The Marriage Bargain. Angel Moore

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter Four

      Edward tossed his dirty clothes into a pile by the bedroom door. His cabin wasn’t grand, but it wasn’t small. If he’d built it himself, it would not have had two bedrooms, but the house was part of the deal when he’d bought his blacksmith shop from the previous owner. As soon as he was old enough, he’d moved out on his own to escape the stepmother his father had brought home shortly after his dear mother had died. She’d given no affection to him or Jane. Time and again he’d wished his father had never married her. Finding work as an apprentice to the town blacksmith had given him a purpose and place in life.

      Eventually he’d nurtured a vague hope of one day having a family of his own. But over the years, he’d found it safer to retreat alone at night into the sanctuary of his home. His mistrust of women in general was based on years of watching his father’s wife take advantage of his father. Her sweet facade had quickly faded after she’d convinced his father to marry her. She’d never truly loved him and had been horrid to Edward and Jane. Nothing they did was ever good enough for her. She’d settled into their home as mistress and ordered them about in her aloof manner, as though she felt them beneath her care or attention. Jane had been too young when she married, but until Wesley had whisked her away to Santa Fe, Edward had thought it was for the best.

      Edward stripped the linens from the bed and added them to the pile by the door. A small crate from the back porch would suffice for his personal items. He put his shaving cup and brush in and then tossed in the small mirror from the top of his chest of drawers. He pulled a rag from his back pocket and took a swipe at the dust on top of the furniture.

      Backing up in the doorway, he took a last look around. Not what he’d have done in normal circumstances for bringing home a wife, but it was the best he could manage in the half hour she’d allotted him. He stowed the small crate in a corner near the stove and gathered up the laundry. He tossed it onto the workbench on the back porch and headed back into the front room.

      A light rapping sounded on the door, and his breath caught. He was doing this for Ellen. She needed a mother. Life might be upside down, but that little girl would always have a home with him.

      He lifted the latch on the door and pulled it open. Lily stood in the street at the bottom of the porch steps. She must have knocked and backed as far away as she could.

      He dragged his palms down the sides of his pants. “Hi.”

      Pink color soaked into Lily’s cheeks. She really was a beautiful lady. At this moment, she must be just as nervous as he was. “Hello.”

      Edward stepped through the doorway. “Did you get everything packed?”

      “Everything I’ll need until we can move the furniture.” She didn’t look at him.

      He reached inside the cabin and took his hat from the peg by the door. “Okay. I’ll go get everything, then.” He pushed the hat onto his head and walked down the porch steps.

      She hesitated. “Would you mind if I took a look inside first?”

      “Inside the cabin?”

      “Yes. I want to see how much space there is, so I can decide what to bring and what to leave behind.”

      “Oh.” He took the hat off again. “That makes sense.” He shrugged his shoulders and lifted an arm to invite her up the steps. He heard a thump and turned to see the door of the livery open. Jim Robbins stood in front of his place and made no effort to hide his interest in the goings-on at Edward’s house. Edward turned and looked up the street. Mrs. Winters was sweeping the sidewalk in front of the post office. He pivoted and saw Will Thomas in the doorway of the lumber mill.

      Edward put his hat back on and took Lily by the elbow. “It seems we’re being watched.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