light.
Her eyes floated past the archway that led into the area he pointed to as the kitchen and landed on etched glass doors beside it. Swung wide, the doors led to a room with a large table, at least a dozen chairs, and a huge buffet full of sparkling china.
"Oh, that's the dining room. I've never used it," Kid explained.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. The house was just like the one she dreamed of, especially on long, cold nights when she'd had no roof over her head. Funny, she dreamt of the home she wanted, but never the family she wanted to live in it with her.
"Thank you. Ma and the boys think it's too big. But I wanted a big house, just like the one I used to live in in Missouri."
"You lived in Missouri? So did I." A twinge of homesickness touched her heart. "Where at in Missouri?"
"St. Louis, what about you?"
"Independence."
57
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
He nodded and started to walk toward the kitchen. "I'm going to make some coffee, would you like some?" Stopping, he made a sweeping motion for her to follow. Jessie walked to where he stood in the kitchen archway. She stumbled, once again in awe. Kid's hand touched the small of her back. She jumped, mumbling, "Sorry," and moved forward. "How-why..." Jessie wasn't sure what she wanted to ask.
"Why do I have such a nice place while my family lives in a shanty?" Kid walked around her. "It's called choices, Jessie. We all have choices to make. We can't always choose the things that happen in our lives, but we can choose how we react to them."
"What do you mean—choices?" She followed as he walked to the stove.
"Have a seat, and I'll explain." He dumped a handful of beans into a grinder.
She looked at the table. It was long and wide, the wood sanded smooth and coated with varnish. Six matching chairs sat around it. A great contrast to the rough-hewn table and chair at her soddy. The thought made her mind snap. She wouldn't be returning to the sod house. A frown formed as she turned to where he stood near the wide counter. If she was the wife, she should be the one making coffee, not him. Shouldn't she? Realizing how little she knew about being married made her stomach flip.
Pressing against the sensation with one hand, she glanced back to the table and quickly decided not to sit. Instead, she walked over and took the coffee pot from the stove then went 58
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
to the large stone crock sitting by the door. The coffee grinder filled the room with sound, her eyes asked if it was the water she was to use. He nodded. With a dipper, she filled the pot and carried it back to him.
"Thank you." He took the pot and bent to light a fire in the bin of the stove.
She handed him two sticks of wood from the box next to the stove and said, "I could change your bandage while you tell me what you mean about choices."
"I don't know, do you think you can make a bandage look as good as this one?" His eyes held a teasing glimmer as he rose to stand beside her.
"Probably not." She shrugged, smiling at his mockery.
"Good," he laughed, walked to the table, and sat in a chair.
The sound made something in her insides flutter. She ignored it, and careful not to pull his hair while untying the bandage, asked, "What do you mean choices in how we react?" The material let loose, and she began to unwind it from around his head.
"Well, for instance, look at the situation we have found ourselves in. We have a choice of how to react to this uh, marriage. We could both be angry with our families and sit here and plot our revenge. Or we can look at it as an opportunity to make our lives better, despite their actions." The last of the bandage fell from his cheek, and he turned to look up at her.
Jessie didn't meet his gaze, choosing instead to let his words sink in while she gathered the strips of cloth. "Your 59
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
mother's
Her eyes floated past the archway that led into the area he pointed to as the kitchen and landed on etched glass doors beside it. Swung wide, the doors led to a room with a large table, at least a dozen chairs, and a huge buffet full of sparkling china.
"Oh, that's the dining room. I've never used it," Kid explained.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. The house was just like the one she dreamed of, especially on long, cold nights when she'd had no roof over her head. Funny, she dreamt of the home she wanted, but never the family she wanted to live in it with her.
"Thank you. Ma and the boys think it's too big. But I wanted a big house, just like the one I used to live in in Missouri."
"You lived in Missouri? So did I." A twinge of homesickness touched her heart. "Where at in Missouri?"
"St. Louis, what about you?"
"Independence."
57
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
He nodded and started to walk toward the kitchen. "I'm going to make some coffee, would you like some?" Stopping, he made a sweeping motion for her to follow. Jessie walked to where he stood in the kitchen archway. She stumbled, once again in awe. Kid's hand touched the small of her back. She jumped, mumbling, "Sorry," and moved forward. "How-why..." Jessie wasn't sure what she wanted to ask.
"Why do I have such a nice place while my family lives in a shanty?" Kid walked around her. "It's called choices, Jessie. We all have choices to make. We can't always choose the things that happen in our lives, but we can choose how we react to them."
"What do you mean—choices?" She followed as he walked to the stove.
"Have a seat, and I'll explain." He dumped a handful of beans into a grinder.
She looked at the table. It was long and wide, the wood sanded smooth and coated with varnish. Six matching chairs sat around it. A great contrast to the rough-hewn table and chair at her soddy. The thought made her mind snap. She wouldn't be returning to the sod house. A frown formed as she turned to where he stood near the wide counter. If she was the wife, she should be the one making coffee, not him. Shouldn't she? Realizing how little she knew about being married made her stomach flip.
Pressing against the sensation with one hand, she glanced back to the table and quickly decided not to sit. Instead, she walked over and took the coffee pot from the stove then went 58
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
to the large stone crock sitting by the door. The coffee grinder filled the room with sound, her eyes asked if it was the water she was to use. He nodded. With a dipper, she filled the pot and carried it back to him.
"Thank you." He took the pot and bent to light a fire in the bin of the stove.
She handed him two sticks of wood from the box next to the stove and said, "I could change your bandage while you tell me what you mean about choices."
"I don't know, do you think you can make a bandage look as good as this one?" His eyes held a teasing glimmer as he rose to stand beside her.
"Probably not." She shrugged, smiling at his mockery.
"Good," he laughed, walked to the table, and sat in a chair.
The sound made something in her insides flutter. She ignored it, and careful not to pull his hair while untying the bandage, asked, "What do you mean choices in how we react?" The material let loose, and she began to unwind it from around his head.
"Well, for instance, look at the situation we have found ourselves in. We have a choice of how to react to this uh, marriage. We could both be angry with our families and sit here and plot our revenge. Or we can look at it as an opportunity to make our lives better, despite their actions." The last of the bandage fell from his cheek, and he turned to look up at her.
Jessie didn't meet his gaze, choosing instead to let his words sink in while she gathered the strips of cloth. "Your 59
Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
mother's
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