Poppy: Bride of Alaska (American Mail-Order Bride 49) Read Free Page A

train. No doubt she’d made a fool of herself, not that she could help it. It was in her nature. He could like it or lump it, it made no difference to her.
    Yes, it was a very good thing this wasn’t a real marriage. He was far too uptight for her uncouth ways, and she didn’t have any interest in changing for anyone.
    “There’s a nice little cafe just down the street,” he said, hooking his elbow out for her to latch onto. What an oddly intimate gesture, one she’d never experienced before with the roughnecks who lived in her old neighborhood. Then again, he was her husband, as much as the thought mortified her, and it was probably the proper thing to do.
    Warmth sizzled up her fingers the moment they touched Matthew’s arm, vining its way up and through her body. It took all her willpower to not snatch her hand away as if she’d been burned, because that’s what it felt like. Burning heat. Her only recourse was to painfully gnaw on her lower lip for the rest of the short walk to keep unwanted images of Matthew giving her a real wedding kiss out of her head.
    “So, Matthew, tell me about this meeting at the YMCA,” Poppy said, her lip throbbing, once they had ordered their meals.
    Fury filled his features so quickly that Poppy’s natural instinct was to pull back far enough that his fist would miss her. It took a moment before the fear actually hit her. This was not what she signed on for!
    But when he saw her reaction, shame replaced fury.  
    “I’m sorry if I frightened you,” he said, reaching out to lightly touch her hand. “I just…”
    The pain and frustration etched deeply into his features eased her worries. The man had seen some trouble, that much was obvious. Matthew took a lungful of air to brace himself.  
    “Suffice it to say, Seattle isn’t one of my favorite places.”
    “Really? I think it’s beautiful!”
    He grimaced. “It has its charms, but mere minutes after arriving four months ago, some scoundrel picked my pocket, along with almost every penny I had left in the world.”
    Poppy blanched. “That’s terrible! Did you catch the thief?”
    “If I had, I’m sure I’d be in the local jail awaiting trial for murder instead of enjoying a meal with you.”  
    Despite the dark look on Matthew’s face, his comment made her giggle.  
    “Are you laughing at my misfortune?”
    “Not at all,” she protested. “I just can’t picture a fine gentleman like you rotting away with the types of boys I grew up with, is all. Truly, I’m sorry that happened to you. Is that the reason you’re staying at the Y?”
    His face went slack with surprise.  
    “How did you…?”
    It was all Poppy could do to not roll her eyes. It was so obvious to her, but maybe not so much to someone of his stature.  
    “Let’s see, you lost all your money in a new city and now we’re going to the Y for a meeting. It doesn’t take a fortune teller to figure it out.”
    Her heart ached with sympathy for him. Accepting charity was probably just as painful for him as it was for her, though she suspected an aristocrat like him wouldn’t believe it. Maybe they were more alike than either one of them suspected.  
    “So…the meeting?”
    “It shouldn’t take long,” he said, his deep voice strained for some reason. “We simply need to show Mr. Horton our marriage certificate to prove our union.”
    “Why?”
    Instead of averting his gaze in shame, this time he met her gaze head on.  
    “Because I need to get to Sitka, and since someone else is currently enjoying my money, I’ve been forced to sign on with an organization that sends doctors, teachers and missionaries to the wilds of Alaska. This particular one requires its missionaries to be married. And I’d prefer if you didn’t mention our arrangement or how we, um, met.”
    “Oh.” It was all she could think of to say.  
    The news that she was to travel to Alaska as a missionary was a total surprise. Good thing the only book her family had