Tried and True (Wild at Heart Book #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Wilde. And their homesteads were in a neat row, situated so that they blocked the trail to some fertile canyon land and claimed this fine watering hole. The Wildes were savvy homesteaders. With their 160-acre claims, counting that canyon land, they controlled thousands of acres of prime water and grass.
    “So Kylie said you were at the Siege of Vicksburg, is that right?”
    Wilde leaned forward, clenched his hands, still tucked into gloves, between his splayed knees and looked at the porch floor. “I was there.” He glanced up, then turnedright back toward the floor. “I spent time behind enemy lines, gathering intelligence.”
    “You mean you were a spy? Kylie spoke of something like that.”
    “Kylie’s got a big mouth.” The statement sounded loaded with sarcasm. Aaron’s eyes narrowed. What kind of man spoke so disrespectfully of his sister? It was easy to study Wilde, since he was doing his best not to look at Aaron.
    He’d been a skilled army officer and considered himself a good land agent. He put all his skills together and had a suspicion. Standing, he said, “Well, I’ll be going, then.”
    Wilde didn’t rise.
    Aaron closed the space between them and thrust his hand out, offering to shake Wilde’s. A stretch of seconds went on far too long, and finally a gloved hand came out and took Aaron’s hand. With a single jerk, Aaron dragged the youngster up and whipped that stupid hat off.
    Honey-brown curls streaked with yellow tumbled down around Kylie Wilde’s falsely padded shoulders.
    She squeaked and looked up at him, her starburst eyes wide with fear.

4
    I  . . . I can explain.” Kylie had no idea how she was going to explain.
    “No need. I think I see things more than clear.” Aaron’s eyes flashed with contempt. “You’re using your brother’s identity to claim a homestead, using the service exemptions to get out of doing your five years. That’s fraud, Miss Wilde. A woman is free to homestead on her own; you’re just lying about your time in the Army to get out of two of those years. You can go to prison for that.”
    “P-prison?” Kylie tugged against his iron grip, but it didn’t give at all.
    “And you can certainly get thrown off this land and be barred from ever homesteading again. Does your brother know that his years of danger and sacrifice are being stolen and used by his lazy, dishonest little sister? Is he in on it or are you cheating him too, on top of cheating your country?”
    “Let go of me.” She jerked her hand free of his, leaving her glove behind.
    Her hands were so obviously feminine, she’d had to keep them covered with the buckskin gloves.
    “Did you know that besides being a land agent, I also have authority from the government to make an arrest? I don’ t have to let go of you.” He threw her abandoned glove down on her porch floor and grabbed her wrist.
    Kylie froze at the word arrest .
    “In fact, I can arrest you right now and haul you off to jail.”
    His jaw tightened, and his grip on her wrist hurt. He leaned down until their noses almost touched. “Is your brother even alive, Miss Wilde? Or did he die fighting to preserve the Union, and now, like a vulture, you’re profiting from his death?”
    “Stop right there.” That last part was just too much. “I did have a brother, who died in that awful war. Everything I’ve done for the last five years has been because of Jimmy. I will not let you stand there and accuse me of profiting from his death.” She no longer wanted to escape. Instead, she was tempted to blacken his eyes.
    “Jimmy? You said his name was Kyle. You said he was at Vicksburg. You said he was a spy.”
    “My brother’s name is Jimmy, you idiot. I’m Kyle!”
    Aaron jerked his face away from hers. “You’re Kyle? What?”
    “And I was at Vicksburg, fighting with the Ninth.”
    “But women can’t . . . don’t . . .”
    “Women can and do , Mr. Masterson. I’m living proof that there were women serving right