Night Flower (Gone-to-Texas Trilogy) by Henke Shirl

Author:Henke, Shirl [Henke, Shirl]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Shirl Henke
Published: 2011-09-10T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

You aren't in love with the man after all, are you? Adam's words echoed in her mind as she lay in her bed that night. Her initial excitement about working with Jeremy Lawrence had faded, and her desolation had grown as they neared the ranch. Lee had been angry and silent on the ride home, his limitless Hispanic vanity wounded because she was seen in a public place with a strange man the day after her wedding. Facing his brooding presence across the dinner table that night, she was reminded of the empty year ahead of her.

But if they were going to go their separate ways at year's end, she would be free to live out her life as she saw fit. Then why these bitter tears? Why the ache in her heart? Have I grown to be such a fool as to hope, after all these years, that he’ll love me? That I can have a real marriage? Punching her pillow, she rolled over and tried to sleep, not liking the answer the night wind gave.

After the third sleepless night in a row, Lee knew he was dangerously close to losing his control. He had agreed to her insane scheme, allowing her to go to town and work at the Star after they were married. But when he had returned to the ranch for the midday meal the very day after their wedding, Kai had informed him she was in San Antonio!

She could not even wait a decent interval before returning to work. Furiously angry, he had ridden Sangre hard to the newspaper office, only to be told by that supercilious old editor that she and her brother were lunching down the street. Prepared to lecture her on propriety, then ask her to accompany him to Frascatti's Emporium to select some furnishings for the house, he had found her engrossed in conversation with a strange man. A ranger! Not another woman alive would do such a reckless, unthinking thing. His wife with a ranger—a big, handsome Anglo with a southern accent. Just the type to charm her fickle soul, he thought angrily. He would be well rid of her at year's end.

Forcing himself to consider that, he went over his rehearsed speech to Larena once again. He could not leave things as they were between them, with her thinking he had a true marriage with Melanie. If he could make her understand that he would be free at the end of the year, then perhaps she would forgive him and wait until he could offer marriage.

He refused to admit that seeing Melanie with Lawrence had triggered his decision to seek out Larena so soon. Originally, he had planned to wait a month or two and allow things to cool down. But Melanie had dealt his pride a terrible blow, taking off without a by-your-leave when he had planned the afternoon as a sort of peace offering. The day before she'd seemed pleased with the idea of decorating the house and had even mentioned the dry-goods importer's warehouse.

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