Jessie: Bride of South Carolina (American Mail-Order Bride 8) by Rose Gordon

Author:Rose Gordon [Gordon, Rose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Romance, Fiction, Forever Love, Victorian Era, Western, Eighth In Series, Saga, Fifty-Books, Forty-Five Authors, Newspaper Ad, Short Story, American Mail-Order Bride, Bachelor, Single Woman, South Carolina, Marriage Of Convenience, Christian, Religious, Faith, Inspirational, Factory Burned, Controling Father, Montana, Train Depot, Distance, Travel, Adventure, Painful Regrets, Five Years, Painful Past, Sweethearts, Pioneer
Goodreads: 27424169
Publisher: Parchment & Plume, LLC
Published: 2015-11-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

With any luck this would be the final day of traveling to Charleston with Jessie. Joel had gotten up as soon as the first rays of light filtered through the windows of the stables. As he’d promised, he mucked the stalls, fed all the animals, refilled the water trough, and brushed the innkeeper’s horse in exchange for a room for Jessie and dinner. As other travelers came in throughout the night, Joel would offer to see after their horses for fifty cents. Five dollars worth of coins now jangled in his pocket.

Upstairs, Jessie was packed and ready to travel the last seventeen miles to Charleston when he opened the door to her room.

The ride was quiet.

Too quiet.

And then, it wasn’t…

“Why haven’t you married?”

Joel wished for the silence to return.“The same reason you didn’t,”he said casually.“No one in town suited my fancy.”He whipped his head around to face her.“Are you reconsidering showing me Mr. Perfect’s letter so I might be able to post a proper ad?”

“You could certainly use some of his charm, but no.”

Joel snorted.“I doubt he wrote the letters himself anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t he have written it himself?”

“I already told you. No man is a perfect gentleman.”He spotted a pond off the road just ahead and slowed the horses.“Nor do I think you’d want one.”

“Shows what you know about women.”

“Guess that’s why I’m still not married.”He loosened his hold on the reins to allow the horses easier access to the water.

“And with your cynical attitude, I think it’s safe to assume you’ll remain that way for a while longer.”

“Fine by me.”The last thing he needed was a woman milling around his house and blabbing his business around town.“Why the sudden curiosity, Jess? You vying for the position?”

“Of Mrs. Joel Cunningham? Absolutely not.”

Joel’s grip momentarily tightened on the leather reins. Need she be so adamant as to add the‘“absolutely?”He forced a lopsided shrug.“That’s too bad.”

~*~

Jessie’s mind spun in a thousand directions. Did he mean…? Equal parts frustration and excitement coursed through her. One minute Joel would say something that made her think he thought of her as only a childhood friend, and other times…Well, frankly, other times it seemed like he was ready to kiss her senseless. She’d certainly like the latter, but would die of embarrassment if she assumed he had such an interest in her.

Enough was enough. She’d ask him. If he did see her romantically they could turn this wagon around right now. And if he declined such an interest she’d be gone tomorrow and would never have to look at him ever again.

“Joel, would you want me to be your Mrs. Cunningham?”

“Did Jessie Wilcox just propose to me?”Joel wondered aloud, steering the horses away from the pond and back to the road.

Every drop of blood in her body rushed to Jessie’s face.“You’re the one who said it was too bad that I wasn’t vying to be your Mrs. Cunningham,”she defended.

“Because you could have saved me the time of having to ponder over what to put in my ad.

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