West For Love (A Mail Order Romance Novel) by Karolyn James, Claire Charlins

okay?”
    “It was amazing,” Anna said. “For
me. But Thomas...”
    “Don’t think a thing about it,” Jo
said.
    “I can’t give him what he wants. Or
Thomas Jr. what he needs.”
    Jo closed her mouth and nodded.
Anna could see in Jo’s eyes that she knew exactly what Anna meant.
    “And what if Thomas wants a bigger
family? What am I do to then?”
    “Who says you can’t have a bigger
family?” Jo asked.
    “I was married for a year without a
baby,” Anna said.
    “That may not have been your
doing,” Jo said. “Do you have faith?”
    “Yes, I do.”
    “That’s all you need, sweet Anna.
You and Thomas are meant to be. Let it be.”
    That’s what Anna needed to hear.
She collected herself and her tears and spent the rest of the day as the wife
she wanted to be. She took care of the house, the cooking, and even took care
of Thomas Jr. in every way God allowed her. Jo only took the baby when he
needed nourishment.
    The days and nights soon began to
move faster than Anna thought they would.
    The days were long and hard
sometimes, but Anna forged through them. She took care of everything Thomas
needed and wanted, usually doing so without him saying a word about a thing.
She noticed he didn’t like to ask for things, but he appreciated everything she
did. He took to touching her hands at any opportunity they were free and they
shared moments in bed together, but each time it ended, Thomas always left the
room.
    Through the kitchen window, Anna
spent many hours watching Thomas work hard. The crops grew like she had never
seen crops grow before, a testament to the good land and the hard work. When it
came time to sell crops, Anna joined Thomas and brought Thomas Jr. along. She
then got to watch her husband work as a businessman, making the living he
deserved and rightfully earned. Each second she spent staring at Thomas,
watching him work, watching him deal in business, watching him hold Thomas Jr.
and make the baby laugh, Anna fell more in love with him. And it was genuine
love. She wanted to openly celebrate, but she held back for fear of learning how
Thomas actually felt about her. The last thing she would ever want to do was
push Thomas away.
    He meant too much to Anna and she
had reached the point that she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it. As
promised to herself, she sat down one evening to write two letters.
    She had the paper in front of her
and traced her thoughts, trying to find the perfect words to say.
    Jo was nursing Thomas Jr. and
Thomas stepped up behind Anna, standing as she sat. His strong hands touched
her shoulders, sending that intense warm feeling through her body. If Thomas
had been able to see her cheeks right then, he would have seen her blushing.
    “Writing?” he asked.
    “I promised to pen two letters,”
Anna said.
    “Friends or family?”
    “Both,” Anna said. “One is for my
sister. One is for the woman who helped me get here.”
    “Do you miss your sister?” Thomas
asked.
    It was probably the most personal
question he’d asked Anna in over a month.
    “I do,” Anna said. “But I worry
more than miss her. I want her to read this letter and understand that life can
exist after pain.”
    What Anna wanted to really say was
that love could exist after pain, but she wasn’t sure how Thomas would handle
hearing that.
    “Well,” Thomas said, “you tell her
that I’m happy. That our marriage is strong and healthy.”
    Anna smiled.
    “I’ll leave you be,” Thomas said.
    “Thank you,” Anna said.
    She thought again about what to
write. She tried to picture Abigail, but it was becoming harder to do. Time had
gone by so fast and with so much involved. Thinking about time bothered Anna.
Anna touched her stomach, feeling let down again. She wasn’t sure why she
expected to carry a child, but she wondered if Jo had been right. That God’s
will didn’t let it happen with William to allow it to happen with Thomas. That
obviously wasn’t the case at all as Anna’s