Texas Pride: Night Riders Read Online Free PDF Page A

decide to sell his portion of the ranch to the first person who would buy it. Though she initially thought to pass Ivan without speaking, she changed her mind. “I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable last night,” she said when she brought her horse to a stop next to Ivan’s.
    “Not at all. I had a nice talk with your brother, and it was cool enough to sleep.”
    His smile was so dazzling she started feeling guilty for being so inhospitable. “I should apologize for the way I treated you, but I am still so angry at Mr. diViere I can’t think straight.”
    “I understand. He has done worse to me and my friends.”
    She wanted to ask what could be more terrible than being cheated out of half of her ranch, but she didn’t want to encourage him to linger. “I’m going into town, so I probably won’t see you again. I hope you find a way to get the money you need to return to Poland.”
    Ivan looked puzzled. “Why will you not see me again? Do you not return to the ranch?”
    “Of course I’ll return, but it will be several hours from now. You’ll be miles away.”
    “Why should I be miles away?”
    “You’re obviously getting ready to leave, and I can’t see any reason why you would want to hang around town.” There was that dazzling smile again. Why did he keep doing that? It made it harder to remember she never wanted to see him again.
    “If I am going to live here by the stream, I need a tent and some supplies. I will ride to town with you, and you can tell me which are the best stores. Do you think I should build a cabin before winter?”

Chapter 3
    It was a moment before Carla could speak. He couldn’t be staying. She didn’t want him to stay. “But you’ve got to leave,” she sputtered.
    “Why should I leave if I will have half of your ranch just for staying?”
    “It’s not divided in half.”
    “I will hire a surveyor when it is time to sell.”
    She felt like everything was closing in on her, but she refused to panic. She had a year to figure out how to get her ranch back. It would have been easier if she didn’t have to do it with Ivan camped at the front door, but she didn’t have to be seen with him or teach him where to shop.
    “If you’re determined to stay, I can’t stop you, but I won’t ride into town with you. I don’t want anybody to think I’m happy about you being here.”
    “No one will think that.”
    Didn’t the man know how to frown? Did he have to smile all the time? How was she supposed to think? At least she was still on her horse. Otherwise he would be towering over her and intimidating her further. She was used to men being taller—Danny loved being able to look down at her—but Ivan was a blond giant. “Why won’t people think I want you here when they see me parading around town with you?”
    “Every time you look at me, you frown like you smell something bad. Since I do not smell bad, they will know you dislike me.”
    “I don’t dislike you . I don’t know anything about you. I just dislike what you’re going to do.”
    “Then you will help me learn the best places to buy?”
    None of this was really his fault, and she couldn’t blame him for trying to take advantage of the situation that would enable him to return to his homeland. She knew how unhappy she’d be if she were forced to leave Texas. “Okay, you can ride with me, but you’ll have to go shopping on your own. You also need to know I’m going to do everything I can to get this debt cancelled.”
    “That is expected,” he said calmly.
    Didn’t the man ever get angry or upset? Was he too dim to realize not everything was going to work out the way he wanted just because he was too stubborn to leave? “Are you ready?” she asked. “I have a lot to do.”
    In answer to her question, he swung into his saddle and brought his horse alongside hers. “I am ready.”
    She felt like she was traveling in his shadow. Even his horse was bigger than hers. She didn’t look forward to riding