The Texan's Dream Read Online Free PDF

They couldn’t. He’d never survive a third time.
    He pulled an old watch from his vest pocket. Eight forty-five. Kara O’Riley should’ve been back from the shops an hour or more ago. Most of them closed at dark or soon after.
    Swinging from his chair with practiced ease, Jonathan froze before he took a step. The pain along his cheek returned. The mirror above the mantel reflected the source of his discomfort. He was relieved to see that most of the swelling had gone down, and he could open his left eye slightly. The skin around the cut and along his cheekbone flared in varying shades of black and purple, but it would heal.
    He ran his fingers through his hair as he moved across the room and into the hallway. There was no time to wait. The dining room closed in a few minutes, and he hadn’t eaten all day. He’d be willing to bet the bookkeeper hadn’t either.
    Jonathan pounded on her door. “Miss O’Riley!” he shouted as if there were no other guests on the floor. He’d feed her, then give her the details of her employment. She had a right to know just what she was getting into, or at least as close as he could explain. How did one explain the Catlin Ranch?
    The door opened an inch. “Yes?”
    He couldn’t see her clearly. “I believe we’re having dinner together.”
    “I’m not hungry,” she answered. “But thank you for the invitation. I’ll see you at dawn, Mr. Catlin.”
    He pushed the door open wider. Cold air rushed from her room into the hallway. “Nonsense …” Any words he’d been about to say vanished when he saw her. She was almost covered in dirt and looked exhausted. Her proper bun had fallen on one side, and her face was smeared with coal dust.
    “What happened to you?” he asked in a harsher tone than he’d intended.
    “Nothing,” she lied as one tear cleared a path down her cheek.
    “Get undressed.” He thought he saw panic blink in her eyes a second before he continued, “I’ll order you a bath delivered at once. Then, I’ll have dinner served in my room in one hour. Don’t be late.”
    He didn’t give her time to argue. Backing out of her doorway, he walked several feet down the hall before she closed the door.
    Jonathan couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his lips. He could be making wrong assumptions from her state. Maybe his “wee” bookkeeper made a habit of jumping out of windows. No telling how many others she’d damaged since he’d given her his coat. Kansas City wasn’t a town with a great many buildings over one story, but he felt sure there were enough to keep her busy.
    After he ordered the bath and dinner, Jonathan returned to his room and waited. As he poured himself another drink, he listened to the maids deliver the tub and hot water. He’d paid them double for speed and also to attend to whatever Miss O’Riley needed. Though why he bothered astonished him. If he had any sense, he’d fire the little lady. She didn’t seem to be able to walk the streets of town without looking like she’d been run over by a wagon carrying coal. How could she ever survive in Texas?
    Food was delivered and set before the fire with the two huge chairs turned to the table. It looked cozy, Jonathan thought. A word he never recalled using before.
    The waiter smiled, fussing over the table as if he thought it “cozy” also, a rendezvous between lovers.
    Jonathan didn’t explain. When the waiter left, Kara appeared in the doorway. Her hair was parted in the middle and hung down her back in damp strands. The skirt and jacket she wore were the same ones he’d seen earlier. The maids must have brushed the wool skirt and mended the jacket. She wore what appeared to be a clean white blouse, but it had a frayed collar. It couldn’t be one she’d just bought. She’d forgotten her glasses, and he wondered how she found his room without them.
    Her beauty was an unexpected blow to his gut. Without her glasses and wearing her hair long, she was one-hundred-percent trouble wrapped up in perfection. Even though he’d only