Anna: Bride of Alabama (American Mail-Order Bride 22) Read Free Page A

expecting wasn’t there. It was as if the light had been dimmed in the house and the darkness that lurked in the corners spread to every surface. The rich tapestry furnishing seemed dull. There wasn’t any dust that she could see but something was off.
    She turned to Ruth, the look on the woman’s face telling her she knew what she was feeling. Anna smiled to put the woman at ease. “Thank you, Ruth. Tea would be nice.” She looked around the room. “I’ll admit to being a bit weary from my trip and more than a little confused.”
    “Confused? About what, dear?”
    Anna turned to face her again. “Well, why I’m meeting my groom here? Does he work for the owner of the house?”
    Ruth raised an eyebrow and shot a quick glance to Franklin. He stood by the door watching them both. “I’m not sure I follow,” Ruth said. “Where else would you meet Mr. Montgomery?”
    “In our own home, perhaps.”
    Ruth stared at her long moments before throwing another glance at Franklin. The man cleared his throat and took a step into the room. “This is to be your home, Miss Anna.”
    Anna’s heart thumped inside her chest so hard she raised a hand to hold it still. “I think there’s been a mistake,” she said, her eyes widening as she took in the room again.
    “How so?”
    “Well, this is all wrong.” She dug into her reticule for the letter she’d received, opening those crinkled papers again and scanning the text. “It says here my groom owns a modest home and income.” She glanced around the room again. “There isn’t anything modest about this home.”
    “Depends on who you ask, I suppose.” Franklin blushed then shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t fret Miss Anna. Every thing will be fine. Once Julia gets back she’ll explain everything for you.”
    Anna had no choice but to accept the explanation. Franklin and Ruth left her in the parlor with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. She didn’t move until Franklin’s words whispered through her head again and she realized her new groom wasn’t a barely-getting-by farmer like she’d expected. He was a born and bred southern gentleman with a entire cotton plantation. And he wanted to marry her.
    She backed up until her legs hit a chair, then sat, the last several months running through her mind again. She hadn’t looked when Roberta laid down the Grooms’ Gazette. She’d just picked one, smiling when she saw she’d selected Alabama. She would be close to Constance, her one friend from the factory having selected Florida to find a groom. At least neither of them would have to endure bitterly cold winters anymore.
    She didn’t expect much from her new groom and had hoped whoever he was, that he’d be kind. The whole ordeal seemed like a grand adventure when it was first introduced. She’d get to see a bit of the country and make a life so completely different than the one she’d been living. This was different, all right. She shook her head, her gaze drawn to the window and the trees beyond. She had no clue what sort of man Gabriel Montgomery was but if he were half as amazing as his home, he couldn’t be all that bad.
     
     
     
    * * * *
     
     
     
    Gabriel braced his feet, his arms crossed over his chest, and didn’t blink. He’d played this game before and he wasn’t about to loose again. Ruth didn’t tell him what the latest catastrophe was but whatever Julia had done would have to wait.
    “But you have to!”
    Her voice was gaining that shrill quality he hated to hear. It gave him a headache and today was no exception. “Whatever it is, Julia, it will hold until this evening.”
    “No, it can’t.” She planted her hands on her hips, her chin raising a notch. “Its nearly time for lunch. Do you plan on skipping that today? Can’t you stop a bit early and come up to the house? I’ve not seen you in over a week, you know.”
    He opened his mouth to answer but she lowered her head and peered up at him through her lashes, the