The Virgin Bride Arrived With Fear in Her Eyes Mountain Men Said “Darlin, I Don’t Bite Unless”

Chapter 2

Beatrice guided Evelyn into the post office, a small building with a pot-bellied stove glowing in the corner. The warmth enveloped Evelyn as she stepped inside, and for a moment, she could not do anything but stand there and let the heat seep into her frozen limbs.

Beatrice closed the door and turned to face her. “Sit down, child. I will make tea.”

Evelyn sat in a wooden chair near the stove, her carpet bag clutched in her lap like a shield. She watched as Beatrice moved about the small space, filling a kettle, setting it on the stove, measuring tea leaves into a chipped ceramic pot.

“How did you know I was coming?” Evelyn asked.

“He told me.” Beatrice did not look up from her work. “Elias Blackthorn. He said he was expecting a woman from Boston. Asked me to let him know when the stage arrived.”

Evelyn’s heart began to beat faster. “What is he like?”