Hannah Saves Samuel (Wanted: Wives In The West 1) Read Free Page B

on. Horses lined the platform, tied to a hitching post. Hannah spotted her hosts waving at her a few feet away.
     
    Caleb and Margaret Marshall were a lovely couple. Sincere smiles never left their faces as they welcomed Hannah into the fold and treated her just like a long lost relative. “How was your trip?” Margaret inquired. “My, you must be exhausted, traveling all the way from Georgia! We’ll go straight home and have a wonderful supper before you get rested.”
     
    The meal was incredible. They had outdone themselves with home fried chicken, collard greens and corn bread. Hannah hadn’t eaten like that in over a year, since her ma had quit tending to suppertime. They chatted about her life back home, her education and experience with homesteading. She told them about her family, and all the cute things her sister Jenny did around the house. Suddenly, Hannah was overcome with drowsiness. Margaret noticed her eyelids drooping and said, “Hannah, we’re so happy you’re here with us. But you must go rest up now. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Hannah agreed, feeling very content with her new life so far.
     
    She hadn’t asked about the man in the ad with the faraway eyes, and no mention of marriage had come up with the Marshalls. But every so often, she’d notice them exchange a quick glance with a smile between them when she mentioned something about her love of the Lord and her dream of settling down in Texas permanently.
     
    Caleb and Margaret discussed how excited they were to see the two together. “They’ll make such a handsome pair,” said Margaret. “They’re so different physically—Samuel, tall, dark hair and eyes, strong as a bull and tan as a leather hide—and Hannah, petite, blonde hair, blue eyes, and skin as soft and white as a dove! But both of them have the Lord in their hearts.”
     
    Hannah woke the next morning to the sound of voices in the other room. There was a second male voice that didn’t belong to Caleb. She heard a knock at the door and Margaret summoned her to breakfast. “Be right there,” Hannah replied. She cracked the door open a bit and saw a man standing next to Caleb with his back to her. He had his cowboy hat in his hand, but even without it, he towered over her host.
     
    Hearing the door creak open, the man turned around and met Hannah’s gaze through the small opening. “It’s him!” she whispered quietly. The stranger’s chiseled face was burned into her mind. She’d stared at the picture the whole way here, but this time, his eyes were not wandering, but locked with hers. They were green, like the beautiful, rolling hills she had seen on her way here—something she had wondered about when looking at the photograph before.
     
    Hannah quickly shut the door, startled by the recognition of him. Rushing around her room, she poured a bit of water in the wash bin and splashed her face. She pulled her long, blonde locks into a low knot at the nape of her neck, a few wisps left framing her face. She pinched her cheeks for some color and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress with her hands. She took a deep breath and stood up straight as she slowly opened the door and walked out to sit at the breakfast table.
     
    “Hannah!” Margaret said with excitement. “I’m so glad you’re awake! Caleb was just about to leave with Samuel to make a run around the ranch, but I insisted they have breakfast first. Plus, I was hoping you two would meet before they left. Samuel, this is Hannah, from St. Mary’s, Georgia.”
     
    “Nice to meet you,” he said quietly, giving a quick nod in her direction. They all sat down to breakfast as silence crept over them like a fog. Samuel sat eating his biscuits and gravy and Hannah picked at her breakfast. She felt nervous being around Samuel. He didn’t appear to like her very much, but then, he wasn’t talking to anyone at the table at all, not just avoiding her.
     
    “Samuel here works for the Swift and Company