bonds of matrimony than me!

I will write again when I am settled so please continue to send letters to my mother’s address. I’m desperate to hear news from you!

Love, Poppy

For a moment, Sarah considered not handing the letter to Bobbie because of what Poppy had said about not telling her, but she wasn't telling her. Poppy was.

They traded letters and she read the words of Hope, who had moved to New Jersey.

Dear Sarah,

You sound so happy
—
I couldn
’
t be more pleased for you. I
’
m happy too, almost blissfully so. Right now, the seamstress is finishing my wedding gown, and I
’
m to marry Roscoe Edwards as soon as it
’
s done.

I can
’
t even begin to explain how I feel. I had anticipated a life of civility, perhaps even friendship, but I
’
ve fallen in love, which is so much more than I dreamed about. He
’
s a good man, if an unusual one, and I believe I will be happy with him for the rest of our lives.

I will write you again soon and tell you all about the wedding. Congratulations on your new happy life, and I know that once the people of Minnesota come to know you, they will adore you.

Take care,

Hope

Sarah smiled as she finished the letter, content now that she knew the friends she considered the closest were happy. She put her hand on her belly, and smiled, thinking of the secret she carried there. "One more thing I want to tell you..."

Bobbie looked at her friend's hand and her face lit up. She leaned forward to whisper, "Me too!"

Sarah laughed. If anyone would understand the significance of her touching her belly, it would be Bobbie. No one knew her like Bobbie. "I'm so glad I have you back!" She wrapped her arm around her friend and hugged her once more.

Jakob and Karl found them like that a minute later. Karl shook his head. "I think we're about to see a whole lot more of each other."

Jakob nodded. "That's a
gut
thing!"

To read the other books in this unprecedented series, go to
http://www.newwesternromance.com/
for a complete list.