Rebecca (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #15) - Lily Graison Page 0,3

shook her head. “You’re so much braver than I am, Rebecca. I can’t imagine traveling so far with no proper plan.”

How far were they traveling? “Oh, well, I like to live dangerously.” The others laughed at the remark. She wondered if they’d still be laughing if they knew they were sitting beside a thief? One glance should have told them something wasn't right. Her dress was so threadbare, it was a wonder it hadn't fallen apart yet. The frocks the others were wearing were all fancy getups like those hoity-toity ladies who lived down by the battery wore. The upper class looked down their nose at anyone below their station, but those inside the stagecoach, despite being dressed in the latest fashion, didn’t seem to care that she was dirt poor. Maybe they were as poor as she was and hid it behind yards of clean fabric sewn up into the latest style.

Her stomach rumbled as the voices of those in the city grew more distant. She dug into her old canvas bag for the loaf of bread she’d stolen and sighed when she found it. The loaf was crushed flat. Not that it mattered. It would still taste the same.

She tore off a piece, noticing her hand was shaking as she brought it to her mouth. It was little wonder. When was the last time she’d eaten? Yesterday? The day before? Long enough for her limbs to shake. Now that she thought about it, that had to be why the baker had caught her. She’d not been as fast today as she usually was.

Rebecca tore another chunk of bread off the loaf and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed, she noticed how quiet it was. A glance up made her pause. The others were staring at her, Hazel’s eyes on the loaf of bread. Rebecca swallowed the piece in her mouth with an audible gulp and held the rest up. “Did you want some? It’s a little crushed, but it’s still good.”

Hazel shook her head and glanced at the other ladies before giving her a tiny smile. “No, thank you. I had a large breakfast.”

Rebecca had been around enough people to see pity in more than one eye, and it was now shining in Hazel’s. She hated that look. It made her feel like she was—less. Less than human and undeserving. She was homeless, but she was still a decent person. Well, she was a thief, but she was still nice. She shared her stolen food with others in need when she could, and that had to account for something, right?

They were all staring at her now. She shoved the bread back into her bag and dusted crumbs from her skirt. “I must look ridiculous shoving all that into my mouth like that." She forced a laugh and kept her eyes downcast. “I was late getting up, so I threw on the first thing I saw, grabbed the loaf of bread, and ran all the way to the station.” She glanced over at Hazel. “I ran Hazel over in my haste.”

Hazel nodded. “It’s true. She was huffing for breath when she bumped into me.”

The lie seemed to have worked. The ladies went back to talking as if they hadn’t even been interrupted, and now that they'd left Charleston behind, Rebecca lifted the curtain over the window and tied it back up. She didn't know where she was going, but for the first time in forever, she looked forward to tomorrow. Thanks to Diana Hale, she had a brand new life waiting for her somewhere other than Charleston and she wasn’t going to waste a minute of it.

Chapter 2

Caleb yanked at his tie, untwisting it before trying again. He hadn’t put one on in so long, he couldn't remember how to make the knots. He sighed in frustration after his fourth failed attempt and pulled it from his neck. "The tie is too much, anyway."

Tossing it to the bed, he straightened his suit jacket and studied his reflection in the mirror. He'd not bothered with his appearance in years. He still shaved when he needed to and had his hair cut once a month, but other than that, what he looked like didn't even cross his mind. Today it did.

As he'd done since the day it arrived, he grabbed the letter from his soon-to-be bride. He read it again and ignored his anxiety and apprehension about the entire arrangement. Why had he let his mother talk him into