The Bartender's Mail Order Bride Read Online Free Page B

as her and her sisters’ surrogate mother after their own had died several years ago.
    Maria raised her eyebrows as she circled around in front of Meg and sat down at the table, resting her chin in her hand. “Quiet, and jumpy, too,” she said slowly as she narrowed her eyes at Meg. “What’s going on with you, mi hija ?
    Meg wiped her hands on her apron and looked up at Maria, unable to keep the smile from her lips as her heart skipped a beat. She’d always loved it when Maria used that phrase, my daughter in Spanish, but it wasn’t about to make her tell Maria that she’d offered to be Sam Allen’s wife.
    “You’re imagining things. Nothing’s going on. I’m fine.” She hurriedly placed the remainder of the eggs in the carriers and set them in the basket, doing her best to avoid Maria’s steady gaze.
    Maria cleared her throat and stood, helping Meg with the baskets as she headed toward the door. “I don’t believe you, but you know I am here whenever it’s time to talk about it.” She placed her hand on Meg’s shoulder.
    Meg turned around, grateful for Maria’s kind eyes and slight smile. “Thank you, Maria, but there really isn’t anything to tell you. Nothing exciting happens in my life at all. Ever.”
    “Now, Meg, that’s not true…well, maybe it’s a little true. I did hear your father say that he was not ready for you to make yourself available for suitors. I plan to educate him about young ladies and their need to find love, just like he did. You know he’s a little slow to understand these things,” she said, her eyes twinkling as she laughed.
    Meg sighed and squeezed Maria’s hand before she walked out the door. “Thank you, Maria. I can use any help I can get,” Meg called over her shoulder as she carefully placed her wares in the buggy, hopped in and set off down the drive toward town.
    As she was lulled by the rhythm of the horses’ hooves, she allowed herself to conjure up an image of Sam in her head, his bright eyes and welcome smile mixing with her memory of his handsome, rugged jaw and kind eyes. She pictured the two of them together, at his house by the fire as it was starting now to become chilly with fall in the air.
    “Would you like some cider,” he said in her daydream, settling on the settee beside her as he offered the warm mug to her.
    “Thank you.” She moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, pulling her closer.
    “I’m so glad that you offered to be my bride, Meg.” Her heart filled at the words as she stared at the fire, enjoying his masculine scent.
    “I’d loved you long before that, Sam Allen. You just didn’t know it.”
    “I can’t imagine how or why I missed that, Meg. We could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble. I would have just courted you outright.”
    “You would have? I was positive you didn’t know I existed. I was invisible, I thought,” she said, reaching up to take his hand that was wrapped over her shoulder. The warmth tugged at her heart.
    “Of course I would have. You’re the only one for me. The only one I’ve ever wanted.”
    She sighed with pleasure, dreaming of how it would feel to have Sam say that to her, to hold her in his arms, to look at her with love in his eyes.
    “Meg, can I help you?”
    “No, I’m fine. I’m just enjoying the fire.”
    “The fire? What fire?”
    She opened her eyes and sat bolt upright as she heard Sam Allen’s voice…not just in her head, but the real voice. She felt the heat creep up her neck as she looked around, suddenly aware that the horses had taken their own course, their daily walk, straight to the mercantile.
    She shaded her eyes from the sun and looked up onto the porch outside the Occidental restaurant, which was right next to the mercantile, and shook her head as she saw the object of her daydream, Sam, standing on the wooden steps, his eyebrows drawn together as he stared at her.
    Wiping her hands on her apron, she squared her shoulders and