Let Me Love You Read Online Free PDF

the way Sloan had pulled her up against his body last night. Absolutely nothing genteel about it. He’d handled her, like, well she wasn’t sure what the phrase was, but he’d handled her. The good matrons in town would tell her he was sin incarnate, if they got wind of it. She could practically hear them berating her with their quotes from the Bible about eternal damnation over admitting that she enjoyed being kissed by Sloan McAlister. No doubt about it, they’d point their fingers and heap guilt onto her head. Warning her to turn her nose up at him or face disgrace.
    But that didn’t change the fact that her nipples tingled again and she hugged her arms over her chest. Her breasts were sensitive. It was surprising to discover her body alive with enjoyment she hadn’t considered before. How exactly did a man tempt a woman with nothing more than a stroke across her cheek?
    It baffled her. Just about as much as Sloan intrigued her. Held against his body, she had felt so trapped, but a portion of her enjoyed knowing he was stronger. It was a first in her life. She’d always taken pride in keeping up with her father when the rest of the townsfolk shook their heads and proclaimed it a shame that he didn’t have a son, and wasn’t it time to remarry?
    Her daddy had told her he was still in love with her mother. He was a onewoman man, even if their marriage had ended before his life did. She always loved listening to her father talk about his late wife. His voice still glowed with every sentence as he talked about courting her mother and convincing her to marry up with a man who had little more than a dream to offer her.
    A shiver worked its way down her spine. Sloan McAlister wasn’t evoking that same sort of warm, secure feeling. She bit into her lip as she pulled the money out of her pantry. Every penny was accounted for. A feat she had to honestly admit she’d have found difficult to accomplish. Clayton had been dodging her for weeks while sending his bullyboys to fetch his ground flour. Two other clients had begun to mimic his behavior since he was getting away with it.
    The law was uncertain in any territory town, but the railroad authority was about as solid as it got. Without the railroad, the town would die practically overnight. A man like Sloan held a huge amount of power over men like Clayton who earned their way on the docks. If the agents reported corruption back to their superiors, a rail line might not be used. The residents would have to use their wagons to bring in supplies if the train didn’t stop. The railroads owned the rails and only they made the choice on where to stop their trains.
    Sure, she might just refuse to grind anything for Clayton, but she risked retaliation. Oh, nothing outright or that could be proved, but she didn’t need a run of bad-luck accidents.
    Tucking the money into her skirt pocket, she considered her reflection. Her hair was slicked back because of her own sweat and her nose was pasty white with flour. Her breasts with all their new awareness chimed in to tell her that her skin felt grimy. Her brain tempted her with the thought of a bath. With the window nailed firmly shut, she was at liberty to bar the door and strip down for a complete bath.
    One thing the back bedroom was good for was bathing. Her old bedroom had also been the washroom. There was a common tin tub, lightweight enough to be brought down river without too much expense. Her father had built a large water tank out back of the cabin. It was on top of sturdy posts that elevated it enough so that when you pulled the piece of wood out of its bottom, gravity let the water rush down and fill the tub. Last night’s snow had filled the tub and the afternoon sun had melted a good amount of it by now. There was also a drainpipe set into the wood floor to save her from having to empty dirty water by hand. Baths were not a luxury she got in the dead of winter because the water tank froze over. She’d have to make do