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picking the newspaper back up and flipping through the pages. “If you want to find a bride in the time allotted by that ridiculous school committee—”
    “My employers, you mean?” he cut in.
    She snapped the newspaper shut and looked up at him. “Yes, your employers. I understand. I just think it’s an unfair expectation to give you after you’d already signed the contract. I imagine you could object under that fact alone.”
    He nodded slightly in her direction. “I think we would both agree that it would be futile, and just wasting time. It appears to be the quickest thing to do, although I’d hoped I’d be able to choose a bride on my own—for the right reasons.”
    “Love, you mean?” Suzanne said as she raised her eyebrows.
    Michael picked up the picture of his parents and held it out to Suzanne. “These are my parents. They’ve been married for almost thirty years and are very much in love. That’s what I had hoped to have in my life, as well.”
    Suzanne took the picture and was silent for a few moments. She looked back up at Michael and softly said, “It’s what we all want, isn’t it, Michael? That’s why this is especially unwelcome in such a hurry.” She handed the photograph back to him and her eyes brightened. “Remember, though, you know three couples who met that way—the wives being mail order brides—and to my mind, they look as happy to me as your parents do in that photograph.”
    He had to admit, she had a point. The couples he’d met seemed as equally devoted to each other as he assumed his parents were in the beginning. They were kind to each other and seemed to greatly enjoy each other’s company. And what choice did he have, really? None, with this time frame he’d been given by the school board.
    “I do appreciate your enthusiasm, Suzanne.” He tried to force a smile but wasn’t sure if it had worked. He had had a very nice life so far and was a generally happy person, and this felt very foreign.
    She gave him a sympathetic smile and sat in the student desk opposite him. “We should get letters off quickly as you don’t have much time.”
    “Do you have any suggestions? I don’t really know where to begin.” He dropped his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his desk.
    “I was thinking with the short time, closer would be better. There are many advertisements back east, but it would take much longer for her to arrive.” She bent over the newspaper, her finger running down each column. “And maybe even write to two. Just to make sure.”
    “Two?” he said, his eyebrows shooting up. “Are you certain that’s wise?”
    “It increases your chances if one says no. Actually, you could write to several, but might run the risk of having an unintended harem.”
    “Goodness, that wouldn’t do,” he said, tugging at his collar. Was it warm in here? His cheeks certainly were getting warmer.
    Suzanne looked up and cocked her head. “Honestly, Michael, let’s just get it over with. Now, what is most important to you in a wife?”
    He stood and turned toward the window. He’d never really thought about it before. Beauty? Intelligence? Sense of humor? “Even if I knew, how do you identify those things from an ad that ran only a few lines?”
    “Ordinarily you would correspond for a bit, see if you were compatible, but you don’t have that luxury, I’m afraid.” She stood and walked to the window, her hand resting on his arm.
    “I apologize. I don’t mean to be difficult, and I do appreciate your help. This is all just—I don’t even now the words to describe it. My parents would be horrified, and at some point I will need to take this stranger home to meet my family.”
    “Let’s just presume that you will be as fortunate as the rest of the recent matches, and see how we do, all right? Just close your eyes and tell me the perfect woman for you, and I’ll see if I can find one.”
    “I understand what you’re saying, but I’d rather just choose