Page 67 of Mail Order Bride

The sun has already set by the time I go out to the barn to grab the tools I need to pry up the hardwood floor. The dogs follow at my heels, trotting happily along and wagging their tails almost as if they know something interesting is about to happen. They sit and wait expectantly as I work on the floor.

I’m somewhat relieved that sure enough, under the floorboards, I find the letters. Every single one. But that’s not all. In the box along with them, there’s cash. Not a lot, but probably enough to get me where I’m going.

Chapter Fifty

Journal Entry

Ms. Mona Sherman

Pine Lake, Texas

Everybody knows that you don’t leave loose ends hanging around. That’s how things can unravel. That pretty girl in the yellow dress, she was not only a loose end; she was a loose cannon. Of course, when Gina told me about their meeting, I thought it was a bad idea. So, I followed her. And I knew by Gina’s body language that whatever had happened between them in that cemetery, it wasn’t good.

That meant I had to keep following her. It meant I had to run her down, run her off the road. Even then, she wasn’t all the way dead. Good thing I keep a tire iron just in case of trouble. And that girl in the yellow dress? She was trouble. But not anymore.

The yellow dress was covered in blood. It was dripping down her curves like honey. But she was still alive.

Now she’s nothing but a stain on the pavement, a warning to all the other loose cannons out there.

Chapter Fifty-One

Gina

Seven months later

What would Joel have done? I knew I couldn’t leave town right away, but I also know that I needed to. It was time for a fresh start, somewhere with a new name and a new story.

Joel had a peculiar way of looking at things. First, he would just stare at you for a minute, trying to figure you out. Then he’d nod his head, smile and say, “Yes, that’s what I was thinking.” He was the kind of guy who let you know that he was in your head the minute you entered the room. I thought he was kind of scary at first, but now I realize he simply reminded me a lot of myself.

I had so many questions in the weeks following his death. The big question was what to do about Mona, given that a lot of this was her fault. One thing is for sure—the body count is already a few too many. But it’s nice to have a friend like her around. Life can be very unpredictable.

Then there’s my father, of course, who is still banging about, healthy as a horse. Texas seems to suit him and Mona. Should I be angry that he tried to sell me off to the highest bidder and succeeded? Maybe. But if he hadn’t, I never would have met Joel.

We had one of our infamous fights, my father and I, the day of Joel’s burial. I dragged Mona into it, too. “The only reason you married him,” Daddy said, “was because I disapproved.”

“That’s not true.”

“You’re certainly no saint in any of this mess, Gina.”

Mona agreed. “People in glass houses should not throw stones.”

“You’re not one to speak,” I said. “Why don’t you tell Daddy why he’s sick half the time?”

“It’s her cooking,” my father remarks. “It’s hit or miss.”

“I’d be careful what you say,” I told him. “You never know what she’s liable to do.”

My father narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying, Gina?”

“Yeah,” Mona said. “Whatareyou saying?”

She gave me a look that said:After all I’ve done for you.

“Nothing,” I replied. “I’m not saying anything.”

My father shook his head. “Women.”

“If I were you, Daddy, I’d be on your best behavior.”

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