Male Order Bride by Carolyn Thornton Read Free Book Online

afternoon," Lacey told
Jane, "and see how the trousseau is coming along." The seamstress, like
everyone else Lacey relied on, understood exactly what Lacey
wanted—placing ties and buttons and details exactly the way
Lacey's notes and sketches intended.
    "That shipment—the one we've been waiting for
from New York—came in this morning," Jane told her, pouring a
second cup of coffee for herself. "It's all in the back room. I haven't
even wanted to think about unpacking it."
    "Wait until your assistant comes in," Lacey suggested,
setting aside her coffee cup and picking up some of the invoices on
Jane's desk. "Then we'll all tackle it. Goes faster that way."
    Jane nodded. "That's what I hoped you'd say, but I wasn't
certain what your plans were for this morning."
    "No plans," Lacey answered, and smiled. She picked up the
coffee cup again and sat on the edge of the chair by Jane's desk. "With
the Bride-To-Be's designs behind me, I'm caught up. The next few weeks
should be nice. No deadlines, no schedules. I might be able to get some
daydreaming in and work out some of the ideas I've had in the back of
my head. I just haven't had any free time to do anything."
    Jane stretched and yawned. "I guess the Atlanta trip is
coming at the best time. I can't remember the last time you didn't have
five jobs to juggle at once. I think what jammed everything up so much
was the buying trip to New York that came right after the new line
show, which happened right before the move. We could have handled each
one separately without too much problem."
    Absentmindedly Lacey nodded. Maybe that was another thing
that had prompted her to mail the card to Rafe Chancellor. Life was
going to be more relaxed in the coming weeks. That would allow her to
fit a date or two into her schedule, provided he turned out to be a
worthwhile companion.
    The bells on the front door jangled, announcing the
entrance of a customer. Jane looked at Lacey, who slipped off the chair
and said, "I'll go."
    The morning dragged for Lacey. Each time the phone rang,
Lacey wanted to race to answer it. She held her breath on each call,
waiting to see if it were for her. But when it was, it was
business-related.
    She left early for lunch, eager to see what Rafe had
mailed her today, and was disappointed to find nothing in her mail from
him. After lunch she drove over to see the seamstress and spent the
remainder of the afternoon making minor alterations in preparation for
the Bride-To-Be's viewing the next day. It was almost five when she
took note of the time and phoned the boutique to check on business and
to find out if there had been any urgent or intriguing calls for her.
Rafe Chancellor obviously hadn't phoned. Lacey told Jane she was
heading home, if anyone should want to reach her later by phone.
    Lacey hurried into the shower as soon as she got home, and
hurried out again, not wanting to miss the phone if Rafe decided to
call her. He might just now be returning home from work to find her
card. She found some cream cheese and pulled two bagels out of the
freezer. That would hold her hunger down in case he offered dinner
later this evening. And if he didn't, she'd be living up to the
stunning and starving model image on the refrigerator door. Lacey
popped the two bagels into a tin pie plate and shoved it into the oven,
setting the temperature dial and the timer.
    Now what could she do? It had to be something good so that
when he asked "What are you doing tonight?" she could say, "Tonight?
Oh, I'm working on a bronze of the Pieta," or, "Why, I was just
sitting down at my spinning wheel to spin some wool from my sheep in
the backyard." Anything but let him know the truth—she was
watching the phone, waiting for it to ring.
    Lacey paced into the living room, looking for an
intellectual magazine or book to read. She could always casually
mention she was reading the latest issue of
National
Geographic
. The problem was, her taste this evening ran more
to
Seventeen
. Besides, she