Beloved Texas Bride Read Online Free PDF

prepare a meal. Abigail, could you help me, too?” she asked the shy girl. Elizabeth was happy to see relief on May’s face and Abigail gave a tentative smile to her as well.  
    “Of course,” May replied happily. “Everyone starts out at the beginning. Why don’t we help out with the beans and cornbread they are preparing currently? That is a good staple meal out here and it’s fairly simple.” May watched Elizabeth breathe a sigh of relief as they moved over to the small fire the driver had set up for their evening meal.  
    Elizabeth ignored the comments made by the driver and shotgun. If they felt better mocking her, they could do so without any more assistance or encouragement from her. She would not dignify their comments and was pleased to see Cole tell them to knock it off. She knew they did not intend to cook a full meal but was sincerely glad they had stopped for a few moments and changed their minds. May quickly prepared the meal while Elizabeth watched and assisted where she could.
    She listened quietly as the drivers finally changed subject, discussing now how they planned on traveling throughout the night to get some distance in easily. She did not look forward to being in the coach once again and could not imagine coming this distance by wagon. Nor could she afford a train ticket with the meager funds she had managed to acquire without her family’s notice. Sure she could have bought a train ticket with a billet, but she would have never made the trip once the bank had alerted her father.
    They all moved to gather their tins and served up the hearty meal. The beans and savory cornbread were extremely hot and Elizabeth could feel the heat rising off the cast iron pot that was steaming on the coals. She watched as May used her skirt edge as a mitt to keep from burning her hand on the hot metal tin plates. Elizabeth mimicked with her own skirt and helped hand out the meals to the men. Thankfully, they were done teasing her for the time being and Cole simply murmured “thank you” as she served him.  
    Elizabeth, May and Abigail sat down carefully in the grass not far away from the gathering but far enough to no longer feel the heat from the coals. It was sweltering cooking over a campfire and Elizabeth was a bit surprised that she was the only one who seemed to think so. She had a lot to learn over the next few days from May, apparently.
    She glanced at Cole for a moment, wondering why he seemed to be so very nice to her and marveling how different he was from the other two men. He was extremely attractive and it was distracting. She was sincerely glad he seemed to be so amicable towards her and she could honestly use as many friends as she could get with her new life starting. May and Abigail were wonderful, but once they were reacquainted with her husband, Elizabeth did not want to be in their way. Besides, once she was established as a nanny, she might be too busy to be lonely, especially if it was a large family! Maybe she would stay in Fort Worth for a while and move on to California.
    She had heard there were amazing street cars that traveled by steam, rather than by horse like the stagecoach was currently doing. But then again, maybe it was all just a dream concocted by those that had started the gold rush. That turned out to be a tremendous loss for most families who spent every last dime to get to California and not finding any gold at all. Maybe these famed horseless carriages were the same thing? Elizabeth had plenty of time. She would be a nanny for some time and then make her way across the world.
    They finished their meals, cleaned the makeshift plates and put out the fire. She gave a small groan as they once again climbed inside of the coach but their stomachs were full and she felt content for the time being. They rode for quite some time and finally agreed to have Abigail lie down on one bench seat, while they would each sleep propped upright in the coach overnight. They would try to