Read Mail Order Bride Leah: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Series Book 1) for Free Online

served the railroad as well as ranchers and a number of miners, so it made sense that some of these men—rough, unmarried working men—would take their meals in a saloon, she supposed.
    At the end of the long street stood a tall, narrow building with warm light coming from the window where a crude placard declared it to be Mrs. Hostleman’s Rooms to Rent. Mounting the stairs to the door, Leah waited for Henry to knock, and the door swung open. A stout woman in widow’s black, hair parted precisely down the center and drawn back into a tight knot, greeted her—the picture of Christian respectability—and Leah felt herself relax slightly. This woman’s wholesome presence was a comfort in itself.
    “Come in now, child. It’s getting on toward dark and you needn’t be loitering in the street!” She bustled about, taking bags and placing them in the hall as Henry unloaded the barrow. “Thank heavens I’ve put you on the ground floor with all this baggage!” the woman said in a jolly tone. “Now let’s get you a cup of tea.”
    Mrs. Hostleman took charge of Leah, hanging her cloak and bonnet on a peg and ushering her into a plain but cozy sitting room and pouring a cup of hot tea for her. Leah cradled the blue and white cup in her hands and sipped gratefully.
    “She don’t say much,” Mrs. Hostleman observed to Henry.
    “Give her time, ma’am. She’s had a long trip and a lot of change. I’ll be on my way.”
    “You’ll not leave her without a proper goodbye, not with her come all this way for yourself, now, Rogers,” Mrs. Hostleman scolded good-naturedly.
    Henry removed his hat and stepped into the sitting room. What had seemed cozy when empty became too small and crowded with his height, his broad shoulders, and the weight of her expectations to fill the space. Hardly daring to look up at him, Leah stared into her cup, holding back tears.
    “I’ll leave you to get settled in. Tomorrow I will call for you and show you Billings,” he said shortly, turning his hat around and around in his hands.
    “Thank you,” she said, almost in a whisper, her cheeks flaming red with bashfulness.
    It was a relief when he left, when she no longer had to feel his eyes upon her, assessing her. She knew she was ordinary-looking but she had thought that, with their mutual understanding and friendship, he might overlook her appearance. She’d had no idea how handsome he would be. His eyes were very blue and his jaw strong and square. He looked as if he might have dimples, though his mouth was grim when he spoke to her. He might be disappointed, she thought, though the knowledge clenched at her heart. Or, like herself, he might be shy, painfully so, and it might be a massive effort merely to speak at all when they were largely unknown to each other. She decided to ascribe his behavior to shyness for that night and hope for better things on the morrow.
    The room Mrs. Hostleman gave her had a narrow iron bed and washstand, pegs on the wall for her clothing, and a small wooden table that held an oil lamp. On the nightstand, as she placed her brush and comb and the book of her mother’s, she found a letter.
    Dear not-Ophelia,
    I fear you will find me quiet and not at all used to conversing with young ladies. We must take time to know one another properly. Do not think less of me for my reserve. I write with more fullness and confidence than I speak among strangers. I hope you will find your accommodation comfortable and that you will walk out with me tomorrow to learn about your new home and visit my business. I trust that you will be patient with me.
Henry
    Reassured, Leah said a prayer of thanks and washed up for dinner. Mrs. Hostleman served potatoes and boiled cabbage and fatback, a heavier and greasier fare than Leah was accustomed to, but she took a portion of everything and thanked the good lady. She got a chance to meet the other boarders—a surveyor for the mines who was staying for two more weeks and his picky wife,