Forced into Marriage by Ruth Ann Nordin

Author:Ruth Ann Nordin [Nordin, Ruth Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Love, alcoholism, baby, wilderness, historical western romance, forced marriage, native american heroine, divorced hero, emotionally wounded hero, white hero
Publisher: Ruth Ann Nordin
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

After they ate, Brandon headed over to the lumberyard since the hotel owner had said Craig was hiring. “He’s got a lot of trees from the mountain, and he doesn’t have enough young men to cut them up. I think you’d be a good fit for the job.”

And so with a good-bye to Lokni, Brandon went to the lumberyard. The hotel owner had been right. There were piles and piles of cut trees waiting to be worked on.

Once he found Craig, he explained that he would be in town for two to three weeks and was looking for temporary employment. “I just need some money to pay for room and board and some incidentals,” Brandon finished.

The man scanned him up and down. “You look strong. Alright, you’re hired.”

“Thank you.” Brandon shook his hand.

“I’ll pay you at the end of each week. Start tomorrow at sunrise, and you’ll work until sunset. I’ll let you have an hour for lunch.”

“That sounds good.”

Relieved it’d been that easy to get a job, he returned to the hotel. Usually, he had to talk to a few business owners before he secured a job, especially since he only wanted a temporary one.

He knocked on the door to the room and waited until Lokni opened it to give her the good news. “I start work tomorrow. I’ll be gone all day except for lunch.”

She smiled. “You’re excited.”

“I am. This is one of best jobs I’ve had in a long time. With the hours and the kind of work I’ll be doing, we’ll have a lot of money.” Noting the pile of the dirty clothes she’d been sorting through, he added, “We’ll get those to the laundry. We should get some new clothes, too. That shirtwaist you have is ready to fall apart.”

His gaze went to the bassinet where her son was sleeping. Not wishing to wake the child, he lowered his voice. “We’ll wait until he’s awake before leaving the room.” Since there was nothing to do at the moment, he sat in the rocking chair and took off his hat. “It always seems that after I’m on the trail for a few weeks, I appreciate chairs so much more.”

She chuckled. “I didn’t grow up with chairs, so I’m used to sitting on the ground.”

“I grew up with chairs. I can’t believe I ever took them for granted.”

He crossed his arms and started rocking as a way to help control his body’s tremors. It wasn’t nearly so bad anymore. Not like it’d been over the past couple of weeks. And he didn’t feel quite so anxious. The urge for alcohol was only a faint memory, which was a welcome relief. Water finally had the ability to satisfy him again.

He turned his gaze to Lokni. She was separating the clothes, and for once, he took time to watch her. Really watch her. He hadn’t bothered doing so up to now. With all the work they’d had to do to get ready for the day, the long walks through the day, and setting things up for the evening, it never occurred to him to take a good look at her.

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