The Anonymous Bride Read Online Free PDF

didn’t know how much he’d loved her and how deeply her betrayal had gutted him, leaving him a shell of a man. If he couldn’t trust the one woman he would have died for—the woman who was supposed to be his bride—how could he trust any others?
     
    Joining the cavalry had been the only thing he could think of to keep him away from females. And it had worked for the most part.
     
    He forced his jaw to relax. If he kept clenching it like he had the past few weeks, he’d need to visit a dentist soon. Maybe then he’d be worth his weight in gold. He chuckled and surveyed Main Street as he walked toward the boardinghouse. He lengthened his stride as he neared it, turning right onto Bluebonnet Lane. Next door to Rachel’s home rose a huge white house with tall columns supporting the porch overhang. He’d heard that the banker who’d taken over after James Hamilton died lived there, and beside it, not quite so huge but still twice as big as any other house in town was Polly and Dolly’s home. He shuddered at the pale pink color. What would entice a person to insult their home by painting it the color of a little girl’s Sunday dress?
     
    He shook his head. Who was this Rand Kessler fellow? Maybe he should make the rounds of the local farms and ranches and introduce himself. Yeah, that was a grand idea.
     
    Turning right again, he made his way down Apple Street. The houses on this street were smaller, and many were not as well cared for as those on Bluebonnet Lane. He tipped his hat to a woman whose name he didn’t know as she walked toward him. He recognized her as the wife of a local rancher. She was tall but not nearly as pretty as Rachel.
     
    He uttered a growl and clamped his jaw down again. How was he supposed to get her out of his system when he saw her every day?
     
    Forcing his mind on other things, his gaze shifted toward the end of the street where the old shack that he’d grown up in used to be. The vacant lot now served as a garden. At least someone was getting some use from the property. Just by looking at the land, you’d never know a fire had burned down his home and killed his mother. He should have returned then, but by the time he received the news, his ma had been buried a month. Maybe if he hadn’t left home, she’d still be alive. He tried not to hold on to too many regrets. They rubbed blisters on his emotions.
     
    A mangy dog darted out between two houses and limped across the street. Someone yelled, and a rock whizzed dangerously close to the poor creature. The two youths he’d chased from the creek the day he arrived in Lookout dashed across the street after the critter. Jack charged after them, trying to keep up.
     
    Luke pursed his lips tight and marched toward them. The boys, so focused on picking on the poor dog, didn’t notice him at first, but Jack skidded to a halt. Her panicked gaze zipped toward her friends, who, seeing Luke, ran off between two houses, and back at him. Suddenly her expression softened. A stick thumped to the ground behind her.
     
    “Why ... afternoon, Marshal Davis. Fine day, ain’t it?” Jack’s wide smile and lightly freckled nose made her look sweet and innocent.
     
    The little imp. “Not so fine a day for that dog you and your friends are harassing.”
     
    “I wasn’t chasing the dog.”
     
    Luke lifted his brows. “A lawman can generally tell when someone’s lying.”
     
    Jack stomped her foot. “I was chasing those boys, not that dog. He cain’t help it if he’s hungry and muddles things up searching for food. People oughtn’t be mean to critters.” She lifted her pert little nose in the air.
     
    This coming from the kid who tossed a rock at his horse? Luke squatted, giving her the benefit of height. “That’s right. The good Lord gave animals to man to help him. It’s our job to take care of them, and in return, they become our companions and make our jobs easier. He doesn’t like it when we mistreat them, and neither do I.