Jesse's Bargain (Grandma's Wedding Quilts #3) by Kay P. Dawson

Author:Kay P. Dawson [Dawson, Kay P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Romance, Women's Fiction, Victorian, 19th Century, Forever Love, Bachelor, Single Woman, Love Possibility, Pioneer, Hearts Desire, American West, Clean & Wholesome, Christian, Faith, Inspirational, Love Inspired, Western & Frontier, Grandma's Wedding Quilts, Series, Multi-Author, Collection, Sweet Americana
Publisher: Kay P. Dawson
Published: 2017-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

"So, how did Mabel look today?" Shorty's voice broke through the moment of silence Jesse was trying to get, as he leaned back against a rock with his hat pulled over his eyes. Since they'd ridden back into camp, he'd spent the next few hours checking on all of the cattle and talking with the men about the plan for crossing the Red River tomorrow morning.

Now he'd hoped to have a minute to just let himself relax, while the smell of whatever it was Cora was cooking filled the air. It was a smell that most of them hadn't become accustomed to since she'd been doing the cooking, so he was sure he wasn't the only one confused.

But, after tasting the stew and the biscuits earlier today that she'd made at Mabel's, he'd been pleasantly surprised to see she could cook if she had to.

Lifting his hat, he squinted against the sun that hurt his eyes as he looked up at the man who'd intruded on his rest. Shorty folded his legs with surprising agility for a man his age, and plopped onto the ground beside him.

"She looked the same as always. Beautiful and feisty as ever."

He noticed Shorty give a sad smile, and he felt a moment’s pang of guilt for not letting Shorty be the one to take Cora in to town. He'd known Shorty could have handled getting the supplies on his own, but for some reason, Jesse had insisted it be him who drove Cora in. He'd pulled rank, and because of that, the man hadn't been able to visit the woman they all knew he'd been madly in love with for as long as they could remember.

"Why don't you take off for the evening and go in and say hello to her? She'd be happy to see you, no doubt. She asked about you."

He chuckled to himself at seeing Shorty's eyes light up.

"Well, I don't know if that'd be a good idea. I'd hate to leave Cora here alone."

Jesse sat up and lifted his eyebrow in Shorty's direction. "What's that supposed to mean? I'd reckon I'm just as capable of looking after her as you are. And besides, she's still got Bailey and Flint who seem to be at her beck and call, not to mention poor Derrick now who follows her around like a lost puppy."

This time it was Shorty who chuckled. "Yes, and that just might be what I have to protect the lady from. I feel responsible for her, and even though I'm sure the men wouldn't do anything to harm her, I still feel like she needs to have someone nearby who she can count on."

Jesse leaned back on the rock, crossing his arms over his chest. "I give you my word, she'll be able to count on me."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. But, I’ve also seen the way you've been looking at her, and I know you're having your own thoughts. I don't need to come back to you having thrown all of the other men out of camp over something you didn't like.

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.