Mail Order Motherhood (Brides of Beckham Book 8) by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

Albert Hanson’s house?”  Mary acted as if she had every right in the world to be there, and Clara had no thought of turning her away.
    Clara nodded.  “Yes, of course it is.  Come in.”
    Mary waved to the driver of the sleigh, and he drove off.  It was only then that she realized Mary had a carpet bag.  “Thank goodness.  I thought I was lost.”  The pretty woman in front of her had blond hair and green eyes.  Her cheeks were rosy from the cold.  She picked up her bag and hurried into the house, warming herself in front of the fire.  “My husband died last month, so I came here to keep house for Albert.  Where is my brother-in-law anyway?”
    Clara was stunned to hear the question.  Did she not know Albert at all?  “It’s the middle of the day.  He’s out on the range working.”
    Mary nodded.  “Okay.  Well, where’s my room?”
    Clara studied the older woman, trying to figure out what to do with her.  “Well, we really don’t have any empty rooms.”  Her gaze settled on the girls sitting at the table doing their schoolwork.  “Would you two be willing to share so Aunt Mary can have a room to herself?”
    Natalie and Gertie exchanged looks.  “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
    Clara smiled, happy that was resolved.  “Okay, girls, run upstairs and move all Gertie’s things into Natalie’s room.”  She looked at Mary.  “I’ll change the sheets in Gertie’s room when they’re done.”  She walked to the stove and started the coffee pot.  “Are you hungry?  I made a cake that’s still cooling.”  She’d planned to serve it for supper, but she could whip up a pie while she waited for the coffee to heat up.
    Mary shook her head.  “Oh, no.  I don’t eat cake.  I’m watching my figure.”
    Clara smiled, looking at how slender Mary was.  What was she going to do with her?  “I understand.”  She sat at the table.  “Have a seat.  I’m Clara by the way.  Albert and I married in September.”
    “Oh.  I had no idea Albert had already remarried.”  Mary frowned.  “I guess he doesn’t need a housekeeper after all.”  The look on her face told Clara she was very upset that Albert had married without first discussing things with her.
    “You can stay with us for a while.  We have plenty of room.”  Clara hoped the other woman would be gone as soon as possible though.  She didn’t want to have to feel like she was in the shadow of her husband’s late wife for the rest of her life.  She already felt that way a great deal of the time.  Having someone who looked just like her in her home would only make things worse.
    “Oh, wonderful!  I’ll help however I can around the house.  I can see you’re having a hard time of it.”  She walked to a window sill and wiped her finger along it as if to say Clara’s home wasn’t clean enough.
    Clara bristled.  Everything in her home was kept just the way she wanted it to be, and she spent hours scrubbing every day.  “That will be nice.  I’m sure there are some special dishes you know how to make that you could teach me.”  She’d be as polite as she could be during the other woman’s time there.  Maybe Albert knew of a single man they could marry her off to.  Quickly.
    “I’m sure I do.  Albert loved my sister’s cooking.  I could teach you to make everything she used to make for him.”
    Clara smiled, knowing the other woman wouldn’t realize how strained the smile was.  “Thank you.  I’d like that.”
    Robert came down the stairs then, rubbing his eyes from sleep.  He looked at Mary for a moment before hurrying into Clara’s arms.  He was obviously nervous around the stranger.  “How long has it been since you’ve seen the children?” Clara asked as she held Robert in her lap.
    “Oh, I’ve never seen the children.  I haven’t seen Albert since the day he married my sister.”  Mary walked over to sit across from Clara.  “I’m your Aunt Mary,” she said to