Text Order Bride (3 page)

beds while Amanda collapsed on the other.

“What do you think now that you’ve met him?” Stephanie asked.

Amanda grinned. “I think he’s sexy and fun. I can’t wait to get to know him

better.”

“I knew you’d like him!”

“You were right. I just hope he likes me as much as I like him.”

Stephanie shook her head. “Of course he does. Who wouldn’t?”

Amanda laughed. “Every other man I’ve met in my life.”

“That’s not true! I saw some guys looking at you in the cafeteria in college.”

“Yeah, until I stood up and they realized they would have to stand on a

ladder to kiss me.” She sighed. She knew that she had no chance with a

man like Jason, but it was fun to pretend for a few days. “What do you

know about Jason’s past? Has he had a long parade of women?”

Stephanie bit her lip like she was debating whether or not to tell her

something.

“Spill it, Steph! I’m your best friend. If you know something you’re not

telling me, I’m going to have to hurt you.”

Stephanie sighed. “He was dating a woman a while back. He was

completely devoted to her.”

“She was gorgeous right? Like something right out of a fashion magazine?

That’s the kind of girl I see Jason with. He’s too good-looking for someone

like me.”

Stephanie nodded. “She really was pretty. Anyway, rumor had it Jason

had already bought a ring, and one day she was gone.”

“Gone? Like dead gone? Or like left gone?”

“She left. We found out later that she decided to move to Chicago with

some guy she met online. Turns out he had more money than Jason.”

Amanda sighed. “Sounds like a real winner.”

“She was. Trust me. Anyway, Jason is looking for someone honest and

trustworthy who won’t do that to him.”

“Does he still love her?”

“No clue. I don’t think he’d take her back if she came crawling on her

knees, but I don’t know if he loves her.”

Amanda shrugged. “Okay. I guess I can deal with that.” She hoped she

could anyway.

“I wouldn’t have had him text you if I’d thought he was still hung up on her.”

“I know. I’m sure I’m just being silly.” She decided to change the subject.

“I’m quitting my job.”

“What? Why?”

“I’ve lived in Maypearl, TX my whole life except for four years of college.

It’s time for me to make a change. I’m sending out resumes to see where I

want to go. I’m going to put my house up for sale in May and just see what

happens.”

Stephanie gaped at her. “That’s not like you. Are you going to try and stay

in Texas?”

Amanda shrugged. “I’ve sent resumes to thirteen different states, Texas

included. I’m going wherever I’m offered a job that looks good.”

“Wow.”

“I just can’t stay there anymore. I’ll probably try to find another small town,

but I’ve just got to leave Maypearl. I mean, I don’t have anything against it,

but I need a change. I find that I’m short with my students lately, and it’s

because I’m feeling so restless.” She paused for a moment looking down

at her hands. “I feel like my life is passing me by. I want kids so badly, but

I’ve never even had a steady boyfriend. I’ve seriously thought about going

to a sperm bank.”

Stephanie’s eyes were huge at her friend’s words. “Give Jason a chance.

I really think he wants a life with you.”

Amanda sighed. “I’m not going to hang all my hopes for the future on a

man I met today. We’ll see what happens, but I’m going to make plans

anyway.”

Stephanie nodded. “I think I understand.” She paused for a moment. “I

really hope it works out for you, though. I’d love to see you move here.”

Amanda nodded. “We’ll see. I’d love to live near you, too.”

“I’ve got to get to bed. I need to be up at six to get the kids ready for

school,” Stephanie said. “I thought we could spend tomorrow exploring the

area. We could go to some local parks, maybe eat lunch out, that type of

thing.”

“Okay. I’m up for anything.”

“I know you and Jason are going to spend the day together on Friday, but I

made plans for him to come to dinner on Saturday night. I thought maybe

you’d like to spend some time with another couple and their brood.”

Amanda laughed. “That sounds wonderful. Maybe I won’t be so tongue-

tied if it’s not just the two of us.”

Stephanie stood and hugged Amanda tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She

pointed out the bathroom and then headed off to her room.

Amanda sank down onto the bed. She was happy to be there finally, but

nervous too. Jason was everything she’d hoped for and more. But would

she measure up in his eyes?

The day with Stephanie flew by. They laughed and joked and generally felt

as if they’d never parted. Amanda enjoyed meeting her friend’s children,

and did her best to hide the envy she felt. Stephanie knew, though.

She ate dinner with Bob and Stephanie and their two boys and two girls

that evening. The boys were nine and seven and the girls were six and

four. She found Bob and Stephanie to be strict but fun parents. The kids

were constantly laughing and having a good time.

Bob wasn’t working on Friday, so it was just Stephanie and Amanda in the

mini-van on the way to Jason’s farm. Stephanie navigated the two lane

highways like she’d been driving them all her life. Although it was early

April, there was still a chill in the air, and Amanda wore a light jacket.

She’d dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with an old pair of cowboy boots for the

day. Jason had warned her that she might spend some of the day trudging

through mud as he showed her around.

Stephanie slowed the van down and pulled into a long driveway that was

lined with trees. Amanda couldn’t see a house up ahead, but knew they

had to be close. “Are we almost there?”

They turned a corner and stopped in front of a large, white, wooden house.

The front of the house was covered by a screened-in porch. She smiled as

she saw how old it was. This house would have some history.

