Mail Order Bride: A Bride for the Doctor (Bozeman Brides Book 4) by Emily Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

brother, and this is my wife Charlie.”
    “Pleased to meet you,” Kate said with a sincere smile. How could she feel anything else in the face of such admiration?
    “And this is Wesley Clark and his wife Claire.” Nods were exchanged, and Kate found herself ushered into a seat near the window in the waning sunlight.
    “We’re all delighted that you chose to stay in town despite the…misunderstanding,” Charlotte began, leaning forward and smiling broadly. “You are a brave woman to come this far, and then stick it out. I don’t know if I could do that.”
    “My situation is different from all of yours,” Kate acknowledged to every woman in the room, “but from what Dr. Wil…uh, Geoff has told me of your stories, I think you are all very courageous. It takes a lot of bravery to leave your home and marry a man you’ve never met.”
    Claire looked at her with amusement. “I didn’t set out to do that,” she declared. “Geoff is probably too polite to tell you this, but I stole my husband away from his bride-to-be.”
    Kate was astounded, but everyone else laughed.
    “What Claire forgot to point out,” her husband added, “is that my bride-to-be was nonexistent. So, I was more than glad to find Claire in her place.”
    Although she longed to hear more of the story, she felt it would be nosy, so she merely smiled and waited. Sure enough, bits and pieces came out and she soon understood that Claire happened to be in the right place at the right time.
    “It was all part of God’s design,” Theo proclaimed. “He orders the steps of the righteous man.”
    “Well, I wasn’t too righteous,” Claire admitted with a look of mock chagrin. “But I guess He knew how to turn that around.”
    Kate was amazed to hear how comfortably they all spoke of God. He’d always been a distant entity to her. She further wondered at the friendly banter of the three couples for a moment before looking around and catching Geoff’s eye. He smiled softly as their eyes met, but she looked away quickly, terrified that he might see the longing that must surely be reflected on her face.
    Thankfully, dinner was ready soon and they all proceeded to the dining room. She was surprised to see three children already seated there. They were introduced to her as Elizabeth, Martin, and Robert, Margie and Theo’s children. Although they were polite and cheerful, Kate was uncomfortable. Children always made her uneasy. They were so vulnerable, so fragile. Of course this was never reflected in her professional life, but in social settings, she avoided them.
    After they were all seated, Theodore extended his hands to the people on either side of him. “Shall we pray?”
    Everyone held hands, and Kate found herself awkwardly putting one of her own into Geoff’s and the other into Jackson’s. One hand felt a little uncomfortable, but the other burned and tingled. As good-looking as Jackson was, his touch didn’t stir her. The warmth from Geoff’s hand caused shivers to course up and down her arm. She bit her lip and tried to focus on Theo’s words.
    “And we are very grateful for Kate, Father. Thank you for sending her to Bozeman, even if it was a misunderstanding. We know that You don’t do things accidentally, and we pray a blessing over her life that she may come to know You better through being here. In Jesus name, Amen.”
    A chorus of amen's echoed after and everyone released hands, but Kate felt that Geoff was reluctant to let hers go and held on a fraction of a second longer than anyone else did. Jackson had certainly released her immediately. When she looked into Geoff’s eyes questioningly, she received another shock. The longing she saw there caused her insides to quiver. How could he look at her like that after she’d made her intentions so clear? Perhaps accepting this invitation hadn’t been such a good idea after all.
    When her hand was free, she accepted the dishes as they were passed to her and then attacked her food