An Angel in the Mail by Callie Hutton Read Free Book Online Page A

her top part? It’s goin’ up and down. That means she’s breathin’.”
    She opened her eyes slightly, peeking through her eyelashes. Two identical little boys, hand in hand, stood at the doorway.
    They both stared at her for a minute. “Ya think she makes good cookies?”
    “Yeah. All mamas do.”
    They both edged closer. “Maybe we should wake her up, so she can git started on some.”
    As one boy reached out to touch her, the other grabbed his arm. “No. Papa would be mad.”
    If she hadn’t been so tired she would probably have enjoyed the conversation. But with the sound of the twins banging into things as they tried to leave quietly, she fell back into a deep sleep.
    Saturdays being a half-day in his shop, Nate was home by dinnertime. Silence greeted him as he opened the door. The boys were most likely playing outside somewhere under Mrs. Darby’s supervision. No coffee sat warming on the stove, no aroma of a cooked meal wafted in the air, and the dishes from breakfast were still piled in the sink. His shoes made a cracking sound as they stuck to the tacky kitchen floor.
    He trudged up the stairs, and entered the bedroom. Angel was still asleep. She had turned over, so at least she wasn’t dead. When was the last time the girl slept?
    The bed dipped as he sat at the edge and lightly touched her arm. “Angel,” he said softly.
    No response.
    He tried again, tapping her gently. “Angel, can you wake up?”
    The young woman shifted on the bed and moaned slightly. He grinned, and shook her a little harder. His new wife shifted onto her back, and his breath caught at the sight of the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Yesterday, with all the confusion, he hadn’t noticed them. She lay there, staring at him, blinking in confusion.
    “How do you feel?” He shifted so he could see her better, and the movement placed his hip solidly against hers. A tingle swept through him with the connection, and he fought to ignore its meaning.
    “Fine.” Barely a whisper.
    He rubbed the new gold band on her delicate finger. “Are you hungry?”
    She shrugged her shoulder. “A little.”
    “I have soup left from last night’s supper. Do you want some?”
    “All right.”
    “Why don’t I leave while you get up and dress? Then we can talk.”
    He rose and pushed his hands deep into his pockets. “I, ah, had to take off your dress last night. It was all wet.”
    Her wide eyes, over the edge of the blanket she’d pulled up, caused his words to tumble out. “But I left everything else on. Well, except your shoes and stockings. Oh, and your, ah, corset.”
    He coughed and looked away, and edged toward the door. “I brought your trunk up last night. I’ll be in the kitchen.” He waved toward the door. “Just follow the hallway to the end, and the kitchen’s right at the bottom of the stairs.” He closed the bedroom door, and wiped his forehead. Those beautiful blue eyes peering at him did something to his insides.
    She looks scared to death.
    Angel stared at the door, afraid to move. This is where he tells me I’m not what he’d expected and I should pack my bags and get back on the stagecoach.
    Nate’s hesitancy yesterday, when the nice women were prodding him to get the wedding over with, stung. Now he’d probably thought about it, and realized the last thing he needed was a wife who threw up on him, cried through her wedding, and fell into such a sound sleep that she needed to be carried to bed.
    She glanced at the ring on her finger, and twisted it around. Yep, it was real. She had married what seemed like a decent man who was in for the surprise of his life the first time she tried to put a meal on his table. Could accidental poisoning be considered a criminal act?
    Angel sighed and swung her legs over the bed. No point in avoiding the inevitable. She shivered when she put her fingers in the water bowl. Cold water. No maid had brought warm water, washing cloths and hot chocolate for her to sip as she selected