Laurel: Bride of Arkansas (American Mail-Order Bride 25) Read Free

know more about each other over lunch?”
    “Yes, ma’am, that’s a good idea. I ate early this morning before driving into town.” He slipped his hand under her elbow. “I’ll take you to the café. We can get a good meal there.”
    “Thank you.” She gestured over to the side of the platform. “Is it all right to leave my things here unattended?”
    He followed her line of sight to two trunks, a suitcase and several hat boxes. “Those are all yours?”
    “Yes, I decided not to bring everything at this time, but to have them shipped later.”
    She smiled at him like having this many belongings was normal, and maybe it was in other circumstances, but not in the instance of a mail order bride. They were supposed to be destitute weren’t they? And desperate? At least that’s what he’d heard from the other loggers. Laurel Weidner didn’t look destitute or desperate. She appeared refined. She had quality.
    He, on the other hand, while not destitute, was most certainly desperate. He had to make sure he had a mother for his girls and a well-tended home so he could get them back. And then there was the bet. The money he won from that would surely come in handy.
    What if she didn’t like him or he frightened her off? What would he do if she bolted and ran? He had to make sure that didn’t happen. He had to tell her only as much as she needed to know to convince her to stay, and not let her find out about the bet.
    “I’ll have the station master arrange to have everything delivered to the house, so they’ll be there when we arrive tomorrow.”
    “All except for the small suitcase, if you don’t mind.” She pointed to the one sitting under a hat box.
    “This one?”
    “Thank you, Griffin. I appreciate that.”
    After he made the arrangements, he escorted her to the café for their meal.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER TWO
     
    Laurel sat at the table as Griffin held her chair. He seemed to be a nice man, but he had balked slightly when he saw how much she’d brought with her. His reaction might have been comical if she were more confident of her decision. Had she brought too much? It hadn’t occurred to her he might not have enough room for all her belongings. She’d taken a chance, as it was, leaving some of her things at the boarding house.
    She asked for a glass of water and a cup of tea from their server while he asked for a cup of coffee. The café wasn’t as large as some in Philadelphia or Boston, but was large enough for about ten tables and chairs. Half of which held patrons. The establishment was clean and, though the table cloths didn’t match, each was clean, starched, and freshly ironed.
    “So, Griffin,” she began. “Are you from Arkansas originally?”
    “I, umm, no. I’m from Texas. I came up here five years ago looking for a job with the Sealy Lumber Mill. I hired on and, shortly after, I married the boss’ daughter. When she passed away last year, I stayed for the job and my girls.”
    “I’m so sorry for your loss. What ages are your girls?”
    “Coral is five and Josie is three.” He smiled. “They’re very sweet and quite precocious.”
    She could see his pride in his children and took that as a good sign toward his temperament and personality. She sipped her tea, and then asked, “Do you still have family living in Texas?”
    “My parents, a cousin and his family live near Dallas.” He took a drink from his cup. “How about you? Any family back East?”                                
    “My parents and two sisters live in Philadelphia, but we aren’t close. The aunt I lived with in Lawrence passed away several months ago. There’s no one else.”
    There was no reason to say anything more about her father, Peter Weidner or her mother, at this point. As far as her father was concerned, she’d disappeared without a trace and, with any luck, he’d stop