Mail Order Brides: A Bride for the Banker (Bozeman Brides Book 1) by Emily Woods Page A

it seems. Who, for example, should I marry? Every single woman in Bozeman is either much too young or too old or, well, umm, not exactly the marrying type.”
    Robert grinned wryly at Theo’s euphemism. “Yes, that’s true. Well, I’ve heard about something that seems to be working for a lot of men in the area. You’ve heard of mail-order brides, I presume?”
    Taken aback, Theo regarded the man in surprise. “You can’t be serious? Marry a woman I’ve never met? From where? What if she’s unsuitable? What if we hated each other?”
    Looking at him mildly, Robert gave a slight smile. “Now who in the world would hate a fine man like you?”
    “You’d be surprised,” Theo said in an unguarded moment. Quickly, he covered his lapse. “But how would I even go about finding someone appropriate? And how would I be able to discern if she’s the one I should spend my whole life with?”
    “Ah, you can leave that to me. Have I ever let you down before?” Robert asked seriously. When Theo had arrived so many years ago, penniless and broken, Robert and Ruth took him in and unofficially adopted him. He’d thrived under their care and soon became a respectable part of their community. They didn’t question him about his life before, and he was glad to leave it in the past. Coming to Montana was a kind of rebirth for him.
    “No, sir,” he replied respectfully. “I just think…well, I don’t know what to think, but if you and Ruth think that I should do this, I will.” Theo wasn’t a weak man, but he knew that he owed this man his life. He would trust him for the future as well.
    “Good man. It was Ruth’s idea, you know. She’s been praying over the matter at great length and will be delighted that you accepted this proposition. The two of you can work on a description tonight after dinner.”
    “A description?”
    “Yes, of yourself and of the type of woman you want. It will be read all over New York and I expect you’ll have dozens of women to choose from. Don’t you worry, my boy, Ruth will help you find the woman of your dreams.”
     
    ***
     
    “He’s completely out of control,” twenty-three-year-old Margaret Davis fumed. She and her aunt were discussing the latest exploits of her brother, Jackson, who’d been caught sneaking into the house very early in the morning. Not only had he been very drunk, but a great deal of money bulged in his pockets, indicating that he’d been gambling again. Worse, he’d snuck out again this evening after having listened to his sister lecture him all afternoon. “He’s going to get himself killed one of these days.”
    Her Aunt Edna sighed. She was the much older sister of Margie and Jackson’s father and was in no shape, physically or mentally to tackle such an issue. Her husband, ten years her senior wasn’t any help either. The two of them had taken in the pair four years earlier when their parents had died to a bout of cholera, but the raising of the boy had proved too taxing.
    “I don’t know what to do,” Aunt Edna declared tiredly. “He’s the center of my prayers, but I don’t see an answer, my dear.”
    Margie looked to her Uncle Henry who’d fallen asleep promptly after dinner as was his usual routine. Although he was thoroughly affable and generous to the both of them, he was no disciplinarian. The couple’s own two children had long left for adventures in other parts of the country, declaring New York to be stifling. Compared to Jackson, they’d been undemanding to raise.
    As she looked around the modest home that had been paid for from the honest wages of her uncle’s general store, Margie sighed and realized that something drastic had to be done.
    “I need to take him away from here,” she determined with confidence. “If I separate him from those bad influences and have him to myself for a time, perhaps I can reason with him. Maybe he needs to be given some responsibility and learn to be a man.”
    Aunt Edna smiled indulgently at