To Tame a Renegade by Mason Connie

Author:Mason, Connie [Mason, Connie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Ten Talents Press
Published: 2011-11-13T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

“We’re home,” Chad said. Today he was driving the wagon. Abner was sitting between him and Sarah.

Sarah gazed absently at the lush acres of pasture surrounded by foothills and towering peaks. The grazing cattle looked fat and content; the fences appeared to be in good repair.

“Where’s the house and barn and all the buildings?” Abner asked excitedly.

Chad smiled at his exuberance. “You’ll be able to see them when we round the next bend in the road.”

Sarah stared mutely ahead. She and Chad hadn’t spoken more than a few words to one another since the angry words they had exchanged at the Circle F. It hurt to think that she had no future with Chad. All her hopes and dreams had been pure fantasy.

Chad cast a surreptitious glance at Sarah. His feelings about their relationship were mixed. Sarah had known where he stood from the beginning. She’d been foolish to expect things he couldn’t give her, and he was confident that he hadn’t led her to believe otherwise. He’d been honest about his aversion to marriage, so Sarah had no right to expect anything but passion from him. On the other hand, he shouldn’t have initiated lovemaking when he knew she’d probably misinterpret his intentions. Lust was a powerful driving force. His lust for Sarah was intensely motivating and pleasurable.

“Aren’t you excited. Mama?” Abner asked, jumping into the void. “This is where Chad used to live.”

“We won’t be staying long, honey,” Sarah said, refusing to look at Chad. “Coming here with Chad was a mistake. If it wasn’t for Freddie Jackson we’d still be in Carbon, doing what we’ve always done. Maybe we’ll return after Chad catches him. Would you like that?”

Abner made a face. “I don’t wanna go back there, Mama. The boys there are mean to me.”

“Abner is right,” Chad said succinctly. “You can’t return to Carbon. There’s nothing there for you.”

Sarah gave him the full benefit of her displeasure. “What is there for me here? I’ll do what I dam well please, Chad Delaney.”

Damn stubborn woman, Chad thought irritably. Then his thoughts skidded to a halt when the Delaney ranch came into view. Chad let his gaze devour the house in which he’d grown to manhood. It looked the same after two years. Ryan had repaired the roof, he noted. The same roof he and his brothers had slid down to sneak away and raise hell in town when they were boys. And what hell they’d raised!

As they matured, they no longer had to sneak out to play cards at the saloon, or get into fights, or visit whores. Chad recalled a yellow-haired whore named Nellie, who demanded nothing from him but his lust and a night’s pay, and wondered if she was still available. If anyone could cure him of his hunger for Sarah, it was Nellie. He hoped he’d find time to visit her before he left Dry Gulch.

Chad experienced a mixture of anticipation and foreboding as he drove the wagon into the yard. He recognized several of the hands and waved to them as he drove by.

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.