Free The Runaway Bride by Noelle Marchand Page B

wonder.”
    Sean narrowed his eyes as he slowly asked, “It makes you wonder what?”
    Lawson smiled. “Guess.”
    Sean’s eyes widened. He cleared his throat and looked away. “That’s impossible.”
    “Sure it is,” Lawson said sarcastically, then ignored Sean’s protests to ask, “When is this courting business supposed to start?”
    “I don’t remember if Mr. Wilkins gave a specific date besides the engagement, but I’d like to give Lorelei a while to cool down. I could use some time, too.” He pulled in a deep breath and rubbed his hand over his face. He groaned. “What am I going to do?”
    Lawson shook his head dubiously. “You, my friend, are going to marry Lorelei Wilkins —your nemesis since you were ten years old. God help you both.”
    Sean stared at his friend. “What would I do without your encouragement?”
    Lawson shrugged. “I’ve been wondering that myself, but I figured it would be best if we don’t find out. I’ll be sure to include it in my letters if I ever find a job out of this town.”
    “Thanks, Lawson. That would be just dandy.” Sean slumped down to rest his head on the back of the chair and stare thoughtfully at the boards of the porch roof. He needed to think practically. If he was going to get married, he needed to find his own place. There was no way he could bring a wife into the one-room cabin he’d rented in town. Just around the corner from his office, the space served him well as a bachelor, but it was no place to start a family.
    As if detecting the vein of his thoughts, Lawson cleared his throat. “I know this is supposed to be a secret, but what are you going to tell your family?”
    “I don’t know,” he murmured quietly. “Nothing yet I suppose. I need time to think about this.”
    His family… His shoulders tensed under the load of a new thought. He was the only one of his siblings who would carry on the family name. With that came the responsibility of continuing his parents’ legacy. Theirs had been a love match for sure. He’d wanted that for himself one day, but the way things were shaping up it didn’t look as if he was going to get it.
    He should have listened to Pastor James. For once, he’d been impulsive and agreed to let Elmira chaperone them even against his better judgment. That decision had gotten them into this mess. If he’d been more patient, he might have managed to convince another parishioner to chaperone them. Or, maybe someone from the next settlement would have gone back with them. He sighed. He’d learned a long time ago that maybes didn’t change anything. Only hard work, logic and methodical planning guaranteed results. He’d need all three if he intended to improve anything about the situation he was in.
    * * *
    Lorelei couldn’t contain her restlessness any longer. She abruptly set her embroidery on the settee beside her and stood. If I have to push this needle through that cloth one more time, I’m going to toss this cushion out the nearest window.
    Her gaze landed on the large family Bible sitting on a nearby table. Maybe reading the Psalms would help. She wandered over to the Bible. It opened to the bookmarked page near the back. Before she could turn the page, a verse caught her eye. “If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.” She paused for a moment to allow those words to sink in. “For he that does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this is the commandment have we from him. That he who loves God must love his brother also.”
    She read the last part of the verse again and frowned. Wasn’t there something between love and hate? If there was, God didn’t seem to be all that concerned with it. The commandment was pretty simple. Love God. Love your brother.
    “Wonderful,” she murmured.
    Her mother glanced up from her embroidery. “Did you say something, Lorelei?”
    She shook her head, then narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “You can