The Perfect Mail-Order Bride by Regina Scott

Author:Regina Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: secrets, sweet romance, matchmaking, mistaken identity, wounded hero, pioneer romance, western frontier fiction, plain jane romance, pioneer seattle, frontier bachelors
Publisher: Regina Scott

***

Ada kept her promise and called on Rosanna Freeman on Monday while Thomas was meeting with Mr. Clancy. She could only hope he would see the truth about the fellow’s character clearer than she first had and react accordingly.

The Freemans had a cozy house on Third Avenue, not too far from the tall columns of the Territorial University. The day was warm and sunny, so Rosanna invited Ada to sit on the wide front porch and brought out a couple of harp-backed chairs for their chat. Her daughter, Harriett, was off visiting friends, and her son, Albert, was working as a cobbler in the business district.

The two ladies spread their skirts—Ada’s a gray poplin courtesy of her sister and Rosanna’s a practical green gingham with a wide brown leather belt—and smiled at each other, fingers wrapped around the porcelain cups of lemonade Rosanna had poured.

“You have a nice place,” Ada commented, wishing she had her sister’s gift for striking up a conversation. Then again, all Melinda’s conversations generally revolved around her, so maybe they were easier.

“It’s very pretty when the sun sets,” Rosanna agreed, nodding at the view over the tops of the other buildings toward the Olympics, which were standing in full glory across the Sound.

“I can imagine,” Ada said. “And is that a birdfeeder?”

Rosanna turned her gaze on the stone figure with outstretched hand in the middle of the muddy yard. At the moment, a robin was perched on the fingers, pecking at something in the palm. “It is. A fellow traded it to TP for two pairs of boots. I thought it foolishness at the time, but TP and I have enjoyed watching our feathered friends. They’re so industrious, and they can be so determined. You should see the number of nests they try to build along the eaves.” She shook her dark head.

Here was something Ada could talk about. “I used to watch birds in Boston out the parlor window,” she told her, pausing to take a sip of the tart lemonade. “We lived across the street from a park. My favorites were the black-capped chickadees in the winter, leaving forked tracks in the snow, and the blue jays in the summer, flashing through the trees.”

“We get a few jays here,” Rosanna allowed. “They’re a little different from what I saw back East. These here have gray tufts on the top of their heads.” She wiggled the fingers of her free hand over her tight curls.

“You came from back East too?” Ada asked.

“Most everyone in Seattle comes from east of here,” Rosanna said with a chuckle. “Except those born here, of course. TP and I met in Pennsylvania. He was bound and determined to make his fortune, so he came out with the Forty-Niners.”

“So he made his fortune in gold, like Thomas and Mr. Howard,” Ada marveled.

Rosanna made a face. “He didn’t make much of a fortune, but he made enough to get us up to Victoria and then Seattle, with a house and a store to support us.

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.