Constance: Bride of Florida (American Mail-Order Bride 27) by Patricia Pacjac Carroll Page B

the note. Father missed his brother and yearned for him. How many times must he have wished Evan Jr. had lived? Mourned for what could have been?              
    Tapping the pencil at the note, anger took over Drake. The same anger he’d wrestled with his entire life. Now, maybe he knew where it came from. What to do with it was still a mystery. How do you compete with the dead?
    He stared out the window to the sea. Constance Penny would be coming soon. The register had said the twentieth and less than a week away.
    “Well, Miss Constance Penny, I hope you’re a strong woman. You’re coming into a hornet’s nest, and I’m not sure you’re going to like me. Right now, I don’t.”

Chapter 7
     
    Constance stared out over the ocean, or the gulf, as Stubby had corrected her. They’d rounded Florida, left the Atlantic, and sailed into the gulf of Mexico. They’d passed between the United States and the tiny island of Cuba. Captain Gordon had said they had been scheduled to pick up passengers, but the plan had changed.
    She grinned to herself. Soon, she’d be in Apalachicola. Her smile faded. It had been pleasurable to think about E. Ferris and dream about how wonderful he’d be. But now that meeting him was about to become a reality, doubt slapped her.
    Her hair whipped against her face. Wild and frizzy, she’d let it go untamed. No doubt her face had been burned by the sun along with her hands. She wasn’t the white-faced timid woman who’d left Boston.
    She grabbed at her hair and twisted it into a bun, securing it with a pin she carried in her pocket. Now that she was about to meet her intended, she needed to look her best.
    “There ye are, missy. Was looking for you to tell ye the gentleman standing by the mast, would like to talk with ye.” Stubby stared at her. “Be careful with him. I think he’s a mongrel. Indeed, I been watching your cabin.”
    Her heart broke a little at the thought of leaving Stubby. The old man had taken her under his care and no one had bothered her. “I trust you, Stubby. I’ll be careful with him. However, Mr. Briggs hasn’t been a problem.”
    Stubby shook his head. “He’s not one to be trusted. And you, well, you’re such a sweet naïve girl. I’ll be keeping my eye on ye between captain’s orders.”
    She watched him limp away. He’d been such a help to her on this trip, she was going to miss him.
    A whistle drifted across the deck.
    Constance turned to see Mr. Briggs waving her over. She took an instant dislike to being called as if she were a dog. To show her displeasure, she walked in the opposite direction and gazed down at the sea. At times, it was aqua others deep blue.
    After a respectable time of ignoring him and his whistles, she turned to go and see what he wanted. But she didn’t have to go anywhere. Seems he’d grown impatient and had come to her.
    “Miss Penny, I was calling you. There was a pair of dolphins beside the ship.” He pushed some of her wayward hair behind her ear.
    She backed away. “I was busy. I wanted to look over here.” Her courage fired up inside her. “Besides, I do not answer to a dog’s call.”
    He stared at her. “Sorry. I hadn’t meant it that way, but I can see how you might have interpreted my actions incorrectly. I won’t do it again.” He continued looking at her. “It’s about lunchtime. Would you care to join me?”
    One thing she’d done on this trip was eat. While the other passengers spent the first part losing their meals, she’d eaten as if there was no tomorrow. Her hunger awakened, she nodded. “I’d like that.”
    He escorted her to the ship’s galley and sat beside her. “We are close to port; I wonder if I may be so bold as to ask about your plans?”
    Keeping her eyes aimed at the porthole, she concentrated on what to say. There didn’t seem to be any good answer for her other than the truth. “I’m meeting someone.”
    “Oh, I see. Family?”
    “No. A little business,