Heidi Vanlandingham - Lucie: Bride of Tennessee (American Mail-Order Bride 16) by Heidi Vanlandingham

columns on either end of the porch. She could hear the steady scritch, scritch as the branches scraped against the wood. In bloom, the front of the house would be magnificent. She could see herself drinking her tea, sitting in the comfortable-looking wicker chair.
    “Oh, Sebastian, what a beautiful house!”
    He stood beside her and stared at the house. “It’s small, but there are three bedrooms, and I just had indoor plumbing installed. Takes a bit of getting used to, but I think you will like it.”
    “Other than the hotel, I’ve never lived in a home that had indoor plumbing,” she said, staring at his dimple, her stomach doing flip flops again.
    He held out his arm. She tucked hers through the crook of his elbow and walked beside him as he led her into the house. The front room was a disaster waiting to happen. It seemed to her that neither Sebastian nor Stella picked anything up.
    Piles of books leaned dangerously close to the unlit fireplace, and there were papers and clothes draped over the furniture. Thankfully there were few pieces of furniture, only a chaise and two high-backed chairs. One small round table nestled between the chairs, the dark walnut nicely accentuating the pale green upholstery. The table had a coffee mug and a dirty plate sitting on the edge.
    Another table, this one square, was placed next to the settee, which was light burgundy with gold and green designs. Even though it was a complete mess, she immediately loved the space and wished it was cold enough for a fire.
    They went to the kitchen next, which was grander than her parents’ and somewhat intimidating since she had no idea how to cook. Porridge she was capable of making, but any other dish was beyond her culinary skills. They had never had the money for her to learn to cook anything more. The wooden countertops hadn’t been wiped clean in a while. In the middle of the far wall was a sink, also filled with dishes. There was also a black stove with an icebox on one side and a copper boiler on the other. Dirty pans were stacked on the stove.
    In the adjoining dining room there was a drop-leaf table with two high-backed ladder chairs. Two more chairs rested against the end wall, and in the far corner of the room stood a mahogany cupboard, empty other than a few glasses. Glancing back at the overflowing sink, she sighed. She knew what her first chore would be.
    There wasn’t a lot of extra space, but the rooms were by no means small. “Alex is going to love this—as will I. The last place we lived in Lawrence would fit inside the front room.” She ignored the small frown he gave her and pointed to the closed door beside the boiler. “What’s in there?”
    The frown disappeared as he grinned. “Something fantastic.”
    She followed him, peering inside the room as he opened the door. “It’s a bath room!”
    Sebastian moved so she could enter the small space. “I’ve heard of these but never thought I’d actually see one.” In the middle of the back wall stood a wooden stand with a built-in sink. A dirty white towel had been shoved over the hanger attached to the overhead shelf. There was a metal pipe running from the floor to behind the sink with a spigot and a wagon-wheel knob on the top. A brass mirror stood on top of the narrow shelf.
    Ignoring the pile of towels and clothes beside the sink, she stared at the large wooden structure to her left. “What’s that?”    
    “That’s a sheet lead bathtub.” He pointed to a metal box with a lever hanging off to one side. “The pipe running up the wall behind the shower is attached to the boiler in the kitchen. We can have a warm bath every day if we want without the hassle of heating water on the stove, which takes forever.”
    He motioned with a wave of his hand to a door in the corner to their right. “I also had an earth closet built through that door. It’s completely private without much of the odors associated with them.”
    From the burning over her face, she