West For Love (A Mail Order Romance Novel) Read Free Page B

that she couldn’t love
William. Not right away. Not that fast. Where was the relationship? Where was
the enjoyment of company? Everything was done and implied.
    Morning came with a brilliant show
of deep pink colors that became a hopeful yellow, leading to yet another blue
sky day in Lowemills. Anna rubbed her weary eyes and set out into town. She had
a mental note of things she needed to get for the house, including more eggs
and more cloth. Her father had another pair of pants with two tears in them and
her mother hadn’t taken the time nor had the care to fix them yet.
    The thirty minute travel into town
left Anna plagued by her own thoughts and worries some more. Once in town, Anna
decided to walk more than she had to. She needed to experience life and people.
To experience something outside of her house, outside of the guilt, the regret,
the pain. She walked by eggs, knowing she needed to buy eggs. She walked by the
store where she could get more material for her father’s pants, also doing so
on purpose. At the post office, she paused and admired some of the people
walking in and out. Some smiled at Anna. Others acknowledged who she was by offering
snide remarks and scoffing at her.
    But one thing caught her attention.
    A man stood just inside the post
office.
    He was dressed in the most
beautiful suit Anna had ever seen. A golden chain hung from his pocket and he
held a small hat in his hand. When he turned his head and whistled, Anna saw a
thin black mustache on the man’s face. He had his right hand on the counter and
tapped his fingers, without a care in the world.
    Anna took a step, ready to leave
the post office when she heard the man clear his throat.
    “Don’t think I didn’t see you
looking at me.”
    Anna froze. Her eyes went wide. She
slowly turned and saw the man stepping towards her.
    “I apologize,” Anna said. “I heard
you whistling...”
    “Terrible, isn’t it?”
    “Whistling?”
    “Yes.”
    “The habit?”
    “No,” the man said. “My whistling.
Terrible.”
    “No... not so much...”
    “Your cheeks are red,” the man
said. “That means you’re lying.”
    He took another step towards Anna.
And another. And another. He now stood close enough to touch. He offered his
hand and Anna shook it.
    “Do you know who I am?” the man
asked.
    “I apologize, but no, I don’t,”
Anna said.
    “Well, I know who you are.”
    A woman appeared in the doorway and
called, “Henry! Here’s what you needed!”
    “Excuse me,” the man - Henry -
said.
    He retrieved a small bag of what
Anna assumed to be letters. He then came back to Anna and put his hat on. With
his free hand, the very tips of his fingers touched her back.
    “Would you like to meet my sister?
We’re just up the street. We have a small office. We run and distribute
newspapers.”
    “Your sister?” Anna asked. “Why?”
    “If I may be honest, Miss Anna, we
can help you.”
    Anna wasn’t sure whether to
question how this man knew her name or what he meant by help. Either way Anna
found herself slowly walking with him. Something about the man seemed trusting.
Was it the twinkle in his eyes, or the way his mustache moved with his lips?
    “Can you whistle?” Henry asked.
    “Yes,” Anna said.
    “Serenade me, while we walk,” Henry
said. “If it’s no trouble, of course.”
    Anna licked her lips and whistled a
few notes.
    “Ah!” Henry cried out. “That’s how
music is supposed to sound. Keep going.”
    Anna began to whistle, struggling
against a smile that demanded to be seen. By the time she and Henry reached the
small shop on the corner, Anna was giggling like a schoolgirl, covering her
mouth and wishing the redness in her cheeks would go away.
    Henry opened the door and held it
for Anna.
    “Please, come in,” he said and
smiled.
    Anna stepped into the office and
for the first time since William announced their divorce, she felt somewhat at
peace.

Chapter Four
     
    The woman sitting at the table had
big hair