Rebecca (Angel Creek Christmas Brides #15) - Lily Graison Page 0,5

would when faced with the possibility of marrying someone they’ve never even seen.

The fact someone wanted a platonic marriage still shocked him, but he'd accepted her requirements, which were nothing more than a room of her own and time to see if the arrangement was suitable. He’d given her to the new year to decide. If she wasn’t happy, he’d pay for her return trip to Charleston, but he hoped she stayed. He’d spent all his savings paying for her passage all the way across the country. Where he'd find enough to send her home was beyond him. That one stipulation was the only thing that gave him pause about the entire thing, but in the end, he'd signed the papers—then regretted it in an instant. Amanda standing beside him with a big radiant smile on her face was the only reason he'd not torn it up and tossed it into the fire.

"You think she'll mind if I call her, ma?"

Caleb gave her hand a slight squeeze. "I'm not sure why she would. Once we marry, that's what she'll be."

Amanda talked nonstop all the way to town and didn't pause for a breath until they reached the stagecoach station. There were half a dozen people clustered around it, trunks and bags being tossed down to the sidewalk, and as he stood there staring at them, his pulse quickened. One of those women was his future bride, and he hated the very thought of it.

"Which one do you think is her?"

Caleb studied the two women he saw on the sidewalk. Only one of them could be Diana. The brunette was tall, but she wasn't exactly thin like the letter he'd received said she was, not that it mattered. The other woman was thin, but her hair was blonde. Diana had to be the plump one.

Amanda tugged on his arm, pulling them closer. The brunette looked his way when Amanda stopped a few feet from her and his heart sank. She wasn’t the least bit attractive. There was a sour look on her face that appeared to be permanent and he hoped the blow to his vanity would survive it. He scolded himself for being so shallow and forced a smile onto his face.

His daughter had never been a shy child, but when she took a step back and leaned against him, he knew today was the exception. He cleared his throat and nodded his head in greeting. "You must be Diana?"

The woman stared at Amanda before meeting his gaze. "No, I'm sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Caleb stared at her, confusion drawing his brows down, more so when the woman grabbed a small carpet bag from the sidewalk and walked away. That confusion turned to relief when he realized the homely woman wasn’t his bride. When Amanda turned and looked up at him, he knew she was as perplexed as he was.

"Did she not come?"

"I don't know."

The driver was unloading the last of the bags from the top of the stagecoach. If the expression on his face was any indication, he was in a foul mood. When his feet hit the ground, he glanced their way before grabbing the stagecoach door, which was still standing open. He banged on it with his fist so loud Caleb and Amanda both jumped. Someone inside the stagecoach did as well, letting out a high-pitched squeal only a female could make.

He saw movement inside. The woman still on the stagecoach had to be his future bride, and like it or not, his life was about to change.

Rebecca came awake with a start. She blinked and focused her eyes on the driver who stood at the door glaring at her.

"Angel Creek, Ma'am. Your trunk is on the sidewalk. If you don't mind, I need to get these horses unhitched, so come on out."

She yawned, her jaw popping her mouth opened so wide. Rebecca sat up and noticed she was alone. Turning to the window, she gasped. A thick blanket of snow covered the ground and more was falling. She’d only seen snow a handful of times while living in Charleston, and it had melted the moment it hit the ground. Here, large piles of it had been shoveled from the sidewalks to lay along the edge of the road. Long icicles hung from the eves of every building she saw and if you ignored the brown slush in the streets, it was magical.

The driver made an impatient sound, still waiting for her to get off