The Shepherd's Daughter (Dry Bayou Brides Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

months. Her pa was a hardworking man and the Ducharmes had counted on him to help them manage and grow the sheep herd. Now the Ducharmes were forced to find someone to replace her father. Ray and her ma had to find a way to cope with it.
    Ray had dealt with it as she’d done everything else; she thought on it, felt the emotion all at once, and then focused on whatever came next. Her ma, on the other hand, was still…dealing. After her pa’s passing, Ray’s ma had also taken on part of the responsibility of the sheep operation. Ray was no good with numbers, so her ma took care of that.
    But both were eager for her cousin, Seamus, to arrive so he could relieve them of their extra duties—things that kept Ray busy for most of the day and her ma overburdened when she should be mourning. If Ray thought it would help, she’d take on all the work.
    “So, ye’re up. Was wonderin’ if ye’d be layin’ abed all morn.” Her mother looked at her, her eyes narrowing on Ray’s face. “What’s got ye bothered, bairn?”
    Of course, her ma knew something was wrong. For years, she’d been telling Ray that she had “the sight”, how she could see into people’s souls, could read their thoughts just by studying their eyes.
    Ray avoided looking at her mother’s face and plopped into her chair. Determined to eat quickly and get out of the house before her mother tried to read her troubled thoughts.
    Ray shoveled in three mouthfuls of food before her mother clicked her tongue at her. “Not gonna taste yer food that way. Show some respect for the pig who gave his life for yer ham.”
    The food suddenly felt like a rock in her stomach. “Sorry, Ma.” Her ma, probably using “the sight”, left the table to retrieve a mug of coffee, then placed the steaming drink in front of Ray and sat down again. “There, drink that. I think ye may need it.”
    Ray sipped the black-as-coal coffee, savoring the bitterness. It kicked the last of her morning fog from her brain.
    Billy’s gettin’ married…to a real lady.
    In that moment, she hated herself because she wasn’t sweet enough, refined enough, or pretty enough. No wonder Billy agreed to court Rebecca DuCastille. He’d hung around Ray so much that a real lady was too tempting to resist.
    The woman was short, had hair as fine as spun gold, a manner as fine as Mrs. Ducharme’s, and a pretty face.
    Ray abandoned her coffee and offered her mother a weak smile. “I’ll get to my chores.”
    Her ma nodded. “Right then, see ye for dinner, love.”
    Ray grabbed her hat from the hook beside the door, eager to leave the house, but the mirror on the wall called to her. In a huff, she glared at her reflection. Her frizzy hair was in its usual sloppy ponytail, her freckles were like little dots of mud across her nose and cheeks, and her skin was a choppy mix of red and tan—a consequence of all her time in the sun.
    She sighed. She wasn’t a fine lady, didn’t even look like a woman .
    Billy’s gettin’ married and I’m gonna lose him.
    It took her an hour longer than usual to finish her morning chores, because she was just too distracted by her own darn thoughts. She’d bend over to clean the ewe’s hoof and wonder if Billy was taking a ride with Miss DuCastille or if he was smiling at her like he did last night on the porch. Ray would heft a bag of feed for the cloistered lambing ewes and her silly brain would conjure up memories of Billy’s strong, wide shoulders and flexing muscles when he lifted bales of hay into the wagons a few days before.
    No, her mind wasn’t on her work.
    There’s nothin’ to do for it but keep on goin’, finish up, and get into town.
    She’d been invited to luncheon at Tilly’s house, and she didn’t want to miss Tilly’s sister, Dora’s, sandwiches and sweet tea.
    Besides, the further she could get from the ranch, the better. She didn’t think she could face Billy and his new bride today.
    She mounted Fitz, her mare, and headed into Dry