Leora: Bride of California (American Mail-Order Bride 31) by Kit Morgan Page B

trip west – at least they got some sort of a honeymoon. All Leora got was a cluttered corner full of papers, one she planned to tackle again once she got the dishes done. The project was going to take her more than a day to finish.
    Theron’s parents bid them goodbye and headed back to the boarding house. There were other people in town that they wanted to visit and had already been invited to dinner by several families. “Your parents are very popular,” Leora commented as they watched them walk down the street to Mrs. Pleet’s.
    “They always have been,” he said, a hint of weariness in his voice.
    “Does your mother hate Mrs. Rutherford?” Maybe it was too personal a question, but again, if she was going to have to face this woman alone, she wanted to know exactly what she might be getting herself into.
    “My mother doesn’t let anyone push her around, especially the likes of Mrs. Rutherford. There’s no love lost between them, that’s for sure.” He turned to her. “You aren’t worried about her, are you?”
    “Mrs. Rutherford?” Leora said and fought the urge to twist her hair, a bad habit she had when she was nervous. “Of course not.”
    “You’d tell me if she pushed you around?”
    “She won’t bother me.” I hope, she added silently.
    “Well then, I guess I have no need to worry. Let’s go back to the office and finish our work.” He turned and headed back into the house.
    Leora took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t sure which she dreaded more: getting back to work on the mess in the corner, or her first real run-in with Mrs. Rutherford.
    Back in the office they each settled into their tasks. Leora tackled the chaotic corner, while Theron put together his sermon for next Sunday. He finished; she didn’t. “I told you that might take awhile,” he commented as they locked up the office.
    “That’s all right. I’m sorry I interrupted you so much, but I wasn’t sure what a lot of your papers were, exactly.”
    “I have a confession to make,” he said with a smile.
    “What?”
    “When I first moved here, I was carrying half of those boxes in my arms and ….”
    Her eyes widened. “And what?”
    “I tripped.”
    “Oh no! Did you hurt yourself?”
    “Only my pride – I wasn’t alone. Anyway, it was raining, so my friend and I scrambled to get everything picked up and stuffed papers into boxes willy-nilly. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time that’s happened.”
    Leora gawked at him a moment. “You mean I’m cleaning up more than one spill?”
    “I’m afraid so.”
    “But you seem so neat with everything else.”
    “True, but we all have that one weak spot. Call it a flaw in my case, but to me it was never a priority. I know it needed doing, but I’ve always had more important things to do. Or at least more urgent ones.”
    She thought about it. Her days had always consisted of the same thing. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. There wasn’t a need for much prioritizing, except maybe when it came to having the chance to read. Speaking of which … “Do you take time for yourself?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You know, to read in the evenings, play a game, take a walk.”
    “Of course, why do you ask?”
    She furrowed her brow as she pondered his answer. Her life really had been dull – lack of money and energy did that to a person. But still, some of the other women she’d worked with managed to take walks in the evening, or go to the park on their day off. All she ever did with her spare time was re-read The Pirate’s Peril and Other Adventures.
    “There are various amusements in town throughout the year – festivals, dances, plays, that sort of thing. With the holidays coming, there will be no shortage of extracurricular activities. Which means you and I are going to be quite busy.”
    “With what?” she asked as they reached their front door.
    “Oh, let’s see. There’s the Christmas play, gift baskets for the poor – you’ll be in charge