ROMANCE: His Reluctant Heart (Historical Western Victorian Romance) (Historical Mail Order Bride Romance Fantasy Short Stories) Read Online Free

beyond trading tiny bits of information about themselves--- where they’d grown up, what their friends were like, favorite foods and colors. Martha proved to be an accomplished cook, something that made continuing to freeze her out incredibly difficult. On her fifth night, she made a succulent roast with garlic mashed potatoes and jellied cranberries, all while he’d been out doing repairs to the Widow Davis’ gazebo. He’d been gone three or four hours and returned to find the house smelling of tender beef and herbs. His stomach growled as the scent wafted over him, and he tried to walk straight back to the bedroom, but he caved when he saw her setting the roast on the table. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in gentle waves, framing her delicate oval face and bringing out her striking green eyes. She pushed the heavy dishes around with such ease that he was again impressed by her strength; as far as he could tell, she simply liked to exercise, and it certainly showed. Martha looked up as she set the last dish on the table, and the look of happiness that illuminated her features hit Eddie like a punch to the gut.
    I’m in trouble, he realized as he returned her warm smile and felt the icicles around his heart loosen.
    “Just in time!” Martha said cheerily. She took off her white apron and smoothed her simple house dress down around her hips, though it hadn’t been wrinkled. She disappeared into the kitchen and came back into the dining room with a glass of beer. Eddie gasped.
    “Where did you get that?” He thought he’d poured all of the alcohol out.
    “The store,” Martha answered dryly. “You didn’t have any, and I know you like beer. It’s ok to have a drink once in a while,” she said gently, seeing the panic in his eyes. “My father went through the same thing after my mother passed. I can help. But please be honest with me. It’s the only way I can help.” She sat down in her seat and waited for him to join her, smiling pleasantly from the table.
    Her bluntness shocked him. He felt rage swell in his brain, but it was quickly punctured by the sharpness of his shame. He shuffled forward and dropped in his seat, avoiding her gaze as he picked up his fork.
    Unlike the baked chicken and carrots she had made earlier in the week, the roast was a dish Eddie had eaten so many times in his life that he often taste slight alterations made to any recipe he encountered. He’d mentioned the dish to her without expecting her to know or even care how to make it. He paused after the first bite, and then started to eat so quickly he thought he might forget to chew and choke, except the meat was so tender and juicy Eddie didn’t quite believe it was possible. He could feel Martha watching him, and he didn’t care; for the first time during her stay, he felt completely unselfconscious. He forgot that she knew more about him than he’d planned to reveal, more than he even thought his Uncle knew, it turned out, and focused only the taste of the food in front of him. When he was finished, he ripped a chunk from a warm bread roll and used it to soak up the last remnants of sauce and potatoes. Martha chuckled as he set the plate down and sat back, setting one hand against his stomach. She caught his eye, and finally returned her gaze. He was surprised to find it was easier than before, even easier than that very morning; he thought it might be the food, or how pretty she looked smiling at him over the roast.
    “Do you want seconds?” she asked, reaching for the carving knife. He stopped her with the wave of one hand.
    “You gave me so much, I’m already stuffed.” Eddie said amiably. Martha’s body had tensed up when she grabbed the knife, but now she relaxed and smiled again. She returned to her plate of food, hesitating before she took a bite.
    “Do you mind?” she asked, and Eddie laughed.
    “Don’t let me stop you.” He watched her eat, and it struck him that the food was almost identical to the