The Bartender’s Mail Order Bride(9)

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 replied, “Fire? Ride is what I said. I was just enjoying the ride. It’s a beautiful day.”

She looked away, hoping that her explanation hadn’t sounded too outlandish, shocked that she could have daydreamed that long on the ride into town.

She heard him laugh behind her, a sound that she’d grown very fond of. She had seen and fallen in love with Sam at the ranch, mostly, the times he’d come out to see her brother, Hank. But it was that laugh that she loved most, knowing that only a very kind and happy man could laugh like that. And even this time, she loved hearing it, even if it was at her expense.

“All right, Meg, if you say so. Need any help with the milk pails?” He reached into the back of the buggy.

“Thank you, Sam. That would be helpful. They can be very heavy. I’ll get the eggs.” She reached over into the buggy and sighed with relief as he turned toward the door of the mercantile, seemingly not intending to question her any further. She shook her head as she followed behind him, particularly grateful that she hadn’t said his name in her daydream. That would have ruined everything.

As Sam set down the pails of milk near the icebox where Suzanne had bottles prepared, Meg set the eggs down on the counter. Suzanne looked up and gave her a big smile, walking around the counter and gathering her into her arms for a hug.

“Hello, Meg. How nice to see you. I’ve been so busy getting the girls ready for school that I haven’t come to the mercantile for weeks.”

“Oh, Lily and Lucy are starting school already? I can hardly believe it,” Meg said, remembering the day the girls were born.

“I can barely believe it myself. And there’s a new teacher there, quite young, and I’m not sure how the girls will get on with him.”

“Him? The school committee hired a man?” Meg’s eyebrows tweaked at the news, as Tombstone had not had a male teacher for the school before.

“Yes, and I can see by your face that you thought the same thing I did. But he seems nice enough, and very qualified. And so far, it’s going well.”

“I had mostly male teachers when I was in school in New York,” Sam said as he left the pails of milk and came to the counter.

“Oh, is that right?” Meg said, surprised as she had had only female teachers.

“Yes, I think in the bigger towns it’s more common. If he’s qualified and kind, I don’t see that it should be an issue.” Sam leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest.

“Well, thank you for that, Sam, and I’m glad you’re here,” Suzanne said, waving an envelope in the air that she’d picked up from beside the cash register.