A Sheriff's Fugitive Bride by Blythe Carver

Author:Blythe Carver [Carver, Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

15

Living with one woman was bad enough.

With two? Rance was hopelessly outmatched.

He asked himself while walking to the jailhouse exactly what he’d expected. Had he imagined the girl behaving the way a prisoner ought to? Mild and meek, not speaking unless spoken to? Had he imagined she’d fade into the background, that she would simply be grateful for the chance to live outside a jail cell?

What was he thinking?

He’d already been treated to a tongue lashing from both her and his sister during the previous evening’s supper, when they’d presented him with plans for what he ought to do the next time Jake Nielsen came around. “Tell him there simply isn’t reason to hold her any longer,” Martha suggested. “With nothing permanently stolen and no cause to believe the thief will steal again. There’s no reason to continue on with this.”

“Remind him what a fool he’s making himself out to be.” Phoebe had eaten sparingly, he noted, and he’d wondered at the time if she was doing so out of good manners. She hadn’t been a planned guest and didn’t want to take food out of their mouths, no matter how warm the welcome. There certainly couldn’t be a complaint about the quality of the food.

“A sure way to earn his ire,” he’d groaned. “The last thing to do with a man like that is remind him he’s acting like a fool. He’d only double his efforts.”

“Of all the men for that girl to choose.” Phoebe had rested her chin in her hand with a sigh. “I just wish I could have the chance to tell him myself.”

“That is the last thing you ought to do, and I’d better not see you step foot anywhere near the jailhouse.”

“Kindly take your finger out of my face,” she’d hissed when he shook it at her. “I’m not a child. You don’t need to tell me how to behave the way you would tell Jesse.”

The mention of his nephew had brought to mind the scene from earlier in the evening, when he’d found her holding Jesse and speaking softly to him as he sniffled. How tender she’d been with him, how kind. Knowing the lad was only in need of someone to listen to him from time to time, that he needed to know there was no cause to forget his father. That it only hurt sometimes to talk about him.

She had a good heart. If he’d suspected as much after her description of why she hadn’t turned over the true thief, he knew it for certain while standing in the doorway to his nephew’s bedroom.

Still, good heart or no, she also had a wicked temper that would cause a saint to swear and maybe even take to drinking.

Then, over breakfast, they’d reminded him as if he’d needed reminding of the importance of keeping her presence a secret.

“Have you forgotten which of us is the sheriff of Carson City?” he’d finally shouted, pushing himself away from the table though he’d had yet to eat his fill of the griddle cakes Martha had prepared.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.