The Bridal Path: Sara Read Online Free PDF

bread dough as she kneaded it with a vengeance. As Sara watched from the doorway, Dani folded the soft mound in two, then punched it viciously.
    “Pretending that’s anyone in particular?” Sara inquired with amusement.
    Dani glanced up. “Daddy, of course.”
    The tart response startled her. Sara had long admired Dani’s decision to break free from their father’s control. She rarely let him ruffle her feathers anymore. Their father must have outdone himself for Dani to be this upset.
    “What’s he done to you lately?” she asked curiously. She couldn’t imagine that he’d told Dani about selling the ranch. Or that Dani would be quite this worked up about it, if he had.
    “Oh, he stopped by a little while ago to remind me that I’m not getting any younger,” Dani said, slamming a fist into the dough. “As if I couldn’t see that for myself. Am I supposed to marry any man who happens along just because Daddy wants to check me off his list of worries?”
    Sara grinned. “Is he still trying to pawn Kyle Huggins off on you?”
    “I think Daddy sees it as the other way around. After all, Kyle is a catch. He owns his own ranch. He’s under eighty. He has no terrible habits to speak of, unless you count chewing tobacco. And he doesn’t smell too bad.”
    “I wasn’t aware you’d been close enough to get a whiff of how he smells,” Sara teased. “Is there something you haven’t mentioned?”
    Dani shot her a baleful look. “One smart-mouthed Wilde in a morning is more than enough.”
    “You used to admire Kyle,” Sara pointed out.
    “And I still do. He’s an admirable man, but he’s old enough to be my father. Heck, maybe even my grandfather. Can you imagine him with a whole passel of little children underfoot?”
    “And that’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? Having kids?”
    Dani paused and a familiar dreamy expression spread across her face. Sara had seen that look a million times. Just the sight of a baby was enough to bring it on. Sara only looked like that when she thought about the ranch.
    The expression faded, replaced by a deep sadness. “Sometimes my heart aches from wanting to hold my own babies in my arms,” Dani admitted in a whisper. She grinned ruefully. “That’s not very modern of me, is it?”
    “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a mother,” Sara said fiercely. “Maybe you should just go out, find some sexy, suitable stranger and get pregnant.”
    Dani stared at her. “What an appalling idea!”
    “Only because you want the romance and all the trimmings. You wouldn’t be the first woman to do something outrageous to get what she wanted in life,” Sara said, thinking not so much of Dani now as herself.
    Something in her voice must have alerted her big sister that her own mood was just as dark as Dani’s. Penetrating brown eyes studied her intently.
    “What’s up with you?” Dani asked gently. “You didn’t ride all the way into town just to listen to me complain about Daddy. Is something up out at the ranch?”
    Something was up all right, but she didn’t want to be the one to tell Dani about her father’s plans. Since she also couldn’t explain the restless feelings that had been stirring inside ever since she’d talked to Jake the night before, she forced a carefree smile. “Maybe I just wanted a taste of one of your pies. I bet that’s apple I smell in the oven.”
    “It is and you’re not getting any. I have to take an order over to the store by noon. I’m heading over there as soon as I get this bread in the oven.”
    Sara sighed wistfully. “I remember a time when you baked pies for the family. Now you expect us to go and buy them.”
    “A woman has to make a living,” Dani retorted. “And you can afford my prices.”
    Sara wandered around the kitchen poking into cupboards, hoping to find a stray chocolate chip cookie at least. “Don’t you keep any of the good stuff for yourself?” she asked, when the search came up empty.
    “Not