Mercy: Bride of Idaho (American Mail-Order Bride 43) by Jacquie Rogers

Author:Jacquie Rogers [Rogers, Jacquie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Romance, Fiction, Forever Love, Victorian Era, Western, Forty-Third In Series, Saga, Fifty-Books, Forty-Five Authors, Newspaper Ad, Short Story, American Mail-Order Bride, Bachelor, Single Woman, Marriage Of Convenience, Christian, Religious, Faith, Inspirational, Factory Burned, Pioneer, Idaho, Family Life, Rancher, Owyhee County, Seventy-Years-Old, Groom, Uncle, Fireball, Matchmaking, Distrust, Past Issues, Mistaken, Charade
Goodreads: 27773807
Publisher: Camp Rogers Press
Published: 2015-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Quill stood in line to get his bowl of stew, wishing he’d be eating it with Mercy. Keeping his mind on his business had been a trial since the day he met her, and the night of the dance, he’d been so fogged that he almost kissed her.

A shot rang out, bringing him back to good sense. He scanned the camp to see if anyone had gone hunting. “Did you send someone out for game?” he asked Jake.

“Nope. And from the direction of that report, it ain’t where game is, anyway.”

“That’s what I thought. I’m riding out.” He put his bowl on the chuckwagon worktable, which was generally against the rules, and headed for the remuda to saddle one of his rested horses. “We haven’t even started the roundup yet and we sure don’t need any trouble.”

Jake walked beside him and clapped him on the back. “Best you go nip it in the bud. I’ll put the outfit on alert, if they ain’t already.”

“Get some horses saddled and pack some whiskey and bandages just in case.” Quill threw the blanket on his bay gelding with his left hand and his saddle with his right, and while he cinched it, Jake bridled the horse. Within a few minutes Quill rode out of camp.

He had a pistol and a rifle in case he ran into rustlers—rope, too, although he wasn’t too keen on wasting a good rope on criminals. Could’ve just been a hunter. That’s what he hoped, for the outfit had enough to do without losing a couple men to take rustlers to Silver City. Even so, he was ready for anything.

Except Uncle Ike, who rode toward him—bareback. He hadn’t seen his uncle ride bareback in ten years. “Quill, up top!”

“Rustlers?”

“I don’t know. Mercy’s up there. I heard a shot and she didn’t come down.”

“Damn!” Quill spurred the gelding to a gallop. He’d have to climb up the blasted hill and see what trouble she’d gotten herself into. A city girl had no business in this country—she should’ve stayed at the ranch, but he’d holler at his uncle later.

“Don’t slow down for me,” his uncle yelled. The old man had more sand than any five of his cowhands. “Get your butt up there and fetch that little girl.”

Quill planned to do just that, only she sure didn’t look like a little girl to him—not with her shape. He’d spent many a night losing sleep over that shape. Nope, Mercy Eaton was all woman.

Temptation on the hoof.

When he got to the juniper stand, he turned to his uncle. “Here?”

The old man nodded and slid off his horse. “I sent her up top to spy on you. She’s still there. I hope. Elsewise, I don’t know where she is.”

Quill didn’t say a thing, for nothing good would come out of his mouth. He dismounted and handed the reins to his uncle, then took the rifle out of the scabbard. “Seen anyone else around?”

“Nope. Get your butt up there.”

Quill took off as fast

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.