To Tame a Renegade Read Online Free PDF

her gently curved hips merged into a pair of shapely legs. His eyes lingered a moment too long on the dark triangle at the juncture of her thighs. He had to forcibly restrain himself from running his fingers through the lush thatch of thick dark hair covering her womanhood.
    Realizing where his thoughts were taking him, Chad pulled the nightgown over Sarah’s head and carefully eased her arms into the sleeves. It wasn’t until the nightgown was pulled down to her feet that he was able to breath freely again.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked as he settled Sarah beneath the blanket. “There’s some bacon and beans and…”
    Sarah nearly gagged at the thought of beans and bacon. “Nothing, thank you. What about Abner? Has he eaten?” Suddenly she recalled the bareness of her cupboards. “I don’t have any bacon. I’m not even sure there’s beans.”
    “You have both bacon and beans now. Don’t worry about Abner. His tummy is full for a change. I bought a piece of beef, someone can make soup with it tomorrow.” The words “after I’m gone” were implied but not spoken aloud. “Are you in pain?”
    The white lines around Sarah’s mouth spoke more eloquently than words.
    “Doc Clayter left a bottle of laudanum. I’ll give you a another dose. Open your mouth.”
    He poured a spoonful of medicine and brought it to her lips. She opened dutifully, swallowed, and grimaced. “Water.”
    Chad obliged, then perched on the edge of the bed. “Where does Abner sleep?”
    “There’s a trundle. It slides beneath the bed in the daytime and pulls out at night. Why are you still here?”
    “Because no one else volunteered,” Chad said harshly. “Playing nursemaid isn’t exactly my line of work. I’ve got an outlaw to catch so I reckon I’ll move on tomorrow.”
    No response was forthcoming. Sarah had already dropped off to sleep. He reached over to douse the light and noticed that her face was flushed. He placed a hand on her forehead and felt heat against his palm. She was feverish and it made him feel angry and helpless. He’d never asked to be placed in this predicament, never bargained for a chore for which he had no training. It was just like a woman to trap him into a situation beyond his control. He was glad his brothers couldn’t see him now. They’d tease him unmercifully. Well, it wasn’t a damn bit funny. “Is Mama sleeping again?” Abner asked as he walked into the room. He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand.
    “Yes, it’s the best thing for her. Are you tired?” “A little. Where are you going to sleep?” “Let’s get you settled first.” He pulled the trundle from beneath the bed and smoothed the covers in place. He was about to tell Abner to climb in when he heard Sarah moan. “Tell you what. You can sleep on the sofa and I’ll take the trundle. Your mama might wake up during the night and need something.”
    Abner thought about that a moment and decided it would be great fun. He’d never slept on the sofa before.
    The house was quiet as Chad tugged off his tight buckskin trousers and jacket, removed his white linen shirt, then turned the lamp down low and climbed beneath the covers of the trundle. Weary to the bone, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him. He hadn’t been in bed ten minutes when he heard Sarah thrashing about. When he went to check on her he found her burning with fever and shivering at the same time. She was shaking so hard the entire bed was shaking with her.
    Cursing the unlucky star that brought him to Carbon, Chad found the medicine the doctor left for fever and painstakingly spooned a measure down Sarah’s throat. When her shivering continued unabated, Chad sighed helplessly, shucked off his longjohns, pulled back the blanket, and slid into bed beside her. Sharing his body heat was the only way he knew to warm her. When he took her into his arms, a tiny breath slipped past her lips and she burrowed into him. His loins tightened and he could