“What do you mean?” Josie asked, wiping her tears. “How can we solve this? Ikilledmy husband.”
“You were defending yourself, Josephine. Think about your child. What would have happened, hm?”
Josie pressed her lips together and shook her head. “The law won’t see it that way, and you know it. I need to get out of here.” Salty tears blurred her vision. “I can’t stay here. Help me, Aunt Tia.”
Aunt Tia’s head moved from side to side, scanning the dimmed room. Her brows rose, setting her sight ahead. She turned to Josie and gripped her hand. “Do you trust me?”
Josie nodded. “Yes.”
Aunt Tia balanced herself on her cane and pulled herself up. “Wait here.” She wobbled across the room and stopped at the chair beside a corner window. She turned, holding a folded newspaper. After settling herself on the settee, she opened a section and handed it to Josie. Then Josie’s stomach dropped.
Mail-Order Brides Wanted
Josie nearly choked upon reading the headline. Aunt Tia was up in age, but she wasn’t crazy—at least from what Josie knew of. However, this was the first sign of her mental decline. The old woman couldn’t be serious.
“Aunt Tia? What are you trying to say?”
Aunt Tia bit her lip. “I think you know.”
Josie’s jaw tightened, throwing the newspaper down. “I cannot marry a stranger. You already know what happened last time. Marcus was handpicked by my father. A stranger! I won’t go through that again.”
“Josephine, look at me,” Aunt Tia commanded, scooting closer.
Josie turned her head away, clenching her fists in her lap.
“Josephine, you’re a stubborn girl. Look at your aunt when she’s speaking to you.”
Josie huffed and faced her aunt.
Aunt Tia’s brows furrowed as she pointed to Josie’s flat abdomen. “Now, that baby of yours is in real danger. If you stay here, he or she will be without a mother and thrown into an orphanage with shame cast upon them. If you marry again and move to the wild country, you will have security and protection. You can’t make it on your own, and you can’t stay here. Make your choice.”
Josie’s gut nearly convulsed.
“You said you trusted me, now keep your word,” Aunt Tia rebuked. “My heart goes out to you, dear, truly. I love you, but you have no other options, none that will keep you and your child together and safe.”
Josie hugged herself, her fingers and arms quivering.You can’t be seriously considering this idea, Josie. Are you going to listen to your crazy aunt? You can’t be that foolish.Josie was finally free, and now she was thrown back in time. Seven years ago, she had been a foolish girl of sixteen, marrying a man because her father told her to. Josie couldn’t fight back then, but she could fight now. But at what cost? She wanted this baby more than anything, and she’d give her life to protect it.
She swallowed a lump in her throat, nodding slightly. “Fine. I’ll listen. Tell me your plan.”
Aunt Tia picked up the discarded paper. “Mail-order brides are common, always have been. There’s a man’s name I stumbled upon the other morning, and his story has stuck with me for some strange reason.” Aunt Tia placed a hand on her heart, her bottom lip quivering. “I truly believe God had a hand in leading me to it.”
Straightening her posture, she cleared her throat and lifted the paper closer to her face. “Willow Grove, Montana. TravisBlythe, widower and father of four. He writes, ‘I’m searching for a woman willing to love and raise my children as her own.’”
Josie’s heart sank, leaning back against the sofa.Those poor dears. She pressed her fingers against her lips, stifling a gasp. What was happening to her? They were just words on a page—nothing more. Yet they tugged at something deep inside her. She couldn’t let the heartfelt advertisement manipulate her emotions. What if this was just a cruel trick, a way to get a woman to feel sorry for him and then take control of her? Since the war, she understood men better than before—control and greed were the essence of who they were.
“He’s just a desperate man trying to make a woman feel sorry enough for him to marry him,” Josie spat firmly. “I won’t do it. Find someone else.”
Aunt Tia groaned, lowering the newspaper into her lap. “Josephine, you are just like your grandmother, judgmental and picky,” she muttered, shaking her head. With a sigh, she placed a hand over her chest. “However, I understand you. Your father was foolish to marry you off to that monster of a man, but you must learn to trust, not for your sake but for your child’s. Think about those four children without a mama. Think of your child being fatherless.”
“And would this man want another baby? One from another man?”
Aunt Tia carefully folded the newspaper, her gaze low. “We’ll meet that difficulty when the time comes.”
“Aunt Tia,” Josie chided. “I never said I would.”
Aunt Tia smiled and patted Josie’s hand, unmoved by her skepticism. “Let’s not argue. Sleep on it, my dear. It’s been a long night. Let me escort you to your room.”
Josie stood as her aunt gestured for her to follow. She held her breath, just like she had earlier when sneaking into the train station and crossing town. They climbed the stairs in silence,their footsteps light against the worn steps. On the fourth floor, Aunt Tia unlocked a door and pressed an oil lamp into Josie’s hands. The sharp scent of kerosene filled her nostrils as the flame flickered in the darkened hallway.
