Free Mail Order Misfit (Brides of Beckham) by Kirsten Osbourne Page B

assumed the other woman must be a newlywed like she was.
    Rebekah pointed across the church.  "Do you see a woman around forty with a little girl in her arms?  That's my mother and my little girl, Leah."   Leah turned and waved to her mother then, and Rebekah waved back.
    "Oh, she's beautiful!  You'll bring her with you when you come for lunch?"  Leah had her father's blond hair and looked to have light eyes, but it was hard to tell through the crowd.
    "I'd love to, and Leah will be thrilled."  Rebekah looked toward the front of the church as the pastor cleared his throat.  "We'll set up a day for Leah and I to walk over after the service."  Impulsively she hugged Elaine.  "I can't wait to spend time with you."
    Elaine followed Colin who led to a pew.  "You didn't have to stay with me," she whispered.  "I was fine."   She didn't want him to feel like he had to be with her every moment they were in public.  He could go and talk to his friends if that's what he wanted to do.
    He squeezed her hand with a grin.  "I like being beside you."
    She stood proudly beside him and shared his song book as they sang the same hymns she'd been singing since childhood.  She wasn't a good singer, but she made up for it with loudness and enthusiasm. 
    Sitting quietly beside him, she did her best to listen to the sermon, but her mind was too busy thinking about all the new people around her in the church.  She felt like she was finally b eing accepted for the first time since her accident.  It was wonderful to have a new home.
    After the service, she and Rebekah met up, and she met Abel and Leah.  Rebekah looked at Abel.  "Leah and I are going to walk over to the Monroe ranch and have lunch with Elaine one day this week.  Which day would work best for you?"
    Abel looked at Colin and shook his head.  "I like that.  This is what I'm going to do, but you may give your opinion about when I do it.  What happened to the good old days when women knew their place?"
    Colin shrugged with a grin.  "Elaine is still acting like everything I say matters.  I give it another week or two before that stops."   He ignored Elaine when she glared at him.
    Abel sighed.  "Enjoy it while you can."
    Rebekah looked at her husband.  "What day would be good?"  She wasn't going to listen to him complain about her disobedience by the look on her face.
    "Wednesday?  And what am I going to do for lunch while you're out running around the countryside with your new friend?"
    "I'll leave some soup on the stove for you."  Rebekah looked back at Elaine.  "I swear, you'd think he would starve to death if I wasn't there to feed him every few hours."
    Elaine put her hand over her mouth to try to conceal her giggles.  She loved the way the other couple interacted with each other.  "Will you come around noon?" she asked, wanting to have everything ready.
    "That sounds good, and you can plan on us staying for a few hours.  I'll put Leah down to nap there, and we'll just spend some time getting to know each other."
    Elaine nodded happily.  "I'd love that."  Mentally she was going over all the things she wanted to have done before her friend arrived.  She wanted to have the curtains on the windows and the tablecloth finished, and some nice fall flowers if she could find some.  She would have to ask Colin if he knew where any were.
    Rebekah held up a hand in a wave as she walked toward the door.  "I'll see you on Wednesday then.  My mother has us over for lunch every Sunday after church.  It's nice not to have to cook one afternoon a week."
    "Two this week," Elaine reminded her.
    "That's right.  Two whole days where I only cook two meals per day.  I hope I don't get spoiled and forget how to work," she joked as she walked toward the door at the back of the church.
    Elaine looked at Colin.  "What will you do for lunch on Wednesday?  Should I pack you a sandwich to take with you?"   She was more than willing to do whatever he needed.
    "Are you