Mail Order Brides: Brides for Brothers Boxed Set by Woods Emily

Author:Woods, Emily [Woods, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2016-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

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Catherine had to blink repeatedly to stem the flow of tears that threatened her. She’d been taught to keep a calm presence no matter what the situation, and she endeavored to do so now.

Caleb Adams was every inch the cowboy she had imagined. He even strutted around in true cowboy fashion as though he rarely got down from his horse. His deep-set eyes and strong jawline exuded strength and virility. She shivered at the thought that this man was now her husband. Even though she’d made arrangements to hold off on any marital intimacy for an indefinite amount of time, her skin still prickled with the idea that at one point, they would be man and wife properly.

This man was like no other she’d ever had contact with in her life. In her society, the males she’d grown up with were refined, as was evidenced by their clothing and speech. However, Caleb’s clothes, speech and disposition were rough, a fact that should have repelled her…except it didn’t.

“How far is it to your ranch?” she asked in a voice an octave higher than usual. She swallowed hard and tried again. “Is it above three hours?”

“Don’t rightly know,” he replied evenly. “Depends on the roads. They’re pretty dry right now, so shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.”

She nodded in reply and then fell silent. The landscape soon captured her attention so fully that the lack of conversation didn’t bother her. The long, winding road twisted around low-lying hills that were covered with small, scruffy shrubs. Although the vegetation was sparse at first, it eventually gave way to grasslands, which she assumed were the main source of feed for their cattle.

“How many head of cattle do you own?” she asked in a no-nonsense voice. Her mind was beginning to think business.

Caleb fiddled with the reins. “Don’t rightly know,” he answered. “Guess that’s why we need you.”

“You couldn’t even guess?” Exasperation snuck into her voice. “Would it be closer to two hundred or two thousand?”

She forced herself to be still while he appeared to think on it. “Guess it’s a fair bit more than two hundred,” he finally said. “But nowhere near two thousand. Maybe about five hundred?”

“Are you asking me?” she was aware of how sharp she sounded, but it wasn’t her intention. It had been very clear that the Adams family was in desperate need of someone to oversee their accounts and take care of the books for the ranch, and she had agreed to do so. Her education in business would enable her to do it, and she was anxious to know the state of affairs.

“Nope,” came the abrupt response. “Just thinking out loud. Sorry, Miss Smith, but I never counted them. We bought and sold when we had to. I mean, I guess Ma knew, but the answer to that question and any others you have are likely in the stack of papers on her desk.”

After repressing a sigh, she pursed her lips and focused on the road ahead of them, which had straightened out considerably.

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