Read Online Faith (Goldwater Creek Mail-Order Brides 1) by Leighann Dobbs - Free Book Online

going.”
    “I’ll just clean up a bit and be right there,” Maisie yelled after her.
    The dress shimmered on Faith’s bed. The gold embroidery gave just the right amount of attention to the ivory gown. The lace bodice added a feminine touch. Faith inspected the gown—Maisie’s stitches were small and tight. Faith was a good seamstress herself and recognized superior work. The dress would hold up fine for the party tonight and many more.
    She slipped it over her head. She’d need help with the twenty-five buttons that ran down the back, but even unbuttoned, the dress felt like a dream.
    “Now, let’s get you fixed up.” Maisie started on the buttons, Faith could feel the dress was more snug around the waist than before the alterations, but as Maisie finished the job, she saw it was perfect, accentuating her slim waist and then flaring out in a shimmery cascade over her not-so-slim hips.
    “Let me see.” Maisie turned Faith around, a smile cracking her lips. “I knew it. You look perfect. Mr. Jax is gonna bust a gut. Oh, and I made something special for you.”
    Maisie pulled a piece of lace out of her apron pocket. “I salvaged this from the alterations I did on the waist.” She held the length of lace flat in her palm. An oval black and white cameo had been pinned in the exact middle. “It’s a choker necklace. It will match the dress perfectly.”
    Faith took the necklace in her hands. “It’s beautiful. I don’t how to thank you.” Tears burned the backs of Faith’s eyes. No one had been this kind to her since she moved away from her mother after marrying Charles. “I couldn’t take one of your cameos, though. This must be a family heirloom.”
    Maisie waved her hands “Oh, hush now. You can take it, it belongs to you. It’s one of the Blackburn cameos. Mr. Jax’s grandmother’s.”
    A feeling of trepidation tingled in her belly. “I don’t know if he would want me to wear this.”
    But Maisie was already behind her, fastening the necklace to her neck. She came back around to the front, adjusting it so the cameo was in the middle, then stepped back and smiled. “There, now. It looks perfect, see?” She spun Faith around to look in the mirror.
    Faith had to admit, the necklace did add a finishing touch to the outfit. She could barely even recognize herself in the mirror. With her hair pulled up in the back and more lace adorning it, even her own mother might not know it was her.
    “Thank you, Maisie. For everything.” In a moment of spontaneity, Faith reached over and hugged the other woman.
    “Oh, it’s nothing.” Maisie’s eyes turned misty. “It’s just nice to have a woman in the house again to do things for.”
    Again?
    But she didn’t get a chance to ask the question because just then Buttercup trotted past the window, pulling the buggy which had been washed and shined.
    Maisie flew to the window. “Oh, Lordy! Mr. Jax is here already. He’s gonna have Robertson drive and he’ll sit in the buggy with you. Why, he hasn’t ridden in the buggy since…” Maisie’s voice trailed off and her face constricted. “Well, never mind that. We better get you out to the foyer.”
    “Wait, since what?” Faith asked, but Maisie didn’t answer. It was maddening, all these things the woman kept blurting out. Secrets. Did any of them have anything to do with the gold mine? But how could having a woman in the house again and Jax’s aversion to riding in the buggy have anything to do with a gold mine?
    Faith didn’t have time to think about it. As Maisie propelled her down the hallway, a squadron of butterflies started to flap in her stomach. She didn’t know if it was nervousness over attending a party where she knew no one, her own fear of riding in the buggy, or the prospect of Jax seeing her in the dress.
    “Here’s your beautiful wife. I knew a new gown would be just the thing.” Maisie pushed her into the foyer.
    Jax was standing with his back to her, looking out the window at