The Convenient Mail Order Bride by Ruth Ann Nordin Page B

you.”
    That was a relief. Maybe next time he
offered to help her up in the wagon, she wouldn’t flinch. It was
bad enough he had to put up with the looks and whispers in town. He
didn’t need to get it with her, too. He turned his attention back
to the path in front of them, and they rode the rest of the way in
silence.
     

Chapter Seven

    W hen they got to town, Phoebe thought it was even smaller than
she’d remembered. The few people who were gathered outside had
decided it was far more interesting to stare at her and Abe than to
continue on in their conversations.
    Ignoring them, she glanced
at Abe. Could he really accept her and her mother since they
weren’t more like him? If she’d had some Indian blood in her, she
suspected he would’ve accepted her right away. She was different from him,
and she didn’t know if he really could separate his feelings for
the people in town from her and her mother.
    But he’d asked her to give him a chance, and
the least she could do was what he wanted. As he pulled the wagon
up to the general store, he turned to her. “Do you know what you
want, or are you going to look around?”
    “My mother gave me a list of items she
needs,” she said, pulling it from the pocket of her skirt. “I
thought I’d take a look around and see if I need anything.” She
cleared her throat. “Is there any food you’d like me to get while
we’re here?”
    “I don’t care as long as it’s not any of
Carl’s. Avoid anything with the Richie label.”
    She nodded and waited for him to come over
to her side of the wagon before getting down. If he hadn’t made the
comment about her skirt, she would have gotten down herself, but
the last thing she needed to do was give any of the onlookers a
show.
    “I’m going to the post office and then the
lumber store,” Abe told her. “Afterwards, I’ll come to the store to
pay for the items. That way, we don’t have to be in town any longer
than we need to.” He paused. “That is, unless you want me to go to
the store with you.”
    “I’ve been to a store before,” she told him,
aware the people were still staring. “I know how to find things
there.”
    “I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. I just
thought being new here…” He sighed. “Never mind. I’m sure whatever
I say you’d only take it the wrong way.”
    As he started to head off, she asked, “What
do you mean by that?”
    With a glance around, he came back to her
and lowered his voice. “I thought you wanted my help in there,
that’s all. Some items are pretty high, and I could reach them for
you.”
    “Oh. Is there a ladder or something to step
on to reach them?”
    “Yes, but it’s not always available.”
    She hadn’t considered that. He made a good
point. But since he was uncomfortable being in town and since the
people were still staring at them, she decided it would be better
to make things go as quickly as possible. “You go on ahead to the
post office and lumber store. I’ll go to the general store. If I
see anything out of reach, I’ll wait until you’re there to get
it.”
    He nodded in satisfaction and led her up the
steps to the boardwalk. As they passed by two men lounging in a
chair, one of them snickered. She looked his way, but he’d already
turned his gaze to something across the street. Her eyebrows
furrowed. What was the snickering about?
    From beside her, Abe let out a sigh and
opened the door. “I won’t be long,” he told her, gesturing to the
interior of the general store.
    She mumbled a thank you and went into the
store. After the door closed behind her, she glanced back. The two
men didn’t talk to Abe, something she had expected, but they did
chuckle and whisper something to each other as Abe headed to the
post office. She’d thought Abe was exaggerating when he mentioned
how things were in town. There might, however, be more truth to
what he said than she’d been willing to accept.
    “May I help you?” a man asked.
    She turned