Read Online Between Two Worlds by Stacey Coverstone - Free Book Online

several, I
suppose, who would relish being a physician’s wife.”
    Delaney smiled. “Oh, I see. One of several, you say. You must be
one of the most eligible bachelors in Phoenix then.”
    He grinned. “I’ve only been in town two years, as I mentioned
before. Newcomers receive a lot of attention, as you’ve seen for yourself.
There are a lot of other bachelors in Phoenix, and Belle’s a fine woman. I’m
sure someone will ask for her hand before long.”
    Delaney glanced up and down at the men who filled Washington
Street. “From the looks of it, there are mostly cowboys and gamblers in this
town. I doubt they’re Belle’s type. A businesswoman such as herself would much
prefer a life partner with a professional status. Perhaps a lawyer, a banker,
or doctor. I could tell that about her.”
    “Oh, you could, could you?” Gabriel’s eyes danced with merriment. “I’m
curious. Just what else do you think you know about her?”
    “That she’s ready to settle down, and she wants a husband who will
be her equal. An honest man, who will devote himself to her and be a loving
father to her children.”
    When he laughed, Delaney admired his perfect teeth. “You only just
met the woman. How could you tell all that about her?”
    “Because I’m a woman, silly. I know what women want.”
    “So, in other words, those are the things you want, too. A
husband and children?” They halted their steps, and he gazed at her with
anticipation.
    “I didn’t say that, Gabriel. I’m an independent woman with a busy
career and full social calendar. I don’t have time for a husband or family
right now. I’ve got great things to accomplish before I settle down.”
    “What kinds of great things?”
    “Well, for one, I’m going to be very successful in the advertising
field one day.”
    “I suppose that’s something people do in the future for employment?
Advertising?”
    “Yes. It is.”
    “You’re awfully young to be so focused on a career.”
    She defended herself. “I’m twenty-four. That’s not so young.”
    “No, not so young,” he agreed. “What I meant to imply is, most
women that age don’t even work unless they’re forced to by threat of poverty.
Take Belle, for example. I was told she was orphaned as a teenager, but she happened
to be a very good seamstress. The banker’s wife, a humanitarian, convinced her
husband to set Belle up in that dress shop. Now she owns it. She was a lucky
one. Other girls have to earn a living other ways. But given the choice, most
girls prefer to marry and raise a family.”
    “You’re talking about women in 1888,” she reminded him. “Remember,
I’m not from around here.”
    “You’re very outspoken. Are all the ladies in the future like
you?”
    “There are a whole lot of women even more outspoken than me, back
where I come from. I’m just telling you how it is for me. Men are not a
priority at this point in my life.” As soon as the words left her mouth,
Delaney wondered if she were lying to herself. Granted, she hadn’t had luck
with men of late, but someday she hoped to become a wife and mother. Bad
streaks could turn like the eye of a storm. What if meeting Gabriel was the
beginning of a change in her luck? He was nothing like the men she knew in her
own time period. He was cut from a different cloth, and her intuition told her
he’d make a wonderful husband.
    But who was she fooling? There was no use in even speculating on
what ifs, no matter how attractive he was. She didn’t belong here. Keep your
mind on the matter at hand, Delaney, which is getting home. She
started walking again, and he fell back in step beside her, both of them quiet.
They hadn’t gotten twenty feet down the walk when she stopped again. Her ears perked.
A throaty whistle sang above them. She looked up and saw three soiled doves
hanging over the rail on the balcony above the saloon. The whistler leaned way
over and displayed her goods, which tumbled almost all of the way out of