Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

state, the angry scowl softened and she gave the young
woman’s arm a pat in rare reassurance.
    Indiana slowly regained her senses, hearing
the sounds of the street pierce through the cloud as she took in
one breath at a time.
    She rose her head and froze as she caught
sight of a familiar face across the street. As if summoned by her
panic, there stood Morgan with a surprised expression on his face.
One hand was still on the door of the barber shop. He must have
just left, as he looked fresh shaven and trimmed. He appeared even
more dashing than ever. She felt a wave of embarrassment for
staring so openly.
    Indiana stood upright and corrected her
posture, quickly tucking a loose curl behind her ear and smoothing
the skirts of the sea foam evening dress. She felt her face flush
with embarrassment. While it would have suited her perfectly in an
elegant ball, it was painfully out of place on the sidewalk of San
Francisco. Worse still, she had made a spectacle of herself by
folding herself over a railing.
    She must have seemed a sight to the poor man.
His eyes lingered on her for a little longer than would have been
deemed polite. She would not have minded the attention at all had
she not made such a scene to earn it. The man was practically
frozen in place. He seemed to shake himself from a spell as he
tipped his hat in greeting. She gave a polite nod in return as she
tried to reclaim whatever might be left of her dignity.
    Her mother nodded to Morgan as she took
Indiana by her elbow, guiding her back toward the shop entrance.
The woman gazed between Indiana and Morgan thoughtfully, her brow
furrowed in some deep thought. Indiana was too mortified at the
chance encounter to ponder what was going through her mother’s
mind.
    “Is everything all right?” the seamstress
asked as Leah and Montana peeked from the back of the store.
    “Oh, just the new bride jitters,” Deborah
said cheerfully as she guided her daughter inside.
    “I’m not a bride yet,” Indiana managed to
protest weakly.
    “You will be soon enough,” Deborah assured
her daughter as she squeezed her arm in warning before turning to
the seamstress. “Madam, this dress will do nicely. Please wrap it
up once she changes.”
    As the door started to shut, Indiana glanced
back out across the street. To her disappointment, Morgan had
already disappeared.
     
     

Chapter 9

    “It was lovely of you to invite us on a
picnic.”
    Indiana was lying on the grass in the
pleasant warmth of late morning. She watched as the dappled light
played upon the gently waving leaves of the plants. The trees
further down between her and the coastline framed the bright blue
sea perfectly.
    Morgan looked over at her and smiled. “You’re
welcome, and the sea is a lovely deep blue today. What’s more, the
view right in front of me is amazingly beautiful.”
    Indiana blushed. Does he mean me? she
wondered. She shot a quick glance at her maid Misty for a sign of
confirmation, but Misty was staring fixedly over in the direction
of the bay.
    Indiana followed her gaze. Morgan’s friend
and business partner, Cody Mills, was walking slowly toward them,
the sun shimmering behind him in the warm breeze.
    Surely Misty isn’t interested in Mr.
Mills? Well, he is a handsome man, but in a prettier way than
Morgan. I myself don’t find pretty men attractive . Indiana was
worried about Misty’s apparent attraction to Mr. Mills. Misty was a
maid, and Mr. Mills was a gentleman. That held no happy ending.
    Indiana’s attention was forced away from
Misty when Morgan placed a basket in front of her. Morgan kneeled
down next to Indiana and uncovered the basket. “I’ve brought
cheese, bread, and pastries.” He smiled sweetly at Indiana. “It was
such a good idea for Uncle Charles to suggest we all go on a
picnic. I am so glad your lovely mother gave permission for you and
your sisters to attend.”
    Indiana smiled back and desperately tried to
stop her heart thumping. A butterfly landed on