A New Beginning Read Online Free PDF Page A

soft fuzz on her head. All too soon, her infancy would pass, and all Elizabeth would have then would be memories.
    She laid Rose down in the cradle and then slipped outside and closed the door behind her. The night air was fresh and cool, a welcome change from the dusty humidity that had seemed to mark every day since they arrived.
    Surely Mr. Brody would hear what she had to say. Of course, he had a business to run, and if he were to turn her down, she would have to accept it. She could hope, however, and she could wish upon a star, which she did. It was time for things to go right. Rose deserved it. Her mother deserved it.
    Elizabeth deserved it too. She’d spent far too long living in fear, listening for her husband’s footstep and wondering if he would be drunk or sober when he arrived, wondering if he would be kind or angry, knowing all too well how quickly his moods could change. What would it be like to marry a man who adored her, who wanted her happiness more than his own, who would listen to her talk and take their children for pony rides and make her heart pound? She sighed as she turned to go back inside. If her past would keep her from finding a good job, it would certainly keep her from finding a good man.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    Two cups of coffee hadn’t made it any easier for Adam to wake up that morning. He’d spent half the night mulling over ideas for the hotel, and the other half haunted by a pair of eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. Neither thing lent to a peaceful night’s sleep. Now, dressed in another set of coarse clothing, he stood in the center of the kitchen, trying to determine where to begin.
    “This will be a good work space once it’s clean,” Caroline said, surveying the long countertop. “I simply can’t understand, however, how someone could go off and abandon an entire property. Vagrants and vandals certainly had their fun before the marshal boarded up the place.”
    “Let’s start by pulling out the table and emptying the cupboards,” Adam said. “After those things are out of the way, a good scrubbing is in order. Then we’ll see what we’re left with.”
    “I believe there are some boxes out back,” Caroline said. “I’ll fetch them to hold the cupboard items.”
    Adam picked up the end of the long table that ran the length of the kitchen and had just taken two steps toward the door when he heard a voice behind him. “Good morning, Mr. Brody.”
    Without turning, he knew who it was. He’d only heard her speak for a few moments the day before, but it was a memorable voice. He set down the table and turned. “Good morning to you, Miss Caldwell.” He noticed that she, too, had come ready to work, wearing a serviceable dress without too many of those infernal layers women wore those days—he wondered how they could even walk that way.
    She took a few steps into the room, twisting her hands in front of her. She looked nervous, as though she had something to say, but would rather not. She hadn’t come to tell him she was quitting—surely not. His luck couldn’t possibly be that bad. “Out with it,” he barked at last, unable to take the suspense.
    She jumped a little, which made him feel like a cad, and then she plunged in. “Mr. Brody, I realize I’m asking a lot, especially when I’ve only just begun working for you, and I should have been more forthcoming yesterday. But I live with my mother, as I told you, and she’s in poor health. I’m concerned about her being home alone all day. Would it . . . would it be all right if I went home a few times a day to check on her?”
    Adam took a step back. What sort of request was this? Was she next going to ask that her meals be served on special china? Still, she was the only girl yet to answer his advertisement, and he couldn’t afford to be inflexible. And the pleading in her eyes . . . He averted his gaze. Her beautiful eyes should not have any power over him.
    “How far away do you live?” he