The Chef's Mail Order Bride: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Wild West Frontier Brides Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: Cindy Caldwell
size and for this purpose had the requirement of being married attached.”
Sadie looked from James to Suzanne. “I don’t understand. Why would that be a requirement? He could certainly do it on his own. All he would have to do is hire employees.”
James pulled up in front of a beautiful, two-story home on the opposite edge of town from the stagecoach station. He waited until he’d helped them all down from the buggy and tied the horses to a rail in front before he continued.
“That’s the thing. The bank had to approve his budget, and they won’t let him hire employees until he shows a solid month in the black.”
He held his hands up toward her as she started to protest. “I know, I know, it makes no sense. How could someone possibly run a restaurant all alone and make a profit? But stubborn as Tripp is, we kept racking our brains for a solution.”
Suzanne took both girls by the hand and smiled at Sadie. “That’s when we came up with the idea of a wife, not an employee. Maybe the two of you could pull it off together,” she said, turning toward the house.
Sadie’s head reeled as she took in the information. Does this make me a laborer? she thought as she started to follow them toward the door. She’d hoped that maybe they could work together, but this sounded like an impossible task.
She wasn’t sure she could even help him pull it off, let alone the other hopes she held in her heart…that they might fall in love and have a family. Those thoughts she’d barely even admitted to herself.
“Don’t worry, Sadie. I love you and would never have allowed you to be brought into something I didn’t think was going to be a huge success,” Suzanne said as she handed the girls off to James. “I’ll be helping as much as I can as James has employees now at the mercantile and James’s mother has agreed to stay with the girls. It can be a family effort,” she said as she grabbed Sadie’s elbow, steering her toward the front door.
“Now, I’m going to take you straight upstairs and James will bring up your bag. Tripp will no doubt be busy in the kitchen and we don’t want to interrupt. I’ll get you settled and bring up bath water, and you may even have time for a nap. I hope so.”
Fatigue and confusion washed over her as she allowed herself to be brought into the house. She realized she was quite hungry as the most divine aroma emanated from the kitchen as they passed.
She stopped, catching a glimpse of a man juggling two sauté pans at once, humming as he did.
“Come on, Sadie. You can meet him when you’re all tidied up and have had a rest.”
Sadie stayed glued to the spot as, at that moment, her future husband set the pans down, wiped his hands on the towel tucked into his belt and looked up, meeting her glance.
Her breath stopped as she gazed into the darkest green eyes she’d ever seen, and even across the room she could tell that he had kind laugh lines. He looked a bit uncertain for a moment. As he held her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile as he bowed in her direction and looked up, smiling.
“Come on, Sadie. He’s busy right now,” Suzanne said as she let herself be pulled toward the stairs.
But she sighed as she inhaled deeply of something that smelled magnificent and wondered if maybe things might turn out all right after all.
Chapter 4
S adie sank into the bathtub that Suzanne had filled and spent a few minutes just soaking, her muscles sore from the train and her brain so tired it almost wouldn’t function. After a few minutes of bliss, she scrubbed herself from head to toe, unpinning her long hair and washing it with the lavender-scented soap that her sister had set next to a clean towel.
As she dried herself off, she looked around the room and recognized her sister’s decorating touch, noticing that it was full of the colors that her sister loved—white, violet and a beautiful shade of light green. She sighed, allowing herself to feel safe and warm with family
Sadie looked from James to Suzanne. “I don’t understand. Why would that be a requirement? He could certainly do it on his own. All he would have to do is hire employees.”
James pulled up in front of a beautiful, two-story home on the opposite edge of town from the stagecoach station. He waited until he’d helped them all down from the buggy and tied the horses to a rail in front before he continued.
“That’s the thing. The bank had to approve his budget, and they won’t let him hire employees until he shows a solid month in the black.”
He held his hands up toward her as she started to protest. “I know, I know, it makes no sense. How could someone possibly run a restaurant all alone and make a profit? But stubborn as Tripp is, we kept racking our brains for a solution.”
Suzanne took both girls by the hand and smiled at Sadie. “That’s when we came up with the idea of a wife, not an employee. Maybe the two of you could pull it off together,” she said, turning toward the house.
Sadie’s head reeled as she took in the information. Does this make me a laborer? she thought as she started to follow them toward the door. She’d hoped that maybe they could work together, but this sounded like an impossible task.
She wasn’t sure she could even help him pull it off, let alone the other hopes she held in her heart…that they might fall in love and have a family. Those thoughts she’d barely even admitted to herself.
“Don’t worry, Sadie. I love you and would never have allowed you to be brought into something I didn’t think was going to be a huge success,” Suzanne said as she handed the girls off to James. “I’ll be helping as much as I can as James has employees now at the mercantile and James’s mother has agreed to stay with the girls. It can be a family effort,” she said as she grabbed Sadie’s elbow, steering her toward the front door.
“Now, I’m going to take you straight upstairs and James will bring up your bag. Tripp will no doubt be busy in the kitchen and we don’t want to interrupt. I’ll get you settled and bring up bath water, and you may even have time for a nap. I hope so.”
Fatigue and confusion washed over her as she allowed herself to be brought into the house. She realized she was quite hungry as the most divine aroma emanated from the kitchen as they passed.
She stopped, catching a glimpse of a man juggling two sauté pans at once, humming as he did.
“Come on, Sadie. You can meet him when you’re all tidied up and have had a rest.”
Sadie stayed glued to the spot as, at that moment, her future husband set the pans down, wiped his hands on the towel tucked into his belt and looked up, meeting her glance.
Her breath stopped as she gazed into the darkest green eyes she’d ever seen, and even across the room she could tell that he had kind laugh lines. He looked a bit uncertain for a moment. As he held her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile as he bowed in her direction and looked up, smiling.
“Come on, Sadie. He’s busy right now,” Suzanne said as she let herself be pulled toward the stairs.
But she sighed as she inhaled deeply of something that smelled magnificent and wondered if maybe things might turn out all right after all.
Chapter 4
S adie sank into the bathtub that Suzanne had filled and spent a few minutes just soaking, her muscles sore from the train and her brain so tired it almost wouldn’t function. After a few minutes of bliss, she scrubbed herself from head to toe, unpinning her long hair and washing it with the lavender-scented soap that her sister had set next to a clean towel.
As she dried herself off, she looked around the room and recognized her sister’s decorating touch, noticing that it was full of the colors that her sister loved—white, violet and a beautiful shade of light green. She sighed, allowing herself to feel safe and warm with family
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