The Reluctant Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

breathtaking now. He wore a plain black suit with a white shirt and a string tie. He’d shaved and combed his dark brown hair straight back. With his strong nose, full lips, and prominent jaw, he looked like a proud warrior. When he smiled, his teeth seemed especially white against his tanned face. His eyes didn’t smile, but they generated a disturbing intensity he focused entirely on her. She felt heat stir within her.
    “Are you feeling more rested?” he asked.
    “Much better,” she said as she stood. “I even had time for a short nap.”
    An unsmiling waiter led them to a table at the back of the restaurant. Tanzy got the feeling he was hiding them.
    “Let’s order,” Russ said. “You must be starving.”
    Once they had ordered their food, Russ asked her about her trip.
    “It’s lucky you were out riding,” Tanzy said when she’d reached the point of the attempted robbery.
    “There have been some robberies lately. I thought it might be a good idea to meet you.”
    “That was very thoughtful. I don’t know anybody who’d go so far out of his way on the chance there might be trouble.”
    Tanzy thought Russ looked slightly uncomfortable, but she figured he felt awkward at being thanked. Most men did. He seemed relieved when their food arrived. While they ate, Russ told her about his ranch and his plans for the future. By the time the waiter removed the dishes and left them to enjoy their coffee, they had pretty much caught up on each other.
    “Why did you decide to be a mail-order bride?” Russ asked.
    She hadn’t expected that question. “When I was in St. Louis, it was made very clear to me that having taken a job in a gambling hall, I was no longer respectable. I’m telling you this because I don’t want to keep any secrets from you, but I don’t want it to be the first thing people in Boulder Gap learn about me. I don’t want to be pigeonholed as I was in St. Louis.”
    “Why did you go to St. Louis?”
    “I had to leave home if I wanted to find a husband.”
    “You’re a pretty woman. I’m sure you could have had your pick of the men in Kentucky.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong. My uncle was going to force me to marry his son. Otis looks like an opossum and has a wandering eye.”
    “I promise I’ll be faithful to you.”
    “I mean his eyes don’t look in the same direction. They aren’t the same color, either. And lest you think I’m totally vain, I almost hated him.”
    “Surely there were other men who’d fight for the chance to marry you.”
    “My family was feuding, which meant we lived in a closely knit clan, the women allowed to marry only when and whom the men permitted. That was the way to cement alliances. Now it’s your turn to explain why you’re not married. You own a ranch and are very attractive. Surely you could find someone to marry you.”
    “There are very few women in the Territory, and none of them around here are going to marry me. At least, not any that are respectable.”
    “That’s important; that she be respectable, I mean.”
    His eyes turned hard. “I don’t want anything to do with a loose woman. I’m not the easiest man to live with, but I’ll take care of my wife and make sure she comes to no harm. In return I demand complete fidelity.”
    Tanzy had no problem with fidelity, but she wondered what was behind the angry words.
    “You’ve got no business being here, Tibbolt,” interrupted a man who came up to the table.
    “Last time I checked it was a free country, Henry.”
    Then feel free to go someplace else. We don’t want you here.”
    “If you’re so unhappy with having me about, why don’t you feel free to go someplace else?”
    Henry turned to Tanzy. “You look like a respectable young woman. If you value that reputation, you’ll have nothing to do with this man.” He turned back to Russ. “Don’t hang around town after dinner.”
    “I thought I’d treat myself to a few days at the boardinghouse,” Russ said with a