Free Tabitha: Bride of Missouri (American Mail-Order Bride 24) by Amelia C. Adams

about a relationship with her. But there was no guarantee, and it seemed unkind to hope for it. He loved Ivy, and Tabitha shouldn’t expect him to drift her way simply because he was available.
    If only the note on top of the bundle weren’t so harsh. If Ivy had any heart at all, she would have taken the time to write a decent letter and explain herself more reasonably. The way she’d handled things showed her to have no heart whatsoever—she didn’t deserve the emotion Thomas was putting into their relationship. Had she been playing him for a fool all along?
    Clara and Herbert seemed to have gone to bed, so Tabitha set the potato pan soaking, put out the lamp, and climbed the stairs to her room as quietly as she could. Once there, she put on her nightgown and climbed in bed, but her brain wouldn’t stop churning. If only she could somehow lessen Thomas’s pain. If only there was a way to let him down easy, a little at a time, instead of ripping his heart out with one swift motion.
    Tabitha’s eyes widened in the darkness as a thought struck her. Maybe there was something she could do. What if . . . No. She couldn’t do that. It was wrong, so very wrong. She could get in so much trouble. But even as she half-heartedly tried to talk herself out of it, her heart blossomed with hope. This was something she could do, something that would ease his burdens at a time when so many things seemed to be working against him.
    She could write to Thomas, pretending to be Ivy, and slowly begin to pull back from their relationship. Over the course of a few letters, she could drop little hints about how Ivy was changing her mind. Then, when it came time to break things off, he would have seen it coming, sensed that something wasn’t right, and it would feel like a welcome relief rather than an utter shock.
    But it would be wrong.
    Tabitha rolled over and punched her pillow, trying to get comfortable. It was one thing to write letters that Thomas dictated to her. That was done with full permission. It was quite another to write in someone else’s name. How would she mimic the handwriting? The only samples she had were the angry words scrawled on top of the bundle. How would she guess at Ivy’s style of correspondence? What if her first letter to Thomas had been long and detailed—he’d know right away that the second letter was from someone else, as they wouldn’t match.
    Again, even as she thought about it, the idea persisted. It would save him pain. It would save him grief. But would she be doing it for him or for herself? It seemed an impossible decision to make, and she was still wrestling with it as she fell asleep over an hour later.

Chapter Seven
     
    Tabitha walked into church the next morning fully resolved to hand Thomas the bundle of letters and be done with it. He’d said he was coming into the post office on Monday—she’d do it then. She felt good about her decision. But then, when she saw him standing at the end of a pew in a Sunday suit, his hair slicked back, her determination crumbled. She couldn’t dream of doing anything that would wipe that grin off his face.
    Thomas shook hands with Herbert and nodded at Clara, and then they were seated. Tabitha slid into the pew first, thinking Thomas would follow, but Clara inserted herself between them, followed by Herbert, so Thomas ended up sitting on the aisle. At least they were somewhat sitting together, she supposed.
    Pastor Reed did preach well. His sermon was about charity, and his words were encouraging rather than condemning. She never had liked sermons that tried to convince her she was doomed for doing any little wrong thing. Rather, she preferred being urged to try again. She might find herself liking this congregation.
    After the service, the pastor stood at the door and shook everyone’s hand. “I trust Mr. Scott saw you safely home?” he asked as he greeted Tabitha.
    “He did. And thank you for being such a gentleman and arranging it,” she