When they pulled up, Stephanie honked the horn instead of getting out and

knocking on the door. “He’s probably in the barn or somewhere on the

property,” Stephanie explained at Amanda’s quizzical look.

Jason came from around the side of the house. He had mud splattered all

over his jeans and wore an old flannel shirt with sleeves rolled up at the

elbows. He smiled down at Stephanie. “Thanks for bringing her. I’ll take

her back after dinner tonight.”

“Okay. Have a great day!” Stephanie climbed into her van and drove

away.

After she’d driven off, Amanda gave Jason a shy look. “Hey.”

He smiled. “Hi there.” He walked closer and bent down to brush her lips

with his. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She wished she felt as confident as he seemed. “Me too.”

He took her hand in his, and pulled her toward the house. “You can leave

your purse in the kitchen. You won’t need it while we wander around.”

He led her up to the porch and opened the door for her, letting her precede

him inside to take a look around. There was a wooden porch swing that

she immediately dropped into setting it swinging with her foot. She looked

up and saw that Jason watching her for a reaction to his home.

“I love this porch! I can see you sitting out here in the evenings relaxing.”

“My parents were out here every evening in the summer. Dad would be

bone tired, but he always took the time to sit with Mom, because she loved

it so much,” he said. “Are you ready to go in and see it?”

She laughed softly. “I’ve been ready since I got off that plane. I know you

said you’re the fifth generation to own it. Did your ancestors build it, or did

they buy it?”

“My great-great-grandfather bought the land when he was just a teenager.

He built a small log cabin on it, and the rest of the house was added on in

pieces. What I use as a mud room was the log cabin. He brought my

great-great-grandmother here after they were married. My great-

grandfather and grandfather were both born in this house,” he told her.

She stood up and waited for him to open the door. She noticed that he

hadn’t bothered to lock it while he was out on the farm. She loved that

about living in the country. Even in her small town they felt the need to lock

the doors.

Once they were inside the living room, and she looked around. She could

see some small changes that she’d make if it were hers. She’d make some

curtains and some throw pillows to soften up the look of the room. For the

most part, though, she was thrilled with what was there.

He showed her the mud room, which lived up to its name well. He’d

obviously not bothered with cleaning the floor in here for a long time. It was

an unfinished looking room. It connected to a bathroom, which in turn,

connected to the kitchen. “I always come in this way after working so that I

can just strip off and shower as I come in.” There was a laundry chute in

the bathroom that he told her emptied into a laundry bin in the basement

where the washer and dryer were.

There were five bedrooms total, and three baths. Some things could use to

be updated, but for the most part she loved it. Jason seemed to be

relatively neat. There was nothing just thrown on the floor, and no dishes

in the sink, but he obviously wasn’t one for doing a lot of real cleaning. The

floors needed to be vacuumed and mopped well. The counters needed a

good scrubbing and the oven probably hadn’t been cleaned since his

parents had moved away.

“So what do you think?” he asked.

“I love it. I love older houses because they have so much character.

You’ve lived here your whole life, right?”

“Except when I was in school in Madison.”

“I’ve lived in the same house my whole life, too. My parents bought it when

they were first married.”

He nodded. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

She smiled. She hadn’t talked to him about her plans of leaving Maypearl.

She didn’t want him to think he was the reason she was quitting her job,

because he wasn’t. She really didn’t think things would work out between

them.

“Would you like to see the farm?”

“I’d love to.”

He took her hand and led her out to through the mudroom. The barn was

back behind the house and he took her there first. Several of the cows

were in the barn, while others were out in the pasture behind it.

“Why do you keep some in the barn and some outside?” she asked.

“The ones in the barn are due to give birth at any time. The ones outside

have either already given birth or aren’t going to this year.”

“Can you milk a cow while she’s pregnant?”

“Yup. In fact, cows need to have babies every year to keep giving milk.”

“I didn’t know that.”

He smiled. He liked being able to teach her little things about his life here.

They walked a lot of the land. It was a huge farm spanning over 200 acres.

He grew his own feed for the cattle that he raised, so the summer months

were busier than the winter months.

He talked steadily about the business of farming as they walked. He

explained how the small dairy farm was going the way of the dinosaur. He

obviously loved his farm and his job.

“I grew up working this farm. My younger brothers and sisters have all

moved off. None of my brothers wanted the farm. I was the only one who

did, which is probably good. Mom and Dad moved off to Florida several

years back. Dad’s arthritis couldn’t handle the cold or the work anymore,

so he’s down there selling life insurance now.”

“How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

“Three brothers and two sisters. Only three of us are still in Wisconsin.

One of my sisters married a farmer down near Madison. The other is living

over in Wausau. She’s married, but doesn’t have any kids yet.”

“Big family! I’m an only. It must have been fun growing up with all those

playmates on a farm like this.”

He laughed. “It was. I’d like to have kids to pass the farm down to.” He

stopped and looked at her. “Do you want kids?”

She nodded. “I’d love to have a dozen kids.”

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist starting to walk again.

“Sounds good to me.”

They walked along in comfortable silence for a minute before she asked

the question burning in her mind. “Why were you interested in getting to

know a woman from another state that you’d never met?”

He thought for a moment about how to best phrase his answer. “Honestly?

There were several reasons. I wanted someone who had an impeccable