Matt by Leigh Greenwood

Author:Leigh Greenwood [Greenwood, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780843948776
Publisher: Leisure
Published: 2000-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

Matt headed toward the corrals, wondering what he’d done to upset Ellen. She’d made it clear from the beginning that she didn’t mean to be tied down by the usual chores expected of a wife. Yet for the last few days, she’d gotten angry every time he offered to help. When they first got married, he’d thought he understood her. They had worked out the logistics of merging their households with a minimum of trouble. They’d quickly fallen into a pattern of working together to prepare the meals that lately had fallen more and more to Ellen because he had been so busy breaking the new horses. Now the hardest work was done, he’d expected she’d want him to start helping again so she’d have more time to make hats. He didn’t understand her anger at his offering to help.

She had started to feel comfortable around him. She had stopped sleeping so close to the edge of the bed that she was in danger of falling off. She didn’t act like touching him was more dangerous than touching a hot stove. She’d started cleaning, polishing, darning, and rearranging some of the furniture, even a few of the pictures.

Matt altered his path to avoid stepping in some horse droppings.

Ellen also let him touch her. Nothing significant. Just reaching out to get her attention before he spoke to her; to hold her hand as she got into the buggy, climbed the steps, needed help with a heavy package or a pail of milk. She didn’t flinch if they brushed against each other. She didn’t lie in stiff silence after he got into bed. Every day he saw new signs that her fear of him was waning, that her life on the ranch was beginning to grow on her. So why this sudden wall of anger?

Toby came running up as soon as Matt approached the corrals. “Which horse are you going to ride first?”

“The piebald,” Matt replied. “He acts like he’s not going to fight anymore, but I don’t like the look in his eyes.”

Like Ellen, He hoped she wouldn’t pull away from him, but he didn’t like the look in her eyes.

“I don’t like him,” Orin said. “He’s ugly.”

“Piebalds usually are,” Matt said, “but this one has the makings of a good saddle horse. We just have to convince him he’ll be happy on the ranch.”

That was pretty much what he had to do with Ellen. Until she suddenly appeared in a new dress and makeup, he’d been certain she didn’t miss her old life. Now he wondered if she missed all the attention and excitement.

“What horse is Orin going to ride?” Toby asked.

“You got one picked out?” Matt asked.

“I’m still thinking,” Orin said. “How many do I get?”

He hoped Ellen was still thinking, but it looked like she might have made up her mind. He didn’t like confrontations, but he had to find out what was wrong. He could tell himself that he wasn’t comfortable around women, that he was only good with horses, cows, and boys, but damnit, he wanted more than that.

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