She snorted softly. “It’s been an adventure, Mrs. Newport, that’s all I can say.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to be a mail-order bride,” Mrs. Newport mused. “But I have my Harold. Speaking of which, whereisHarold?” She shook her head in annoyance. “You didn’t happen to see him upstairs, did you, Braxton?”
“No, ma’am. Unless he’s in your room.”
“That could be. I’d better check.” She turned to Phoebe. “It was lovely meeting you, my dear. Have a merry Christmas.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Newport. It was nice meeting you too.” They watched the older woman head for the staircase and disappear upstairs.
“Well then,” Phoebe said breathlessly. “Where shall we go?”
He offered his arm again. “There’s another set of shops not far from here. We can look through them and see what we can find.” He tugged gently at her coat sleeve, fingering the edge. “This is too thin, Phoebe. No wonder you’re freezing.”
She brushed a hand down the front of her coat. “I’ve had it a long time, and its served me well.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but I think a new one is in order, don’t you?”
She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. “Braxton, you’ve done so much for me already. I couldn’t possibly allow you to…”
He put a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention and cutting her off at the same time. “Phoebe, I want to do this.”
“Like you wanted to pay my rent for me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He watched her face turn red as a beet. “Consider it a gift. Please don’t think you have to repay me.”
Her jaw dropped as she stared at him. “A gift… but Braxton…” Her voice squeaked on his name.
He escorted her to the door and ushered her outside. “Don’t think another minute on it. I was glad to do it. The good Lord will bless me for blessing you. Don’t mess that up for me.” He wagged a finger at her, smiling, then guided her onto the sidewalk.
She let him pull her along without a word. He knew it was hard to argue with his logic about the Lord’s blessings. Besides, he enjoyed blessing her. It warmed his heart to no end.
When they reached the street with the shops, he took her into one he already knew carried coats. Nice ones. The shops here were more upscale than the ones they’d been in before.
“Oh dear,” Phoebe said, hesitating at the door. “This place looks expensive, Braxton.”
“It’s fine. They have a good selection here.”
“How would you know?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Because the gifts I bought in the other shop for my mother aren’t the only ones I’ve purchased so far. I did a little earlier shopping for my brother and sister-in-law too.”
“Oh, I see.” She stepped inside and looked around.
Two saleswomen approached and smiled at him. “Mr. Jones, you’re back,” one of them said.
“I am. I’ve brought my friend Miss Hale with me. She’s in need of a new coat.”
They both eyed the coat she was currently wearing and frowned.
“Indeed,” said the older of the two. “You’ve come to the right place, my dear. We have a fairly large selection of coats right now. Follow us.”
They took Phoebe to a corner of the store with several mirrors, chairs, and a small dais. They had her stand on it, then hurried off.
“Oh dear, where did they go?” Phoebe asked.
“To fetch some coats, I reckon.” Braxton stuck his hands in his coat pockets and looked around. “They have some pretty dresses here too. I bet you’d love to look at some.”
“Oh no, Braxton, I couldn’t—please…”
