Free The Outrider (Redbourne Series #5 - Will's Story) by Kelli Ann Morgan Page B

man any more pain than necessary. My father seems to be getting
better every day.” Winnie said before taking another sip from the large glass
of lemonade sitting in front of her.
    It took everything Elizabeth had not to roll her
eyes into the back of her head. She had encountered countless women with the
same wishy-washy attitude as Winnie back home. How was a girl supposed to make
any plans when dealing with someone so fickle? She would probably decide to
make the trek only to get off the stage in the next town and coax some
unsuspecting farmer into bringing her home.
    “I am so sorry,” Elizabeth said, deciding to play
the girl’s game. “I did not realize that you had changed your mind. I apologize
for having wasted your time.” She stood up and looked down at Opal. “Thank you
for your kind offer. It would have been quite an adventure,” she said as she
turned to leave, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Good luck, Miss
Winnie. It is a shame really.”
    “What’s a shame, Eliza Beth?” Opal asked with
interest.
    “Well, I was willing to pay what I could for your
place on the journey,” Elizabeth said as she shrugged her shoulders, “but—”
    “How much?” Winnie said with a squeaky little
voice, her finger twirling one of her ringlets.
    “I’m sorry?” Elizabeth said, forcing the woman to
speak a little louder.
    Winnie looked at Opal, then back to Elizabeth. “I
mean, it did take a lot of time and effort to coordinate the trip, to apply to
the Matchmaker Agency and to write to my Adam. Your Adam,” she corrected.
    Elizabeth reached into her satchel and pulled out
a few of her remaining bills, set them down beneath her hand, and slid them
across the table to Winnie.
    “Take it or leave it,” she said with a fabricated
smile.
    Winnie glanced down at the money and looked up
with wide eyes. “I would say you have been more than generous. Thank you.” She
picked up the money and tucked it away in her own little handbag.
    Elizabeth had done a fair share of research into
mail-order-bride services since learning of the potential opportunity, and she
knew that Winnie had not paid a penny for her travel plans. The men requesting
a wife were responsible for that purchase, as well as any other expenses a
prospective bride might encounter along the way.
    Opal had said that Winnie intended to return the
tickets with a letter of apology. The young woman had proven herself shrewd,
but Elizabeth didn’t care about any of that. The woman’s fears about leaving
her family and comfortable life behind to venture out on the journey had worked
out in Elizabeth’s favor and now, a new adventure awaited her, just like those
that she’d come across so often in her books.
    “You have your money. Now, may I please have the
tickets and other travel arrangements the preacher made for you?”
    “Oh, of course,” Winnie waved at the air.
    Elizabeth extended her hand.
    “You mean now? I don’t have them with me,” she
placed a hand over her chest, “but I will see that you have everything you need
by the time the stage leaves tomorrow. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind delivering my
letter to Mr. MacKenzie?”
    “Not at all,” Elizabeth responded with a slight
bow of her head. “Tomorrow then. Opal.” She nodded at her new travelling
companion, then turned for the door, smiling to herself. Now, she just had to
tell Grace and she’d be on her way.
    When she reached the livery, Grace was in a
pleasant conversation with a stout woman in a thick bustled dress with
cherry-colored fringes.
    “Here she is now,” Grace said, holding out her
arm toward Elizabeth. “Eliza Beth, this is Mrs. Blanding, the good preacher’s
wife. She tells me that the teacher at the school on the edge of town is
leaving tomorrow on the stage and the position needs to be filled as soon as
possible.”
    “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Blanding,” she
said with a slight bow of her head. She studied the woman for a moment,