The Outlaw Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides) Read Online Free PDF Page B

now. But there had to be a way she could fix this latest incident in a life gone awry. There had to be some way for her to get out of this town and find her way to Fort Worth.
    “I bet you’re hungry. You’ve only eaten that little bit of broth I brought you yesterday,” Tanner said, jumping up and heading for the door.
    “Actually ... I need to use the ... the slop jar,” she said, mortified that she was forced to depend on a stranger to help her.
    He glanced at her and then at the porcelain bucket sitting over in the comer. He looked uneasy, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
    “Uh, sure,” he said, looking uncomfortable.
    It was then she noticed that her good white blouse had been cut away. It looked as if scissors had snipped away the material, leaving her chemise exposed, her right shoulder carefully wrapped in a gauze material. Yet the bruising could be seen streaking down her arm.
    She lifted the covers and anxiously peeked to see what else she was wearing. The rest of her clothes remained the same. Her shoes had been removed, her corset loosened, but everything else was intact.
    Beth tried once again to swing her legs over the side of the bed but was just too weak.
    She was bedridden, dependent on a man she’d met briefly and about to miss what she’d hoped would be the biggest day of her life.
    This time there was no holding back. Everything looked bleak. She had no money, no way to get to Fort Worth; she was sore and weak and couldn’t even perform bodily functions by herself.
    The tears welled up and overflowed, running down her cheeks. She sniffed, and the tears fell faster as a little sob escaped.
    “Hey what’s the matter?” Tanner asked. “You’re going to be okay.”
    He leaned down beside her. “Are you hurting?”
    She shook her head, the tears falling faster, almost out of control. “It’s everything. I was supposed to be in Fort Worth tomorrow.”
    He took her in his arms and held her, being careful not to hurt her shoulder. As he pressed her to his chest, Beth cried for everything that had brought her to this point in her life. And there was so much that she felt she’d had no control over, including the bullet that had taken her off the latest road she’d chosen, the one that would have promised her a good future.
    “Shh.”
    She laid her head on his shoulder and cried, her tears falling on his black silk vest as his hands rubbed small circles on her back in a comforting gesture.
    “Shh. It’s okay,” he said against her neck.
    Slowly, the tears subsided until there were only small hiccupping sounds, but she made no move to withdraw from his embrace.
    It felt good to have a pair of strong arms holding her, to smell the clean scent of a man, and to be held only for comfort.
    The room finally became silent except for the steady rhythm of their breathing, which Beth was acutely aware of.
    Eventually, he drew back and looked into her tear-streaked face. “Feel better?”
    She nodded her head, unable to speak, awed that this big, strong man was still holding her, comforting her. His gruff mannerisms didn’t give credence to the fact that he could be tender and concerned. It surprised and intrigued her about this man she hardly knew but was so dependent on.
    Tanner glanced over at the slop jar and then at the bowl the doctor had left behind. “What if I brought over that small metal bowl that the doctor used to remove the bullet? Do you think you could use that for a bedpan?”
    “I think so,” she acknowledged.
    He handed her the small metal dish, his eyes not meeting her gaze.
    “I’ll step out in the hall for a few minutes,” he said awkwardly. “And give you some privacy.”
    She sniffed. “Thank you.”
    He hightailed it out the door, and Beth knew he felt as uncomfortable with this arrangement as she did.
    Beth waited for the door to close, and then she struggled for a good five minutes to pull down her pantaloons. Only able to use her left hand, she tried to get a good