Read BRIANNA: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 4) for Free Online

her hours. Liam didn’t want her on her feet as much, because of the baby. Brianna stepped inside and was greeted by the other teacher, who introduced herself as Ellie Silverman.
    “This is our good luck, that you were available to fill in so quickly. We certainly didn’t expect Callie to have the baby so early.”
    “I feel like I’m the lucky one,” Brianna said. “I came out here not knowing if I would ever have the chance to teach again.”
    Ellie smiled. “You have a good class, even though a few of them can be difficult.”
    “That sounds like most classes,” Brianna said.
    “True enough,” Callie agreed. It’s mostly just Millie and Peter that you have to keep a close eye on.”
    “Are they related?” Brianna had found that difficult children often ran in families.
    Ellie nodded. “Yes, brother and sister. Millie is the oldest at nine years and Peter is seven.”
    “I’d like to meet them, all of them.”
    “Right this way, then. They should about all be here by now.” Ellie led the way down the hall to a large room. Brianna peeked inside and quickly counted twenty-one children. As they walked through the class, two latecomers arrived-a young girl with long, blonde hair almost the same shade as Brianna’s and a slightly younger boy with equally blond hair. They settled into the only two open seats, in the front row. Once they were seated, Ellie made the introductions.
    “Children, this is Mrs. Sullivan. She’s going to be your teacher for the next few months. Pay close attention to her, and be nice.” One by one, she introduced Brianna to all of the children. As Brianna had suspected, the two late students sitting in the front row were Millie and Peter Thomas. They smiled angelically at her and she smiled in return, fighting back a chuckle because she could read the looks in their eyes, and it was anything but angelic. Ellie spent a few moments letting Brianna know what the children were working on and then she left her to it. The rest of the day went fairly smoothly, and the children were all well behaved. Brianna guessed that they were busy sizing her up and curious to see what the new teacher would be like. She knew that once they felt comfortable, their true personalities would emerge.
    By three o’clock, the school day was over and Brianna was exhausted. It wasn’t that the work itself was tiring. It was more the mental energy spent trying to learn her way around the new students. As she walked from the school to Donovan’s pub, she caught a second wind, though. It was a nice, ten-minute walk and the air was slightly cool but the sun was still shining. It was a beautiful day. Tentatively, she walked through the front door of Donovan’s pub. Colleen had told her to meet her there, but she still felt a little bit like she was interrupting. However, once she stepped foot inside and took a look around, that worry went away. The restaurant was practically empty. As Colleen had said, the late afternoon was a quiet transition time. It was too late for lunch, and too early for dinner. So it was when they tidied up and got ready for the next shift. Colleen was coming out of the kitchen and saw her as she walked towards the bar.
    “Perfect timing,” she said. “We finished up a bit early, so I can leave now.”
    As they walked outside, instead of heading towards the buggy, Colleen turned in the opposite direction. “I thought we might stop into the mercantile,” she said. “We can say hello to Hannah, who you met on Sunday, and maybe we can pick up some fabric. I’m slow on sewing projects this week, and I’d love to make you a new dress that you could wear out to dinner with Paul on Friday if you like.” Colleen looked excited at the idea and Brianna was stunned.
    “You don’t have to make me a dress. You’ve done so much already by letting me stay with you.”
    “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Sewing is fun for me, and relaxing.”
    Brianna could tell that Colleen’s mind