Harper's Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

apprehension was like a living thing
as she hovered next to the baby. She seemed to be trying to make
herself as small and unobtrusive as possible.
    "Well, yeah, sure . . ." He shoved a hand
through his hair, at a loss for words. He hadn't really expected
her to do any cooking or cleaning for a few days, and certainly not
tonight.
    She had tied on an old towel for an apron,
knotted at the back of her waist. Since she had nothing else to
wear, she still had on the same threadbare clothes. Her hair was
tidier, the loose tendrils secured again, but beneath her eyes dark
smudges gave her the careworn look of a woman twice her age.
    "Have you eaten?"
    She shook her head.
    He waved her to the table. "Come on, then,
sit down."
    Edging closer, she plucked the bacon and
biscuit pans from the top of the stove, then served him first. It
made him uncomfortable to have her wait on him. He'd grown up with
that, and he'd never liked it.
    Melissa sat then, taking a biscuit and a thin
slice of bacon for her plate. Not enough, in Dylan's opinion, to
keep even a cat going. Her nervousness was palpable, and she
lowered her gaze and said nothing, opening a vast chasm of silence
that only increased the tension in the little room.
    Hell, she was so quiet and mousey, if the
place were bigger, he could easily pretend that she wasn't there at
all, and go about his business. But she was sitting right across
the table from him, and it felt damned awkward. Searching for a
distraction, he tried a biscuit. It was flaky and tender; at least
she could cook.
    "This is good," he said, staring at the top
of her lowered head. "Sorry I didn't have more up here for you to
work with."
    She lifted her head, and she seemed to light
up for a moment. "Oh, that's all right. When I lived at home,
sometimes I had to fix meals with less than this. We never had much
to go around."
    "Well, it's good," he repeated, trying to
imagine "less than this." He'd had plenty of good food at home,
including the game he had hunted to put on the table.
    "Thank you," she murmured, retreating into
herself again.
    This situation was impossible, he thought,
and swallowed the rest of his food without tasting it. He felt her
gaze on him when he wasn't looking at her, but she wouldn't meet
his eyes. She didn't talk; she was edgy and nervous. He didn't want
her lurking in the corners, silent and fearful. Having someone to
cook and clean wasn't worth that.
    He glanced at the bed, straightened now, and
wished that he had this afternoon to live over again. He wouldn't
have allowed Rafe to talk him into this ridiculous arrangement.
Yes, the woman had needed help, but cash would probably have done
the trick. He sat up straighter as the idea sprang to life. Maybe
it wasn't too late. He could give her money for a hotel room and
get her out of here.
    He sank back in his chair. No, that wasn't
the answer, either. The "hotels" in Dawson were little more than
tents and shacks with signs hanging over their entrances. They sure
as hell were no place for a woman and a baby. Sighing, he pushed
his plate away. There was nothing else to do but see this
through.
    "Thanks for dinner," he said, and stood to
look at his pocket watch. "It's almost ten, and I have to check on
the store before we go to . . . before I turn in. I'll be back in a
little while."
    Melissa nodded and watched him leave, her
heart pounding with trepidation. He was so tall, so broad at the
shoulder, he could do to her whatever he pleased and she would be
powerless to resist him.
    Rising from her chair, she cleared the table
and washed the dishes, while the minutes slipped past like the bar
of soap in her hands. She listened for the sound of his boot steps
outside, but heard nothing except faint banjo music from one of the
saloons down the street.
    A dangerous man, they said.
    A gentleman, Rafe Dubois had told her.
    Which was right? Neither? Both?
    She glanced at the big bed as she lifted
Jenny from her makeshift cradle to feed her. For a moment