The Devil's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page A

Somehow, he doubted anything about Lucy would be harmless. With any other woman, kissing could undoubtedly be completely safe, but with her? Sweet Jesus, she’d likely devour him whole.
    “How ‘bout we just take it slow and see what happens?” He cast her a quick glance, just in time to see her frown.
    “Don’t you
want
to kiss me?” she asked.
    “Lucy--”
    Too late, she was already sliding closer again, pressing her body against his arm as her whisper breathed against his ear. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you, husband, since the moment I saw you at the back of that smelly old room.”
    “I--”
    Swallow. Breathe.
    She ran her finger around the edge of his ear, then down his jaw.
    “Why don’t we stop under that big tree there. . .” she pointed toward a towering pecan tree about a hundred feet off the road.
    Its huge branches cast the only significant shade for miles around; it’d be cool and comfortable, the perfect place to –
    “No.” He shook away from her touch and released the reins long enough to point her back to her side of the bench. Hadn’t she heard a word of what he’d just spent so many tortured breaths explaining to her?
    “You don’t want to kiss me?” Lucy pouted. “Then why did you marry me?”
    With a long sigh, he searched for the words to make her understand.
    “It’s not that I don’t want to,” he said finally. “I’m sure every man in town wants to.”
    That seemed to make her feel a little better. Her pout disappeared, and the frown began to fade.
    “You’re a very strange man, Jedidiah Caine.” Lucy shook her head slowly. “Very strange indeed.”
    She was right. He was a little strange, especially compared to most of the men in town.
    “Well,” Lucy said, “even practical men want to bed a woman once in a while.”
    Jed sighed. He’d be willing to bet any one of the others would have taken a room at the hotel and made Lucy their wife ten minutes after marrying her. But Jed wanted more; more than just a woman in his bed, more than just a wife who did his every bidding.
    Three years ago, he thought he’d found that wife. She was everything he needed; capable and caring, without any of the usual female sensitivities or need for undying love getting in the way. It was a sensible pairing, and he had every confidence the respect they felt for each other made up for any romance that was lacking.
    But then he’d gone and introduced her to his brother. After that, he could only stand back and watch as the two of them fell head-over-heels in love. 
    He knew that kind of love didn’t happen to everyone, and since he’d just up and married a woman who was his complete opposite, it sure as hell wasn’t likely to happen to him. But he didn’t need love to make his marriage work. All he needed was a basic mutual respect between him and Lucy.
    Given her main concern seemed to be nothing more than pretty dresses and sex, it would no doubt prove more of a challenge than he’d expected, but somehow – someway - he’d make it work.
    God help him.
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    “Is this it?” Lucy stared down from the wagon seat in dismay. Surely to Satan, there was more to Jed Caine’s spread than a tiny barn and a slapped-together shanty. Somewhere beyond the sparse patches of grass and acres of dirt there had to be something more.
    “Yup, this is it.”
    A tiny corner of Jed’s soul flickered to darkness, then fought back to the light. To him, as a human, it would only seem like a moment’s disappointment, but Lucy knew better. Too many disappointments darkened a mortal’s soul until it was charred beyond recovery. A heartbeat later, a look of determination settled over him with such intensity, it rattled her nerves for a moment.
    “It might not look like much yet,” he said, “but it will. Just needs a little work.”
    “A little?” She let him lift her from the wagon and then followed him toward the small shanty. How did anyone live like this – and why