Della: Bride of Texas (American Mail-Order Bride 28) Read Online Free Page B

a newfound confidence.
    “We’ll put your bags in the wagon,” Roy said. “I have to make a quick stop at the General Store to close up for the night. Then we’ll head home so you can get settled.”
    “That’s great!” Della said, excited to see where she’d be working.
    Roy brought the wagon to a halt just down the street in front of Hensley’s General Store. As she stepped up onto the uneven planks of wood jutting out from the storefront, Della took a look at her surroundings.
    “Watch your step,” Roy said.
    “There sure are a lot of businesses with the Hensley name on them,” Della remarked, noticing two or three other establishments of the same name.
    “They’re owned by the same man—Hank Hensley,” Roy said, matter-of-factly. “You’ll see him stop by just about every day. I’ll introduce you when he comes tomorrow.”
    Della looked forward to meeting Mr. Hensley. She admired those who worked hard and set down roots, and the fact that his name was on everything he owned meant he showed pride in his accomplishments.
    Roy opened the door to the General Store and Della heard a bell ring. “After you,” he said.
    She stepped through the door and let her eyes adjust from the blinding rays of the Texas sun to the inside of the store, where just about everything you could imagine was being sold. Cans of various foods, bins of a few fresh vegetables brought in by farmers, hard tack, rope and bolts of material were just a few of the items sold in the General Store and it was all neatly stacked on shelves and in every available corner.
    Roy walked around the counter where a fidgety young man sat on a stool. “You’re free to go now, Billy,” Roy said. “Thanks for watching the store for me.” He paid the boy a small sum and Della watched as the child bolted out the door and ran across the street where his friends were waiting.
    Roy walked back out the door and held it open for Della, locking up as she waited on the steps by the wagon. Della glanced up and down the street, absorbing the community with her eyes, and trying to picture this as her home from now until the day she died. At the far end, she could see the Fort Worth Bank—and a tall man exiting. I wonder if that’s him , she thought, trying to imagine who her future banker husband would be. There had been no time to exchange photos, but Della wasn’t particular about looks anyway—she was much more interested in a man who felt as she did about life—that’s what was important to her .
    “Have anywhere you need to go before we head home?” Roy asked, startling Della from her thoughts.
    “Oh! No, thank you,” Della said, climbing up into the wagon and tying a bonnet around her hair to keep it intact for the windy ride home. The road outside of town was a bit bumpy, having dried in deep ruts following a high amount of rain Della heard being discussed by others at the train station.
    “Heard you had a fire back in Massachusetts,” Roy stated as if initiating conversation so there wouldn’t be awkward silence on the ride home.
    “Yes,” Della said. “Burned the sewing factory to the ground—and took my job with it.”
    “Sewing?” Roy said. “Maybe you can teach my daughter Mary how to sew. She’s real good with her hands, but her ma ain’t real good at teaching her how to do things—not a lick of patience in that woman.”
    “I’d be happy to,” Della replied. “How old is Mary?”
    “Seventeen last fall,” Roy said. “Problem is, she was born without any sight, so teaching her is a bit tough for some people. She’s real willing to learn, though! Brightest kid I ever seen. Pity her eyes don’t work.”
    Della could see how Roy’s face lit up when he spoke of his daughter. “I can’t wait to meet her,” she said.
    “Got any kin back east?” Roy asked.
    Della nodded. “A sister in Lawrence and parents who moved to Savannah,” she said.
    “Didn’t want to stick around with them?” Roy asked.
    That question