Letters to Caroline (Brides of Serenity Book 1) by A.J. Goode

Author:A.J. Goode [Goode, A.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-11-07T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Sunday was cooler, with refreshing gusts of moist air that seemed eager to battle with the heat that had plagued them for so long. The lingering scent of smoke filled the air as Adam hitched Max and Mae to the wagon and helped Caroline climb up into the seat. He hoisted the girls into the back, admonishing Sophie to please behave like a lady at church today.

Caroline sniffed at the air as they started along their way. “Is that smoke still from the Conway’s barn?” she asked.

“Some of it. But there could be other fires. We’re practically living in a tinderbox right now.” The rode on in silence and he squirmed uncomfortably. It was obvious that he wanted to talk to her about something. Eventually, he cleared his throat and began. “I want to tell you about my brother.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“Yes, I do.” He looked over his shoulder to reassure himself that Sophie and Emily were deeply involved in their own conversation, and then spoke again in a low voice that the girls wouldn’t be able to hear over the rattling of the wagon. “Before I can tell you that, I need to tell you about . . . About Elise Thompson.”

Caroline flushed. Don’t tell me about another woman! she wanted to scream at him. I don’t want to hear how perfect she was or how much you loved her!

“Sam’s wife Rebecca was a lot like Grace Anderson. City girl, used to fancy clothes and nice things. She loved my brother, but this life was hard for her. After she had the twins, she got quieter and quieter and just seemed to sort of shrink, if you know what I mean. Sam got really worried about her. He started talking about packing up and moving back to the city for her. And then the Thompson family moved to Serenity.”

He got a faraway look in his eyes. “Elise was just about the prettiest, daintiest thing I’ve ever seen. Pretty red hair and great big eyes that looked like the lake on a stormy day.”

Pretty and dainty. Nothing like me, she thought, reminding herself that she had no right to feel jealous.

“I fell for her pretty hard,” Adam admitted. “She started spending time with Rebecca, and Rebecca seemed to perk right back up. They were almost like sisters, and I -- well, I found lots of reasons to spend time indoors when I should have been working. After a while, I figured we were in love, so I took it upon myself to pay a little visit to her pa.”

A red flush crept slowly up his neck. He guided the wagon around a burned-out spot in the road before continuing with his story. He’d gone to ask George Thompson for his daughter’s hand, he told her, and the man had laughed in his face. Elise had already agreed to marry someone else -- a wealthy banker from Chicago.

“I thought maybe her pa was forcing her to marry the other fellow, and really believed she loved me,” Adam said now.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.