Tempting Prudence: The Bride Train Read Online Free PDF Page A

the throbbing headache.
    “Relax now. You’ll feel better quicker if you don’t fight it.” He brushed his fingers over her temples, so gentle it seemed like he was stroking her hair. Her mind had gone for sure if she mistook simple compassion for sweet affection. He had no tender feelings toward her. More likely, he presumed she would welcome him into bed if he petted her.
    “You have a dog,” she murmured, reaching down to a warm indentation in the quilt. Thank goodness. That wasn’t her imagination. She felt safer with the animal between them.
    “You met him. Rebel. He’s been curled up next to you for two days.”
    Two days. She had been here two days.
    “Has anyone…come by?”
    “No.” He didn’t offer an explanation.
    Who would care, really, if she simply vanished off the face of the earth? Oh, her friends might ask around, but then what? They’d assume she had up and gone home because she hadn’t found a man to her liking.
    Her lips quivered and her eyes began to burn. She reached up and put her hand on the cloth, holding it in place, swallowed to rid her throat of the wad of misery stuck there. Wallowing in self-pity would get her nowhere.
    The man whistled. Something landed with a thud on the bed. She reached down without looking. The dog licked her fingers then stretched out and wriggled up next to her, trying to get as close as possible. She stroked a smooth head and floppy ears. The pup scrabbled closer, and with a loud sniff, laid its head on her chest.
    Her tension eased, and she smiled. “Thank you.”
    “My pleasure,” the man replied.
    “I was talking to the dog.”
    She heard a soft chuckle.
    “You and Rebel get acquainted. I’ll get you something to eat.” He made it sound so natural, as if he was used to having her around and getting her meals, waiting on her. She’d taken care of people all her life, but couldn’t recall anyone ever taking care of her. She could learn to enjoy the attention.
    Gadswoons . What nonsense.
    Prudence removed the cloth from her forehead. It was past time to come out of hiding and find out what kind of predicament she’d landed in. Moving slowly, so as not to jar her aching head, she came up on her elbows and scooted into a sitting position. She held the quilt to remain covered.
    A gray blanket nailed to overhead beams formed a partition between the sleeping area and the other side of the cabin. The privacy curtain made her feel marginally safer. Beyond the chair positioned by the bed was a washstand with a chamber pot.
    She remembered a little more from her dreams…something she’d rather forget.A man had assisted her with personal acts she hadn’t let her mother help with since she was a girl.
    Now, she was in her right mind and had no intention of allowing him continued liberties. She would ask him to return her dress and escort her to town.
    “Mr. Archer?”
    The dog’s head came up. His tongue lolled and he thumped his tail on the quilt. When he stretched out, she could see that one of his back legs was severed at the knee. Part of an ear was missing, as if some animal had taken a bite. The dog must’ve tangled with a larger creature and come out on the losing end.
    She scratched behind Rebel’s scarred ear. “You look like a war veteran. Is that why he calls you Rebel?” Or it could mean his owner had Confederate sympathies.
    Mr. Archer didn’t look within five years of thirty, which meant he’d been a youth when the war broke out. That wouldn’t have stopped him from joining the fighting. Mere boys had lied about their age and signed up on both sides.
    Rustling sounds came from the room on the other side of the blanket. He must not have heard her the first time she called.
    “Hello? Mr. Archer?”
    After a moment, the blanket drew back and her host entered the cramped space, carrying a steaming ceramic mug. An unpleasant aroma filled the air. “You hungry? Got some soup here. Marrowbone. It’ll build your strength. My Ma swears by