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“Ain’t never been to a ball myself before.”
“Oh, you would love it.” Leah brightened.
Selina glanced down at her dust-covered and patched clothes.
Leah’s eyes followed.
“Don’t reckon I’d fit in at a ball.” Selina giggled. So did Leah.
“No, probably not. But you sure fit in with our family. Everybody already loves you.”
Everybody except my husband.
“Are you sorry you came, Selina?”
“No. Not really.”
“I can’t wait to place an ad for a husband.” The young woman’s face brightened at the prospect of the dream.
Hope things work out better for her than they have for me. “Does your family know how ya feel?”
“No. I’ve been trying to figure out how to break it to them.” The dream drained from Leah’s eyes. Selina knew just exactly how the girl felt.
“Well, make sure you pray about it first, Leah. Things don’t always turn out the way a person thinks they should.” Realizing what she said, she quickly looked away and added, “Sure are a lot of wheat fields out here.”
Leah looked at her, then at the wheat fields. “There sure are. Selina, what did you mean when you said things don’t always turn out the way a person thinks they should?”
Ah, puppy’s feet. She was hoping she’d leave that comment alone. Maybe she should tell Leah the truth so she wouldn’t make the same mistake she had.
“Just make sure you meet the man you plan on marryin’ in person first. That you spend time with him and get to know him real good. A person can only learn so much about someone from letters. The real thing might be a huge shock and a disappointment. Can be mighty hurtful.”
“Is Michael different than what you were expecting?”
“No. I am.”
Leah’s brows rose, then creased with worry. Questions lingered in her eyes, but thank the good Lord she didn’t ask them. How could she ever explain what she herself didn’t understand?
Selina turned her face the other direction from Leah.
They rode the rest of the short way in silence.
When they pulled into town, people gawked at Selina, whispering behind their hands. She didn’t pay them any mind, though.
Leah reined the horse in front of a large building with a sign. They hopped down and stepped onto the boardwalk.
“Disgraceful. That’s what it is. Disgraceful.” A woman eyed Selina up and down, frowning.
“Good morning, Ethel. I’d like to present to you my sister-in-law, Selina Bowen.”
“This person is your sister-in-law?”
Leah raised her chin. “Yes, ma’am. She is. This is Michael’s wife.”
“Michael’s?” The woman turned pale. “This is Michael’s wife?”
“Yes, ma’am, she is. Now, if you will excuse us, we’re here to get some material to make some new clothes for my new sister.”
Ethel bobbed her head. Even though she’d said mean things about Selina, Selina looked for the beauty in her.
“You sure have a nice smile, ma’am. And your dress is right purty, too.”
“I—I,” she stuttered. “I do? It—it is?” The woman Leah called Ethel looked down at her dress.
“Yes, ma’am.” Selina smiled at her and Ethel’s lips slowly curled upward.
“Thank you.” She dropped her head and all but crawled away.
Leah looped arms with Selina and leaned close. “That was nice of you to say such sweet things to Ethel. Whatever you do, don’t let what Ethel said bother you. She’s just embarrassed because she had gone around town telling everyone that her daughter, Marybeth, had won Michael’s affection and that it was only a matter of time before they got married.”
“Did he want to marry her?”
“No. She’s only fourteen.”
“Fourteen?” Selina said loudly, then quickly glanced around, hoping no one heard her.
Leah nodded and they both belted with laughter. When they finally stopped, they stepped inside the store. Selina knew her eyes were bulging, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d never seen such a large selection of stuff before in her life.
Just looking at all the different colored bolts of fabrics alone had her mind swimming. She ran her fingers over each one, enjoying the feel of new material. It took her forever to decide on the colors she wanted.
“Michael told me to make sure you got plenty,” Leah said beside her. “He figured you’d purchase barely enough to get by and he didn’t want you to do that. He said to tell you that he wanted you to have fun and not to think about the money. To get whatever you wanted in the entire store. Knowing my brother like I do, if you don’t come home with a bunch of stuff he’ll be disappointed.”
