Frontier Engagement
School Bells and Wedding Bells James Wallin's family is depending on him to find a schoolteacher for their frontier town. Alexandrina Fosgrave seems to be exactly what he needs to help fulfill his father's dream of building a new community. If only James could convince her to accept the position.Alexandrina has traveled west to seek a fresh start, not to find a groom. But after she's stranded in the wilderness with James, he offers her his hand in marriage to protect her reputation. Both are afraid to fall in love, but maybe an engagement of convenience could make them reconsider…Frontier Bachelors: Bold, rugged–and bound to be grooms.
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School Bells and Wedding Bells
James Wallinâs family is depending on him to find a schoolteacher for their frontier town. Alexandrina Fosgrave seems to be exactly what he needs to help fulfill his fatherâs dream of building a new community. If only James could convince her to accept the position.
Alexandrina has traveled west to seek a fresh start, not to find a groom. But after sheâs stranded in the wilderness with James, he offers her his hand in marriage to protect her reputation. Both are afraid to fall in love, but maybe an engagement of convenience could make them reconsiderâ¦
Frontier Bachelors: Bold, ruggedâand bound to be grooms.
âYou donât have to be lonely, Rina,â James said. âIf you need someone to listen, a shoulder to cry on, you can always come to me.â
She frowned, glancing back at him. âHow can you make that promise to someone you barely know?â
She seemed sincerely confused, her honey-colored brows drawn down, her pert nose pulled up. He supposed it was a sweeping statement. But heâd made it, and he meant it, and he wasnât sure why she was so determined to doubt him.
âThatâs how friends behave,â he said.
âAnd you consider us friends?â she asked, frown deepening.
With her looking all soft and serious, friendship seemed the least of what he wanted. âI certainly hope weâre not enemies, maâam.â
Still she watched him, as if waiting for something more. He felt himself slipping into those clear eyes. Then he was leaning closer, and she was leaning toward him. It was only natural for their lips to meet, brush.
He pulled her close, anchoring himself in her touch, wanting never to let go.
She pulled back and stared at him, eyes wide and lips parted.
Not only had he found a way to convince the schoolmarm to stay in the wilderness, but heâd managed to let her wedge her way into his heart.
REGINA SCOTT has always wanted to be a writer. Since her first book was published in 1998, her stories have traveled the globe, with translations in many languages. Fascinated by history, she learned to fence and sail a tall ship. She and her husband reside in Washington state with their overactive Irish terrier. You can find her online blogging at nineteenteen.com. Learn more about her at reginascott.com or connect with her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorreginascott.
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
âProverbs 31:30â31
To my nieces Sarah and Lindaâ
no Dr. Who and no dogs and cats, but all my love just the same; and to the Lord, who loves me no matter who I am today.
Contents
Seattle, Washington Territory June 1866
Alexandrina Eugenia Fosgrave clasped her hands tightly together, one up, one down, as she walked along the carpeted corridor of the boardinghouse for the formal parlor. Though her white organza gown floated about her slippers like a cloud, her heart was hammering against her ribs and her legs felt rubbery. None of that now! She was not going to let her nerves affect the outcome of this interview.
A gentleman wished to hire a schoolteacher, the girl who had come for her had said. Heâd already spoken to two others and rejected them out of hand, even though he had few choices. Alexandrina was one of the last teachers among the Mercer expedition who had yet to be whisked away to the wilderness since their arrival in Seattle nearly two months ago.
She knew why the women who had traveled with her from the East Coast had been hired first. They had more experience and stellar references. She had only the written word of the sheriff near Framingham, Massachusetts, that she was of good character, a statement grudgingly given. She was fairly certain he had wished he could have locked her up as easily as he had the other members of the Fosgrave family.
But lacking a position, her financial situation grew more dire each day. She very much feared that she might be forced out into that wilderness, not as the teacher sheâd hoped to become, but as a penniless waif.
Please, Lord, let this job be mine! You have been with me through it all. Youâre the only one I can rely on.
She paused outside the closed door of the parlor and drew in a deep breath. Mrs. Elliottâs pristine boardinghouse always smelled of roses, the scent matching the pink papered walls and flowered carpeting. It was a suitable lodging for ladies, but she doubted a gentleman would appreciate it.
She tried to imagine the gentleman waiting for her beyond the door now. Heâd be an older man, established in his profession, the head of his community. Heâd ask about her skills, her experience, her eagerness to mold young minds, the values her family had instilled in her. Sheâd have to be both honest and circumspect in her answers, for her skills were untested, her experience nonexistent and her eagerness waning with each rejection.
