The Bartender’s Mail Order Bride(23)

Breakfast had been a surprise—she’d enjoyed the breakfast he’d made, simple as it was. He’d had it all prepared and on the table when she’d come down after a good night’s sleep—and over their porridge and ham, they’d read each other’s lists, each laughing periodically. She had to admit, when she’d read that he’d never courted anyone before, she couldn’t keep her eyebrows from lifting, and when she’d learned that he hated his glasses and had been called “four-eyes” in school, her heart tugged in sympathy. All around, though, she felt that she knew a great deal more about her husband than she had the night before. Now if she could only remember all of it.

As they finished reading their exchanged lists, Sam had said, “I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, but we’re expected at the mercantile at nine o’clock, just after it opens. Do you know it?”

Meg laughed, thinking of the hundreds of days she’d brought milk and eggs to them.

Sam turned sharply at her laugh with a frown that quickly turned to a smile. “Oh, of course you do. I knew that.”

“That’s a perfect example of why we need to practice these questions and answers until we know them well and could recite them in our sleep.”

“Hm…I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but we can sure try. We have time for a few before we need to leave for the mercantile.”

They’d practiced for a bit, woefully failing the tests so far, and now that they’d gotten changed and into the buggy, Meg thought it might be a good idea to try again. Sam’s mother’s visit was looming, and she wanted to make sure it went well—at least on her end.

“So, how old am I?” Meg asked, starting with one that she thought would be simple.

“Ah, I think…ah…”

“Samuel Allen, that should be the simplest one on the page,” Meg said, laughing and shaking her head.

“Yes, it should be, but you look much younger than your years,” he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m not old enough for that to be a compliment yet.” She nudged him with her elbow and proceeded to the next question. “All right, let’s try a really easy one. How many sisters do I have?”

“Five. I do know that, because Hank always talked about his six sisters. But wait, I need to know the answer to the first question.”

“Which should have been as simple as the first. I’m twenty-two.”

“And I am…” He turned to her and winked.

“I must have been paying better attention. You’re twenty-five.”

“Well, shoot, that was a pretty easy one.” He turned back to the road as Meg asked more questions, the majority of which he got wrong, her number of correct answers much higher.

As Sam pulled up to the mercantile, she folded the papers and placed them safely back into her pocket. “You can escape for now, but we need to practice again later.”

Sam groaned as he tied the reins to a hitching post and came around to help Meg down.

Meg frowned as her feet touched the ground. “You don’t want to know more about me?”

Sam took her hand and squeezed gently. “That’s not the case at all, Meg. I’m enjoying this very much. It’s just as my mother’s arrival gets closer, I realize that this is going to be a very challenging visit. And now I’ve gotten someone else involved as well. Someone I actually care about,” he said as he turned to open the door of the mercantile.

Meg’s mouth fell open, but she closed it quickly as he turned to her and smiled. Had the most handsome, kind and interesting man she’d ever met just say he cared about her?

She chalked that up on her “hopeful” side of the marriage list as she walked into the mercantile, past his extended arm, and smiled as Suzanne rushed to hug her.

James shook Sam’s hand as Sam removed his hat and hung it by the door.

“Different coming in here without pails of milk and baskets of eggs,” Meg said to Suzanne.

“I can imagine, my dear,” Suzanne said as she pulled Meg over to the counter. “I’m waiting for the delivery from Archer Ranch right now, and not at all sure who’s going to bring it.”

A pang of guilt struck Meg. Who would do what had been her job for years? And she hadn’t even had the opportunity to train anyone, or tell them what to do.

“I can see what you’re thinking, Meg. Whoever they send, I’ll help them, teach them about the billing. Don’t worry.”

Meg cast a grateful look Suzanne’s way, glad that she’d read her mind.

As James and Sam approached, Suzanne said, “So, have you told him our idea?”