The Bride's Prerogative Read Online Free PDF Page A

Territory. Hiram stared at him with gray blue eyes, his mouth in a straight line, offering no persuasion, merely waiting to see what his friend would decide. Beside him, Gert gazed at him with the same solemn eyes and thatch of straw-colored hair, but her plain face held an eager sympathy that somehow made Ethan wish he wanted the job. Gert worked hard, and someone ought to do something nice for her now and then.
    He shifted his gaze. If he didn’t watch it, he’d find himself a lawman out of sympathy. Sure, the women of Fergus were unsettled by Bert’s death. He’d heard several asking this morning how the sheriff had died and if the town was safe. Did duty demand that he saddle himself with Bert’s job just to allay their anxiety?
    The faces of the women finally turned the corner for him. He wouldn’t sleep tonight if he walked away from here knowing Gert and Bitsy and Libby Adams and Mrs. Walker and all the ranch wives were afraid. Most of them had followed men here with at least an implied promise that civilization would prevail in Fergus. Ethan couldn’t let the whole town down.
    He cleared his throat and looked at Mayor Walker.
    The older man’s eyes widened. “Well? What do you say?”
    Ethan reached his hand out slowly, and the whole town exhaled as he took the metal star.

CHAPTER 5
    A ll semblance of order disappeared after the mayor declared it was time to eat. Gert squeezed between people to get to the front of the room where the tables of food were set up. She found her apron and joined several other women to help dish up beans and stews.
    People in Fergus had practical funeral customs. Women took food and aprons. Men took tin plates and cups and their appetites. After the deceased was laid to rest, an hour of good food and conversation followed, as sure as the corpse stayed in the grave.
    Libby smiled wanly at Gert as she tied her apron strings behind her back. “Afternoon, Gert. What did you bring?”
    “Four pies.”
    “Good for you. I hope there’s some left for us.” They didn’t converse much as they served the long line of townsfolk, at least three-quarters of whom were men. Some of the ranchers made cheeky comments to the women serving the food. Gert noticed that they teased Florence, the young clerk from Libby’s store, the most. A few made comments to Gert. A couple of men stared outright at Libby. Though most folks knew she wasn’t looking to remarry, a few diehards continued trying to impress her.
    “Well, Miz Adams,” one cowpoke from Micah Landry’s ranch said with a grin as Libby plopped a large square of corn bread on his plate. “You look purty as a peach orchard today.”
    “Thank you, Parnell. I’ve never seen a peach orchard, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”
    “It’s a mighty purty sight, ma’am.”
    Libby chuckled. “Thank you. Next.”
    “Oh, wait,” Parnell cried. “I was gonna ask if I could call on you, ma’am.”
    “No, thank you,” Libby said. “Next.”
    Gert marveled that Libby could brush off a suitor so serenely.
    Parnell huffed out a breath. “But—”
    “Just move along, Parnell,” said the next man in line.
    Gert straightened her spine and dipped her spoon into the bean pot without meeting the man’s gaze. Jamin Morell ran the Nugget, the new saloon in town. Gert held him personally responsible for the noise on the Nugget’s end of the street on Saturday nights.
    “Thank you, ma’am,” he said.
    “You’re welcome.” After he’d stepped over in front of Libby for corn bread, Gert sneaked a disapproving glance at him. His suit must have come from back East. The material was finer than what Libby stocked at the Paragon Emporium, and anyway, Gert doubted any woman in Fergus could tailor that well. His swirly-patterned silk waistcoat would be something to stare at if she didn’t have to worry about him staring back.
    Jamin beamed a toothy smile at Libby. “Good day, ma’am. That looks delicious.”
    Gert turned to serve the next