Leora: Bride of California (American Mail-Order Bride 31) Read Online Free PDF Page B

florist in town,” Mrs. Pleet explained. “He mostly ships down the mountain to Sacramento, but we have enough customers here to keep him busy.”
    Leora stared at her. She and Lottie had never had dealings in Lawrence other than buying food. Things such as florists and the hothouses where they grew their flowers in the cooler months weren’t a concern. But as a pastor’s wife, she’d need to know about those sorts of things.
    She forced a smile as she realized how unfit she was for the tasks ahead. How busy was a pastor’s wife? What were her duties? Thank the Lord she could read and write!
    Soon lunch was over and the Wingates were bidding Theron and Leora goodbye, anxious to get back to Napa via the afternoon train. Leora wished they could stay – Lydia had a strength that she envied. The woman was older, wiser and, Leora could tell, had been through a lot as a pastor’s wife, not to mention life in general. Leora wanted to glean some of that strength, or at least talk with her and find out what exactly a pastor’s wife’s duties were, but she wasn’t going to have the chance. She’d have to rely on her husband to teach her.
    What was wrong with her? Why did she fear him showing her what to do? Because it was new territory for her, that’s why. Unfamiliar territory, which would mean plenty of opportunities to mess things up. Just like she always did …

Four
     
    When you worked in a mill, there was a certain learning curve starting out, but once an employee knew their job, the daily routine hardly varied. Leora, her sister Lottie and their friends worked from six a.m. to six p.m. six days a week. Supervisors roamed the mills making sure that carders, spinners, weavers and doffers were fully engaged in their tasks. Breaks were few and they barely had time to relieve themselves before a supervisor accused them of malingering.
    But that was then, this was now, and now she was a pastor’s wife. To some it probably didn’t sound like much, but to Leora it was everything.
    She hadn’t thought about what the job would entail during the journey west. She’d been too busy wondering how Lottie and the others were doing with their new husbands. When she did think about Theron, she thought of him in ways to make sure she wouldn’t be disappointed when she saw him for the first time. Thankfully, he was far from a disappointment, but she should've also thought of what her new responsibilities would be.
    She had an idea, of course. She knew preachers visited the sick and the poor, preached on Sunday and perhaps organized a function or two. But nothing had prepared her for Mrs. Rutherford and her expectations. Heck, she still wasn’t sure what those expectations were!
    A memory hit, and she remembered when she and Lottie had first started working at the mill. She’d done something stupid, trivial but stupid, and the supervisor, Mr. Egan, got in her face and yelled at the top of his lungs. It was one of the most horrifying experiences of her life.
    Now, years later, she couldn’t remember what she did to deserve such a scolding. All she remembered was Mr. Egan bellowing and threatening to take her outside to the whipping post. Someone explained to her later that Mr. Egan was from the South and no such whipping post existed. Too bad they waited until the end of her shift to tell her. She’d spent the day agonizing over a prospective beating that was never going to happen.
    But his words had cut her to the quick, and she’d become a real perfectionist when given a task for fear of reprimand. Mrs. Rutherford and Mr. Egan would have made a fine pair.
    “You’ll come see us won’t you?” Mark asked Theron as they shook hands.
    “When we get the chance. It might be a while before we get out your way.”
    “Maybe next spring?” Lydia suggested and smiled at Leora.
    Theron glanced at the women and nodded. “We’ll see what happens after Easter.”
    They finished their goodbyes, and Theron and Leora headed back to