Josie: Bride of New Mexico (American Mail-Order Bride 47) Read Online Free PDF Page A

not have a favorable relationship with your parents?”
    “That’s not it, not at all. My parents are good people. Loving. Kind. Generous. You’ll like them and they’ll like you.”
    A horrible thought occurred to her with the illumination and shock of a lightning bolt. “We are legally married, aren’t we?”
    “Yes, Darling. Yes .” He held out his hand, asking her to put hers in his. She considered refusing, for she still didn’t have an answer. Had she made a horrible mistake in marrying this man?
    “I must trust you had a viable, reasonable purpose in either not inviting your parents to attend your wedding to me, or you have circumstances within your family that I don’t understand.”
    Please, Adam, be the man I believe you to be.
    If only she knew her husband better, if only she understood him.
    But that desired circumstance could be arranged, couldn’t it? Ultimately, such a state of their relationship was within her control. It might not be easy for her to open up, to ask questions and to answer questions in return, but this man was her lawful husband.
    She’d sworn vows before God to honor and obey this man, to live with him in sickness and in health… but all those promises jumbled up in her mind and it had all been over so quickly, she couldn’t be sure of the specifics and wording and the entire list.
    But she did know one thing: if she desired to understand her husband, to know him, that was within her power.
    And she did want to know him, to comprehend his reasons for a quiet ceremony with only his cousin and her sister, groom and bride in their own right, to serve as witnesses.
    The best way to start was to make her intentions clear. “I want very much to know you, Adam, to understand your thoughts, your reasons, your needs and your fears. I want to recognize what pleases you and your dreams and all you hope to achieve in life.”
    Had she explained herself adequately?
    “I realize this will take time,” she added, “but it’s worth the work I know it will take. You’re my husband, and I want that kind of a meaningful relationship. And I want you to know and understand me in return.”
    This explanation, though awkward and rambling must have given him much of what he needed, for when she put her hand in his big palm, he eagerly wrapped his long fingers around it.
    “Richard and I are business associates— you know this, right?”
    “Indeed.”
    “As you learned in our advertisement, we sought brides of a certain background, brides who could be of specific assistance.”
    “Factory or mill workers.”
    “Yes.”
    “Do we embarrass you, Mr. Taylor? Is that why your parents did not attend?”
    “No. Not at all.” He seemed flustered, but only barely so. To him this seemed to be a minor inconvenience, nothing more. But his response stunned her.
    Moneyed, successful Adam Taylor claimed to be willing to introduce her to his mother and father, wearing rags.
    Adam watched the doorway into the front section of the car where Karl and Milton spent their time, apparently to ensure they were alone. He leaned closer so he could lower his voice and still be heard.
    “Cannon Mining has faced significant… challenges… in recent months. In the beginning, when the problems started, we realized we didn’t naturally have what it takes to understand our employees. They’re from a different world. Some are itinerant workers. They migrate from mine to mine. They fight us on policy, they are slow to communicate safety issues, then blame us when something happens and workers are injured or killed.”
    He watched her so closely, obviously needing to see she understood him.
    She’d wanted so badly to cultivate an open relationship, a happy, communicative marriage where they understood one another. But all she wanted at that moment was to hide her pain, refuse to let him see her doubts as they multiplied and her glow of happiness extinguished.
    As soon as she’d buried her unwanted emotion, she spoke.