Captured by a Cowboy by Jean Barrett

Author:Jean Barrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, historical, western
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The possibility of being here alone with Brady for weeks that could stretch into months produced images in Annie’s mind that ranged from the downright carnal to the absolutely impossible. Either way, it was an awkward prospect charged with temptations that would have to be resisted. For both of them.

She could feel the heat coursing through her body with a consternation that must have registered clearly on her face.

“Annie, relax. We’re not going to be here for anywhere near that long.”

“But you said—”

“That there are probably enough provisions to last for weeks. Not that we would have to count on that.”

“Then how long will this weather hold us here?”

“Maybe a day or two. This storm is too early to last. It’ll blow over, the temperature will climb again, and the snow will melt before you know it. You’ll see.”

“Oh.”

She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved. Maybe a mixture of both. Still, even a day or two trapped in this small cabin with Brady was a situation bound to have its complications. Emotional ones.

“And speaking of those provisions,” he said, peeling off his coat now that a warmth spread through the room, “I say it’s time I brought up some of them from the cellar. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. What kind of cook are you?”

“It’s not one of my strengths.”

“We’ll manage.”

They did. In less than an hour, they had biscuits baking in the oven of the cookstove, coffee boiling in a dented pot, and the standard cowboy fare of beans and—well, not bacon in this case but dried beef frying with the beans in an iron skillet.

They seated themselves across from each other at the table, tin cups before them steaming with the coffee Annie had poured into them and the tin plates on which Brady had dished out their generous portions of food. She watched him shovel pickled beets into his mouth with a relish that had her shuddering.

He paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and looked down at her plate. “Aren’t you going to eat your beets?”

“No, thank you.” Had he given her a choice about it, she would not have included pickled beets in the meal.

“Didn’t your mama teach you to clean your plate?” he teased her.

“Not when it came to beets she didn’t.”

He laughed. “More for me.”

Annie laughed, too. Outside the wind continued to moan, but here in the cabin it was cozy. Intimate even, but with none of the awkwardness she had feared. In this mood, Brady was easy to be with, a pleasure really. That could pose a danger, but she didn’t want to think about that.

They were finishing their second cups of coffee when Brady caught her gazing wistfully at what hung on the wall behind him. “What’s got you so interested?”

“There’s a guitar up there.” She was surprised she hadn’t noticed it before. Too much else to occupy her, she figured. But now that she was idle...

He swung around in his chair. “Yeah, one of the hands left it here a couple of years back.

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