Free BRIANNA: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 4) by Ashley Merrick

much so that she jumped when the front door opened and Paul walked in. He noticed the look on her face and asked, "Did I startle you? It must be a good book."
    She smiled. "It is. Charles Dickens."
    "Oh, that is a good one. I noticed that you found the lamp. If you like, I can show you around so you know where everything is."
    "Of course." Brianna closed the book, stood and then followed Paul as he led her around his home and pointed out where everything was, especially in the kitchen. Then they made their way toward the bedrooms. He stopped in front of a large room, which she guessed was the main bedroom as it looked lived in, with a pair of boots by the side of the bed and a jacket hanging on a peg on the wall.
    "This is my bedroom, and I thought you might like this one." He indicated the guest bedroom next door. It was a large room with an oversized window, a chest of drawers and a double bed with a cream-colored quilt topped with a crocheted blue blanket.
    "My mother made that for me and gave it to me as a gift when I moved in here." Paul indicated the blanket.
    "That seems like something she would do. That was very sweet of her."
    "I agree. I'm lucky. We all are." He smiled and then said, "I'll get your bag out of the back of the buggy. I almost forgot it."
    "Thank you." She yawned again, and then apologized. "I'm sorry, that's so rude of me."
    "Not at all. You should rest. I'll be right back with your bag."
    Brianna sat on the edge of the bed and gazed out the window. In a few minutes, it would be completely dark out. It wasn't all that late, but Brianna was utterly exhausted and about ready to fall into bed.
    Paul returned a moment later with her bag and set it down at the foot of the bed.
    "Why don't you go to sleep?" he suggested. "It's been a long day, and you should really get your rest."
    "If you don't mind, I think I will." She was grateful for the suggestion. Her eyes felt so heavy.
    Paul leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Mrs. Donovan."
    Brianna smiled. "Good night, Mr. Donovan."

Chapter Ten
    B rianna woke the next morning and was at first disoriented. It was a strange enough feeling to be in a different bed, but especially in the guest bedroom of the man she had just married the day before. The house was quiet, and she guessed that it was early. The sun was up and light was streaming in through the window. She eased out of bed and dressed in her favorite blue dress. It was dressy enough for church, and given that it was a Sunday, she knew they would be heading out in the next few hours. On her way to the kitchen, she noticed that the door to Paul's bedroom was open and his bed was empty. So he was already up, and was probably out feeding the animals, she guessed, because there were no sounds in the house whatsoever.
    She found a tea kettle, filled it with water, and set it on the wood stove. There was a roaring fire going, and it didn't take long for the water to heat up. She was just filling a cup with water and adding a strainer with tea when the door opened and Paul walked in.
    "Good morning," he said. He was holding a small bowl filled with eggs and set them on the counter.
    "Good morning to you, too. Would you like me to cook some of these for breakfast?"
    "Could you? I would love that. Did you sleep all right?"
    "Yes. I had a good night's sleep." She quickly located a frying pan, found the butter, added a little to the pan and set it on the stove to heat up. She found a small bowl, cracked some eggs into it and scrambled them up in the pan. While she was doing that, Paul sliced some bread and put that on the top of the stove to toast. A few minutes later, the eggs were ready. Brianna filled two plates, brought them over to the kitchen table and they sat down to breakfast. There were the occasional awkward pauses, but their conversation was mostly comfortable as Paul told her more about the farm and his routine there.
    "I know that Colleen showed you how to milk the cows, but