No One's Bride (Escape to the West Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

for this stew.”
    “That is very wise of you.” He placed the loaded plate in front of her and picked up his knife and fork, waiting for her to start before he took his first bite.
    She cut a lump of beef and a piece of dumpling and ate her first mouthful, closing her eyes and murmuring, “Mmmm,” as she chewed.
    She opened her eyes and Adam quickly dropped his gaze to his own plate, hoping he hadn’t been caught staring.
    “How was your journey?” he said, spearing a chunk of potato with his fork.
    “I never imagined how tiring sitting down could be. I kind of feel like I’m still on the train, like everything’s moving a little, and my ears are humming. But it was amazing. I’ve never been outside New York before.” Her face lit up as she spoke, looking out the window as she remembered. “I didn’t know how different it was beyond the city. There was so much to see. Even when it got dark the stars and the moon were so beautiful. I hated going to sleep each night in case I missed something. One day we passed a whole herd of buffalo, just grazing next to the tracks.” She smiled. “I didn’t know what they were, but Sara had seen pictures. That was when we were in the plains. We went past mountains and over huge rivers and through forests that went on for miles and miles. We stopped once near an Indian settlement and some of the women came to the train to sell things they made. I’d never seen an Indian before. They looked so beautiful with their embroidered dresses and jewellery.”
    “Did you buy anything?” Adam prompted. Maybe he could get some idea of what she liked and buy her a wedding gift. Mr Lamb in the general store traded with the local tribes and he often had Indian-made items for sale.
    Her eyes snapped back to him and she shook her head. “No. There was a turquoise and silver necklace... but I didn’t have... no. The other girls did though.” She took another bite of stew.
    “I’ve never been any farther than Sacramento,” Adam said. “I’d love to go further though. My sister is a schoolteacher in San Francisco. She loves the city.” He pushed a dumpling around his plate. “Maybe one day we could travel together. If you’d like to.” He looked up at her then back at his plate. Was it too early to talk about their future life together? He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
    Amy studied her own meal. “Maybe.”
    He busied himself with slicing up his dumpling, trying to hide his disappointment at her less than enthusiastic response. But then again, she had just travelled thousands of miles. Maybe she simply wanted to settle down for the time being.
    There was a period of silence that somehow managed to hover between awkward and comfortable as they ate.
    “It’s beautiful here,” Amy said after a while. “The view from the bedroom is amazing.”
    He smiled, thrilled he’d done something right. It was exactly why he’d given her the room he usually used. “I hoped you’d like it. I can move the double bed back in there when we’re...” he swallowed, embarrassed, “well, you know. Both using the same bed. Whenever that happens.” He prodded at his food. Maybe he should just stop talking now, before it got any worse.
    “Back in?”
    He looked up at her. “I thought you’d like the view of the mountains so I moved into the front bedroom.”
    She stared at him for a few seconds. “You didn’t have to do that.”
    “I wanted to. I want you to be happy here.” He sighed and set his fork down. “I know this is all such a big change for you, leaving your home and coming all this way to marry someone you’ve never met, and I want to do anything I can to make it easier for you. To be honest, I can’t imagine why you would do this. I’m kind of ashamed to admit this, but I thought you’d be more...” His eyes widened in horror. What on earth was he saying ? “That is, um, less... I thought only a woman who couldn’t find a husband where she was would come all this