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

accepted? Her stomach clenched. Oh, no. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. If he thought she’d agreed to a courtship, if he was making plans for their future together, this would be very bad indeed. She had to speak with him and set it right.
    But it was already midmorning on Friday, and the festival was the very next day. If she spoke with him after the post office closed, that would only give him a few hours to find another girl to escort, and that would be embarrassing for him if he was expected to bring someone. She should probably go with him, but explain her position as early in the outing as she could.
    ***
    Midafternoon, Clara returned, heading straight for the kitchen as soon as she entered the building. Tabitha heard the clanking of a pot on the stove and guessed that her cousin was putting on some tea. She stood in the doorway that connected the post office to the house and watched as Clara pulled down some teacups from the shelf.
    “How was your day?” she asked, thinking she could probably guess the answer from the stiff way Clara held her shoulders.
    “Nothing. Doesn’t seem to be a job anywhere.”
    Tabitha’s thoughts flew to Mr. Scott. What would he do for money, then?
    Clara spun on her toes and grabbed a tin from another shelf. “Don’t know what we’re going to do. Have to think on it some more, I guess.”
    “Are you sure it’s all right that I’m here? I know the timing could have been better, and you weren’t expecting me to come home—”
    Clara fixed her with a look. “I’m not in the habit of turning people out onto the street.” That was all she said, and Tabitha knew better than to continue to press the issue. She just wished for another way to help.
    Herbert shuffled into the room a moment later, the first time Tabitha had seen him all day. He seemed much as he had the night before, the dark circles still making him look gaunt. Tabitha hadn’t heard a single voice during the night and figured that the couple must be giving each other the silent treatment. This theory was proven correct when Clara set a cup of tea in front of him without speaking so much as one word, and he didn’t respond with any kind of thanks.
    Tabitha took her cup back into the post office with her and thought about Mr. Scott’s bundle while she sipped. And thought about the pastor. And worried about her cousin. She could fix the situation with the pastor—or at least, correct the misunderstanding. As far as Mr. Scott and Herbert and Clara went, she had no ideas at all, and that was very frustrating indeed.

Chapter Six
     
    Tabitha studied her reflection in the mirror one more time. She hadn’t purchased a new party dress in a long time, and she hoped her white one still looked fresh. The weather had been somewhat warmer all morning—maybe that would extend into the evening. She grabbed her heavy shawl just in case.
    Pastor Reed knocked on the front door at exactly one o’clock. Tabitha liked punctuality, but that sort of precision irritated her for some reason. She was probably just dreading the conversation she’d need to have with him.
    “Ah, Miss Phillips,” he said when he saw her. “You look lovely.” He held out a small bunch of marigolds. “Are you ready?”
    “I am.” Tabitha paused a moment to tuck the marigolds into a cup of water, then gathered up her skirts and followed him outside. Clara and Herbert had already left—Clara needed to be there a few minutes early to enter her pecan pie in the contest.
    When they reached the sidewalk, Pastor Reed held out his elbow, and Tabitha hesitated. Taking his arm would only confuse the matter further, as it implied that she was consenting to be seen as a couple. It was best to discuss this now.
    “Pastor,” she began, resting her hand on the fence that surrounded the property, “may I speak with you for a moment before we go?”
    “Of course. What’s troubling you?”
    Oh, this was awkward. Why wasn’t there an easier way to