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endearing quality he should ignore.
    He excused himself and left the house, making it all the way to the stable before realizing what a mess he’d created for himself. There hadn’t been a woman in his life in over five years and his wife had stop showing him affection long before she left. Having Anna in his home would be one more distraction he didn’t need. But how did one ignore someone they couldn’t stop thinking about? And how was he going to sleep at night knowing she was there for the taking with nothing more than the words, “I do.”

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    A tour of the house told Anna her first impression of this massive home were correct. It was a bit neglected in places but every room they entered was more breathtaking than the last. She felt as if she’d stepped back in time as she walked the halls. She half expected to see a southern belle or two around every corner. She was almost saddened Gabriel didn’t want a wife. Being the lady of this house would have been a dream come true.
    The room Julia showed her to was spectacular. It was three times the size of the tiny room she rented at the boarding house.
    Anna set her things on the end of the bed and gaped at it in awe before running her hand over the coverlet. It was the largest bed she’d ever seen and knew she’d get lost underneath the quilts.
    There was a bureau and cabinets in a dark red wood on the wall next to the door. A fireplace sat across from the bed and the wall opposite the door was draped with silk cloth panels that offered privacy from the double-doors that led out onto a balcony that spanned the entire front of the house.
    She stepped outside, the breeze blowing along the balcony cooling her skin instantly. “I can see the pond from here.” 
    Julia joined her and leaned against the railing. “You like the pond?”
    “I do.”
    “My mother hated it. She said it was nothing but a festering bog made to call every insect for miles around.”
    “I suppose you could look at it like that but there’s so much beauty in it, one can overlook its faults.”
    “My father says the same thing.”
    Anna could hear the hopefulness in Julia’s voice. “Are you all right with the arrangement between your father and I?”
    “Not really but what choice do I have?”
    “None, I suppose.” Anna crossed her arms under her breasts. “Why did you do it?” She looked down at Julia. “I can understand you wanting a mother but to do something so bold without your fathers knowledge is just—“
    “I had no choice.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Julia sighed. “My father is the most eligible bachelor in all of Alabama.”
    “Is that so?” Anna asked, grinning.
     “Yes, so I had to do something drastic. There’s a number of women in town who would like to be the mistress of Laurel Haven and I don’t like a one of them.”
    “That’s why you sent an ad in for a mail-order bride? So you father didn’t marry someone you didn’t like?”
    “More or less.”
    Anna shook her head in disbelief. “What made you think you’d like me?”
    Julia smiled. “Because no matter what sort of person you were, you’d be nothing like Francesca Grant.”
    “Who is she?”
    “One of those women who have been trying to get my fathers attention. She even told me she’d be my mother before the year was out.”
    “I see.”
    “I’d hoped once my father saw you that he’d warm to the idea. He doesn’t act as if he’s not interested when Francesca and the others come to visit so I know its only a matter of time before he starts courting one of them. He’s been alone too long now. I’m not sure what exactly happened between my parents but it wasn’t pleasant so he’s just being picky about who he chooses for a wife.”
    “Are you sure that's the only reason he hasn’t started courting? Maybe he doesn’t want a wife just as he said.”
    Julia turned and leaned back against the rail. “What man doesn’t want a wife? He’s just being