Mail Order Love (Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical Romance Novel) (Oregon Mail Order Brides) by Amy Blakelear
Authors: Amy Blakelear
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very slightly cleft. Ellie felt that she wanted to keep staring at him. His features were magnetic to her eyes. His nose flared slightly at the bottom, with only a short distance to the top of his lip. In profile, she could see his lips pressed out in a slight pout that curved upwards. She tried to look casually so he wouldn’t sense her gaze.
He was so relaxed, it made her feel relaxed too. He had a quiet warmth emanating from him.
He looked at her, and she quickly flicked her eyes back to the road.
She could see from the corner of her eye that Jared was observing the dogs. One was at her lap, one on her feet. “Yep, those dogs are getting pretty comfy with you. Must be you smell good to them or something. You got animals or anything, back in Boston?”
Ellie smiled. She hadn’t expected Jared to make conversation.
“I had a caged canary once, when I was little, back in different times. I guess a canary wouldn’t last long around these dogs. Be a small snack for them.”
Ellie cringed as she heard herself speak. Why was she speaking such rubbish to her new employer?
“Hah! Yep, that’s right.”
Thank God he wasn’t snooty with her. He had every opportunity to put her in her place but he chose not to.
The scenery was opening out into a full view of the prairies now. Green and golden rolling plains stretched out as far as the eye could see, bathed in a warm afternoon light. Ellie breathed in the air with hints of grass, wildflowers and damp soil. She sank further back into her seat in bliss. This felt like healing.
The next thing she knew, she was startled awake as the buggy slowed down and the dogs moved from her feet and lap. She looked at Jared, hoping she had not been drooling with her mouth open while she slept.
“We’re coming up to the homestead now right here. Out there are the bounds of our land, beyond that hill in the distance.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. It was a beautiful wooden house of four stories, with white wooden slats over the entire structure and large welcoming windows. A wide covered porch wound around the house. There were gardens to the side with what looked like fruit trees and maybe a vegetable patch.
This had to be the biggest home she had ever seen. Ten, no, twenty times the size of Ursula’s terraced house back in Boston. And all that land, the horses, the cattle, the fields for growing.
How could she ever handle this amount of work?
Chapter 13
As Jared got out to unhitch the horses from the buggy, Ellie hopped down on her own. Jared watched with amused eyes. He’d never known any woman do that before. Just about every lady had needed some kind of escorting to get down. Either a hand to lean on or to be lifted entirely. Ellie evidently didn’t know about these customs and was nimble enough to handle it herself. It was refreshing.
Ellie waited patiently as Jared finished seeing to the horses. He took her trunk down from the buggy and carried it as they walked the short distance to the big wooden front door. Jared shoved the door open with his boot as he usually did. Grammy wasn’t around. Maybe she was upstairs taking a nap.
Jared gave Ellie a broad smile. “Come on in now, Ellie, you are welcome.” She was all big wide eyes. She looked lost.
Ellie stared around the room as if she had never seen anything like it in her life.
Jared gestured around the front room. “This is it, it’s the main room we live in. The whole place is pretty big as you can see. Pa liked to build. He said he wanted a room for every grandchild he was expecting to have. We’ve got maybe twenty rooms in all and that’s just the main house. Lots of space to spread out in.”
Jared eyed his visitor. She seemed shocked by his words, letting her mouth hang open for a while before remembering to shut it. Maybe she was tired from her trip or something.
“Look, I’ll show you your room and such. Grammy should have made it up for you. Then just forget about work for today, let’s get started
He was so relaxed, it made her feel relaxed too. He had a quiet warmth emanating from him.
He looked at her, and she quickly flicked her eyes back to the road.
She could see from the corner of her eye that Jared was observing the dogs. One was at her lap, one on her feet. “Yep, those dogs are getting pretty comfy with you. Must be you smell good to them or something. You got animals or anything, back in Boston?”
Ellie smiled. She hadn’t expected Jared to make conversation.
“I had a caged canary once, when I was little, back in different times. I guess a canary wouldn’t last long around these dogs. Be a small snack for them.”
Ellie cringed as she heard herself speak. Why was she speaking such rubbish to her new employer?
“Hah! Yep, that’s right.”
Thank God he wasn’t snooty with her. He had every opportunity to put her in her place but he chose not to.
The scenery was opening out into a full view of the prairies now. Green and golden rolling plains stretched out as far as the eye could see, bathed in a warm afternoon light. Ellie breathed in the air with hints of grass, wildflowers and damp soil. She sank further back into her seat in bliss. This felt like healing.
The next thing she knew, she was startled awake as the buggy slowed down and the dogs moved from her feet and lap. She looked at Jared, hoping she had not been drooling with her mouth open while she slept.
“We’re coming up to the homestead now right here. Out there are the bounds of our land, beyond that hill in the distance.”
Ellie’s eyes widened. It was a beautiful wooden house of four stories, with white wooden slats over the entire structure and large welcoming windows. A wide covered porch wound around the house. There were gardens to the side with what looked like fruit trees and maybe a vegetable patch.
This had to be the biggest home she had ever seen. Ten, no, twenty times the size of Ursula’s terraced house back in Boston. And all that land, the horses, the cattle, the fields for growing.
How could she ever handle this amount of work?
Chapter 13
As Jared got out to unhitch the horses from the buggy, Ellie hopped down on her own. Jared watched with amused eyes. He’d never known any woman do that before. Just about every lady had needed some kind of escorting to get down. Either a hand to lean on or to be lifted entirely. Ellie evidently didn’t know about these customs and was nimble enough to handle it herself. It was refreshing.
Ellie waited patiently as Jared finished seeing to the horses. He took her trunk down from the buggy and carried it as they walked the short distance to the big wooden front door. Jared shoved the door open with his boot as he usually did. Grammy wasn’t around. Maybe she was upstairs taking a nap.
Jared gave Ellie a broad smile. “Come on in now, Ellie, you are welcome.” She was all big wide eyes. She looked lost.
Ellie stared around the room as if she had never seen anything like it in her life.
Jared gestured around the front room. “This is it, it’s the main room we live in. The whole place is pretty big as you can see. Pa liked to build. He said he wanted a room for every grandchild he was expecting to have. We’ve got maybe twenty rooms in all and that’s just the main house. Lots of space to spread out in.”
Jared eyed his visitor. She seemed shocked by his words, letting her mouth hang open for a while before remembering to shut it. Maybe she was tired from her trip or something.
“Look, I’ll show you your room and such. Grammy should have made it up for you. Then just forget about work for today, let’s get started
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