Badland Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

result of his friendliness. He most likely could make a nervous turkey feel at ease the day before Thanksgiving.
    "Yes, chick. All righty then...Well, Lila..."
    "Yes, Skeeter...” His conversation game was as charming as his humor. She probably shouldn't be enjoying it as much as she was, but it had been sometime since she'd been able to have fun verbally sparring with a man. And something about him made her want to flirt with earnest.
    "What would you say if I told you I was born in eighteen-fifty-nine?"
    She laughed, and purposely elevated her eyebrows. “I'd say you look damn good for your age.” He was a character.
    His cute, crooked smile displayed Crest commercial teeth. “Well, twenty-three ain't all that old,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders casually.
    "No, it's not,” she quickly did the math, trying to keep the banter going, “but that would mean you were born in nineteen-eighty-four."
    "No.” He shook his head. A curl fell over one eye and he pushed it aside. “I was born in eighteen-fifty-nine.” His gaze had grown serious, somber even.
    Something inside Lila flipped. She wasn't sure if it was her heart or her stomach, but something in the way Skeeter looked at her said he told the truth. The temperature of the summer air had to be close to one hundred degrees, but she all of sudden she could have sworn she stood in the middle of a January blizzard. “H-how can that be?"
    Skeeter took a deep breath. Being a ghost had been hard, but telling an adorable, half-naked girl she's in eighteen-eighty-two, why that's almost impossible. It was all kind of farfetched, even to his open mind. “It's a long story—” the daze clouding her eyes made him rethink his explanation, “I'll try to make it as short as possible."
    "No.” She shook her head. “No, I think I'd like the long version."
    She was even prettier now that he was alive again. Her eyes were a brighter green than spring grass, and the wind tossed the red-tipped curls about her head like petals on a flower. Several fluttered across her forehead, catching the sunshine. They sparkled brighter than icicles on a roof top in December. The shape of her face was flawless, gracefully curved and each feature naturally flowed into the next with perfection. Every time she spoke, shiny lips framed tiny, white teeth, and when she smiled, his heart kicked harder than an ornery old mule.
    "Skeeter?” Concern filled her eyes, and she rubbed both hands over her upper arms, as if warding off a chill.
    The sight brought his galloping mind to a halt, and the urge to comfort her fear forced him to recall their conversation. “Uh, oh, all right, the long version. Well, let's see. My older brother Kid, he married Jessie about two years ago now. She's a right fine gal, we all love her.” His cheeks burned a touch at the declaration. He shook off the flush and continued, “Like a sister, we all love her like a sister. Anyway, her brother, Russell, well, you see, he wasn't treating Jessie very well, and to save Kid from killing him, I took Russ out to check some land. I knew Kid wasn't interested in more land, he owns half of Kansas now, but I wanted a little time alone with Russ to explain how he should be treating his little sister. It didn't take long for Russell to figure if he wanted to live to a ripe old age, he'd better shape up.” Realizing he was blabbing like the town drunk, Otis Murphy, on a Saturday night, he glanced at Lila to make sure she followed his story.
    She gave him a little nod, but a frown still pulled on her face. A faint, tiny band of freckles dotted her nose right below a wrinkle the grimace caused. Regret, knowing he was causing her grief, bubbled in his guts.
    He sucked in a breath in order to rush through the rest of his tale. “Well, while Russell and I were out and about, we met a guy traveling to the Badlands and tagged along with him. Once we got here, we found all kinds of things,” he dug in one pocket and drew out several