A Bride for the Sheriff by Emily Woods

Author:Emily Woods [Woods, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Love Stories, Romance, Women's Fiction
Publisher: Fairfield Publishing
Published: 2017-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

8

As warm sunlight filled the room, Charlie woke in a drowsy stupor. Briefly forgetting where she was, she panicked and jumped out of the cozy bed she’d been sleeping in.

As the events of the day before came flooding back, she wasn’t sure how she was feeling. On one hand, Margie and Theodore were warm and welcoming, but on the other, she felt as though she was playing false with them. After hearing the stories of Jackson from Johnny yesterday, she felt wholly unsure that she wanted to pursue any kind of relationship with this man.

Her trunk had been unpacked for her, presumably while she’d been eating and so she wandered over to the large wardrobe where her scant wardrobe was hanging. Uncertain as to the normal dress in such a proper house, she hesitated between two or three dresses before finally choosing a light green cotton dress that had a fitted bodice and long skirt. It was lightweight and would be suitable to the hot weather, which was already evident despite the early hour. Furthermore, it complimented her dark hair and brought out the green in her eyes. It was her best color, not that she was trying to impress anyone she told herself.

Upon descending the stairs, she found her hostess busily arranging flowers in the front room.

“Oh! There you are. I wasn’t sure whether to wake you for breakfast or not.” She smiled kindly and watched Charlie’s expression. She appeared to be searching her face for something.

“Uh, no, I’m glad you didn’t. I guess I needed the rest, but I feel quite refreshed now. Thank you.”

“Ah, but you must be starving. Come into the dining room and I’ll have another cup of coffee while you have your breakfast.”

Charlie hated to impose, but Margie was already leading the way.

Over the course of the meal, conversation remained light, but Charlie got the impression that Margie wanted to say something to her and didn’t quite know how. Finally, when she was done eating, her hostess casually mentioned her brother.

“So, Jackson seems to think that he’s a bit of a disappointment to you,” she commented, not looking Charlie in the eyes, but rather toying with a napkin. “However, I told him he must be wrong. He’s a wonderful brother and a good man. The only reason he’s not married already is the lack of suitable women in the area, I’m sure. He’s not only hard working, thoughtful and loyal, but a strong Christian as well. Any women would be proud to marry him.” Margie’s voice had become quite impassioned by the end of the speech and Charlie’s mouth quirked slightly.

“You’re not biased at all, are you?”

Margie flushed slightly, but still smiled. “Well, I did help raise him a bit, so I guess I have a small right to be proud of how he turned out.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s really his place to tell you all the details, but I’m sure he mentioned in his letter that our parents passed away when he was only fourteen.

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