Bride Included by Janelle Denison

Author:Janelle Denison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Treasury
Published: 2011-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

He’d underestimated Josie’s ability to remain unresponsive, and that rankled Seth more than he cared to admit. He’d gone to sleep in a surly mood, though getting a few hour’s rest hadn’t improved his disposition any. He’d slipped out of bed before the crack of dawn, taken a much needed cold shower, then headed down to the stables, not wanting to be anywhere near Josie until he’d decided what to do with his stubborn bride.

Saturday it had been easy to avoid her. A fence was down in the west end and it had taken the day to put it to rights. Seth had joined in on the repair, as much to give Mac and the other men an extra pair of hands as to show his employees that he had no qualms about working hard on the Golden M. What he expected of his hands, he expected of himself, and he’d proved at least that much with his efforts, gaining their respect in the process.

He stayed out on the range even after the other hands had headed in for the day, herding stray cattle and familiarizing himself with the boundaries of the Golden M. The sense of rightness had calmed him somewhat, but not enough to diminish the unsettling emotions from the previous night’s escapade.

When darkness forced him to return, he’d spent more time than necessary cleaning tack. Kellie had brought him a plate of meat loaf, vegetables and rolls for dinner and chatted with him while he’d eaten. He’d enjoyed her company and had to smile when she’d told him that she’d smuggled the food out to him. Apparently when Kellie had expressed her concern about his not showing up for supper, Josie had told her when he was hungry enough, he’d come in and fix his own meal.

At least he had an ally in Kellie.

When he’d finally returned to the main house hours later, the place had been dark and quiet. Kellie was in bed, and when he entered Josie’s room, he’d found her huddled beneath the covers, pretending slumber. He’d taken a long, hot shower, slipped into bed without putting any briefs on and snuggled close to Josie. She’d been wearing that dreaded flannel again, but he was too exhausted to engage in a battle for her to take it off so she could gradually get used to their sleeping skin to skin.

She’d flinched when he’d pulled her against his chest, gasped and attempted to squirm away when he’d brazenly cupped his hand over her breast.

“Settle down, Josie,” he’d murmured in her ear. “I’m too tired to demand my husbandly rights tonight.” It was an out-and-out lie, considering how a certain part of his anatomy had eagerly leaped to life the moment he’d touched her.

He’d spent the entire night like that, and this morning’s routine had been no different than the previous one. Up early. Cold shower. Out of the house before Josie woke. He’d skipped breakfast, and his stomach was growling fiercely, reminding him that he was a man who liked three hearty meals a day.

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