Tabitha: Bride of Missouri (American Mail-Order Bride 24) by Amelia C. Adams Read Free Book Online

the years. The animosity she’d felt from them both was unlike anything she’d witnessed before. Finances could put a strain on any relationship—that she knew—but this seemed like so much more. Oh, how she hoped they’d be able to set things right between them.
    ***
    Tabitha hung a sign in the window of the post office announcing that they’d be opening an hour later, then gathered up the letters to be mailed and headed down the street toward the train station. She’d only gone a block when she heard her name.
    “Miss Phillips! Miss Phillips, wait!”
    She turned and saw Thomas Scott running toward her. He grinned as he came up alongside her and matched her pace. “Good morning. I saw the sign in your window—where are you off to?”
    “The train. I need to pick up today’s mail.”
    “I see. Do you mind if I walk along with you? I was going to mail a letter, but as you’re here and not there, I might as well be where you are.”
    “Certainly. I wouldn’t mind the company.” She most definitely wouldn’t mind the company. His smile was just as bright as she remembered, even though she’d told herself countless times that she’d just imagined it.
    “So, do you always go after the mail?” he asked as they strolled along.
    “My cousin’s husband usually goes, but he’s not feeling well,” Tabitha explained.
    “That’s too bad. I hope he’s up and around again soon.” Mr. Scott looked at the sky. “You picked a beautiful day to replace him, though. You can’t beat this kind of weather for a walk.”
    The autumn sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the shade it only seems to turn when the air is nippy. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I wouldn’t mind a bit less wind.”
    “That’s just Mother Nature whisking away the old air and bringing us new.” He filled his lungs and then exhaled. “Clean, fresh—exhilarating.”
    Tabitha chuckled. “If you say so. How’s your hand feeling today?”
    “My hand? I’m largely ignoring it. If I think about it, I itch all over, and it hurts like the devil.” As soon as the word was out of his mouth, his face froze. “I’m so sorry, Miss Phillips. I work around some pretty rough men, and from time to time, I pick up a word I shouldn’t use.”
    Tabitha laughed merrily at his discomfort. He looked so much like a little boy who’d been caught tracking mud all over his mama’s nice clean kitchen floor. “I’ve heard much worse, and while I don’t necessarily approve of swearing, I think that in your case, you have the right to it. I can’t imagine how much pain you’re in.”
    “Don’t imagine it. Be like me—don’t think about it at all.”
    They reached the train station, and Tabitha caught a whiff of the most putrid smell. “Where’s that wind now that I need it?” she gasped, holding her hand to her nose.
Mr. Scott chuckled. “Someone’s shipping their cattle on the train today. See? They’re getting ready to load down there.” He motioned toward the grassy area at the end of the platform, where several head of cattle pawed and snorted. “Either an auction or a private buyer.”
    “I thought they only held auctions in the spring. When the animals are born.”
    He threw her an incredulous look and then laughed. “You’re not much of a country girl, are you, Miss Phillips?”
    She folded her arms indignantly. “I am too a country girl. I’m just not a farm girl.”
    “I’m not sure I know the difference.”
    “Maybe I’m not sure how to explain it.” She dropped her defensive stance and smiled. “My father owned a small mercantile, and after my parents died, I was raised at the post office. I’ve visited farms on church picnics and whatnot, but I’ve never spent any time on one. You seem to know quite a lot about them, though.”
    “I know a fair bit.”
    Just then, the train appeared on the horizon, sounding a long, low whistle. The sound made the cattle even more nervous, and the ranch hands in charge of keeping