Randall Wedding Read Online Free PDF Page A

Could he?
     
    W HEN SHE WOKE UP Isabella had no idea where she was. She realized she must have been ill, because she was very shaky. What had woken her up?
    It had to be Angel, of course. But had she stopped crying? That didn’t sound like Angel. She usually screamed continuously until she got her bottle. They’d been in a hotel. Was that where—? She heard a man’s voice.
    She struggled from the big bed and managed to get as far as the door, leaning against the wall for support. She silently opened the door and stared into the next room.
    There was her child, wrapped in a blanket and snuggled against a man’s bare chest, taking her bottle. Isabella watched as the man moved around the room, as if slowly waltzing with Angel. He was wearing loose sweatpants, hanging low on his hips—and nothing else.
    “Who are you?” she demanded, but her voice came out faint and weak.
    “Isabella! You’re up!”
    “You know me?”
    He gave her a strange look. “We introduced ourselves last night. Don’t you remember?”
    “No. Where am I?”
    He moved closer and she almost fell over. “I think you’d better get back in bed. Angel and I will come in there and we’ll talk while she finishes her bottle.” He bent over and got a clean nightgown and diaper before coming toward her.
    She stumbled back to bed, already exhausted by the brief exchange. As she pulled the cover up, sherealized she had nothing on her legs. She was only wearing a pajama top and panties. Her panties, someone else’s top.
    The man sat on the foot of the bed, still feeding the baby. “I picked the two of you up three days ago on the road south of Rawhide. A blizzard was starting and I was trying to make it back to Rawhide. Your car was off the road in the ditch.”
    She didn’t remember any of this. Three days ago?
    “You opened my passenger door before I could get out and shoved in Angel in her carrier. Then you started loading your suitcases and boxes. I climbed out and helped you. Then I got you in the truck and myself behind the wheel. When I looked at you, I realized you were running a high fever.
    “We got back here and I brought you both up here and started taking care of you.” He stood and went over to the curtains. He pulled them open and showed her a white nothingness. He pulled the curtain closed again. “Helps keep the cold out.”
    “You mean the snow is as high as the second story?”
    “No. But with a storm, we get a lot of wind. Until it blows itself into North Dakota, there’s more snow in the air than there is on the ground. Travel is impossible.”
    “Oh. So we’re in Rawhide?”
    “Yeah. Where were you heading?”
    “Rawhide.”
    He stared at her as if she’d said something strange. “You were?”
    “Yes. Is there something wrong with that? Don’t you get visitors in Rawhide?” She shifted under the covers, feeling uneasy suddenly.
    “Yeah, sure. Were you visiting someone?”
    “Yes, my aunt.”
    “Oh, that explains it. But Angel is too young to be traveling. And you need to watch the weather closely in Wyoming.”
    “Thanks for the warning!” she snapped angrily, but she was so weak her eyes filled with tears.
    “Hey, no need to cry. I saved you.”
    “I’m sure we would’ve been all right,” she said with a sniff.
    He stared at her. “No. You would’ve frozen to death.”
    His raw statement made everything worse. “Give me my baby!”
    “Why? She needs to be changed so she can go back to sleep.”
    “I know that! I can take care of her!”
    “Can you? You can barely stand. You certainly can’t carry her around, and you’ve been very sick. I don’t think you should push it.”
    She gave up, though she didn’t think it was her nature. But he was right. She didn’t have any strength. She turned over and buried her face in a soft pillow. “Go away!”
    She heard him stand and walk away. When she looked up she was alone again, the door closed.Wearily, she pushed her hair back from her face and tried