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

most of his time at the hotel, so she’d rarely seen him, which meant she was one-on-one with Stella. Every day, he would come home for a quick dinner, tuck his daughter into bed, and then leave without saying more than a word or two to either her or Alex. He would return, crawling into bed after putting in a long night at the hotel, and get up just after dawn to do it all over again.
    Stella hated her, and she was beginning to wonder if Sebastian might dislike her as well. For a six-year-old girl, Stella was as cantankerous as an old man and just as clever at getting her own way. No matter what Lucie said, she disagreed. If she told her to clean her room, she would mess it up more. Alex had never been this difficult, but her father and stepmother wouldn’t have put up with any disobedience either.
        It had taken her most of the week to pick up the house, one room at a time, and do all of the laundry. In the evening, Alex helped her wash the dishes, so they too were back in their appointed spots in the small cupboard. The small pie safe had enough food to last a few more days, although she had no idea what some of the items were used for.
    Lucie still helped out at the hotel, but her main goal was to learn how to cook. She wanted to prepare delicious meals for her new family. The cook had been helpful, giving her a few lessons on several easy dishes, but Lucie was wary of trying them without help.
    She sighed, her restless fingers turning the plate of cookies around in a circle on the table. The evening had been ruined before it even started. Stella had been told two days ago to clean her room and she still hadn’t cleaned it. What she really needed was for her husband to put his foot down and make her pick her things up.
    She was so confused. In the past two days, Sebastian had seemed more distant than he usually did, as if something weighed heavily on his mind. They’d settled into a comfortable routine in the evenings. Quite often, she would catch him watching her, but he would turn away without saying anything.  The few times they had talked, the conversation usually turned to Stella. Sebastian was worried about his daughter, of that Lucie was certain, but she had no idea how to fix it.
    The front door banged open, startling her. Wide-eyed, she jumped to her feet with her hand splayed across her chest then relaxed when she saw her brother.
    “Hi, sissy!” Alex gave her a big grin and walked into her embrace.
    Her day suddenly brightened. No matter what mood she was in, her brother always managed to make her spirits lift. She hugged him close, knowing times like this would soon stop. He was getting too old for hugs. “So, what did you learn today?”
    He dropped his lunch pail on the table and picked up a cookie, which disappeared in a few bites. “Nothin’ much. Teacher is giving us a test tomorrow over the War Between the States, although when I told her we called it the Great Rebellion, she insisted we use the correct Southern term since we live here now.”
    “I agree with her. The last thing you need is to make enemies because of where you moved from. Papa told me stories of how touchy people were during the war, even before it started. As time passes, so will the bitterness between the Northern and Southern states.” She tousled his hair as he grabbed another cookie. “I’m very thankful for that; otherwise, our moving here wouldn’t have been so easy.”
    “Because we were born in the North?”
    “Mmm-hmm.”
    She glanced at the door. “Alex, where’s Stella?”
    He shrugged. “Teacher asked her to stay after school for a few minutes—probably got into trouble again. I wanted to get home to get my studyin’ done. When Sebastian gets home, he promised to take me to the livery.” His hazel-blue eyes lit up in excitement. “I get to learn how to ride a horse!”
    She frowned. “Really? He didn’t say anything to me.”
    Alex shrugged, stuffing a fourth cookie in his mouth. Grabbing his