Be My Texas Valentine Read Online Free PDF Page B

My horse often gets—”
    “The horse needs training.”
    “I know.” She smiled. “So does the driver. For years I had an old mare who knew the way back and forth to town. All I had to do was ride along.”
    “I could teach you. It’s not hard. You could come over to the Double R some Sunday and I could show you how to work with the horse.”
    She looked down and he feared he’d been too bold.
    He didn’t feel right being alone in her house with her, and he guessed she felt the same. “I’m about dry,” he lied. “I thought I’d sit on the porch and watch the storm die. Sometimes it’s a beautiful sight.”
    She seemed to like the idea. “I’ll get a couple of quilts and join you.”
    It wasn’t all that cold to Brody, but he thanked her for the quilt and held the door as she stepped onto the porch. The western sky put on a show as they watched, and he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to sit there and watch the sunset some night.
    They didn’t talk as they watched the thunderstorm play itself out. He felt her jump a few times when the thunder rolled, and he wished they’d been close enough that she’d let him put his arm around her.
    When the first touch of blue sky showed through, Brody knew it was time for him to go.
    He moved to the steps and turned. She was so close behind him he almost bumped into her. “Thanks for letting me stay awhile.” He watched her, trying to memorize exactly what she looked like. “I know you don’t want a man around and I’m not anyone a woman would consider seeing. I understand that, but if you’re agreeable, I’d like to hug you good-bye. Then I promise I’ll never bother you again.”
    He thought she was going to turn away, but she finally took a step toward him and he closed the rest of the distance between them. He held her as he had that night after the dance and she felt so good in his arms. She was a woman he could dream about, but someone like her would never belong to him.
    Without a word, he turned to leave.
    “Mr. Monroe,” she stopped him. “How do you like working for Boss Ramsey?”
    The question surprised him, but he answered, “It’s a job. I figure in five, maybe six years I’ll have enough saved to buy a place. Somewhere like this away from people, where I can live in peace. As long as there is hope of that, I can put up with anything.”
    She looked up at him as if weighing his worth by the pound. “Mrs. Molly Clair says you’re a good hand. Maybe one of the best Boss has ever hired, but you don’t mix with people. That true?”
    He nodded. “I don’t know about the first part, but she’s right about me being a loner.”
    “If you had my place, what would you do with it?”
    He thought she must be as starved for conversation as he, so he answered, “I’d farm that spot by the road. If you planted grain, you could harvest enough to have a good cash crop by fall. Along the back, where it looks rocky, you could run a few head of cattle, or sheep.”
    “Which would you run?”
    “Cattle probably. There looks like enough grass to fatten them up then mix them in with a passing trail drive. With the price of beef, you could double your money in a year.”
    “How many could you keep up with and still farm the front?” She stared at him directly as if truly needing to know.
    “You want me to work for you?” Brody raised an eyebrow. No one since the war had offered him work he hadn’t had to fight to get. Working for her would mean long days, but it just might bring him a bit of the peace he’d been longing for since the war.
    “No.” She held herself very still. “I’m offering you a partnership that would include marriage. We’ll live together here for a year. After that, if we don’t get along, I’ll move to town. I will remain your wife if you’ve no objections, but we’ll live our lives out just as we’d both planned to, alone. I’ll ask nothing from you but your name and expect nothing in return except