The Imperfect Husband by Ruth Ann Nordin

Author:Ruth Ann Nordin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: comedy, humor, romantic comedy, sex, historical romance, historical western romance, strong heroine, forced marriage, virgin hero, man disguised as a woman
Publisher: Ruth Ann Nordin

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The next day, Annabelle was tending to her new flower garden when Natalie arrived at the parsonage. Annabelle stopped watering the flowers and watched her as she approached.

“I hope I didn’t come at a bad time,” Natalie said.

“No. Your timing is fine.” Annabelle took in the riding outfit Natalie was wearing. “Your outfit is charming.”

Natalie smiled with pleasure. “Thank you. I got it last week. I’m tired of taking a carriage all the time.” She leaned forward and stroked the steed’s mane. “I rode horses a lot before I came to Omaha. Doing this brings back happy memories.”

“Do you ride the horse in town?”

“I have once.”

“And no one said anything?”

She shrugged. “Katherine mentioned something about carriages being the preferred method of transportation, but I don’t care. I love horses. They’re grand creatures.” She smiled at the horse and rubbed its neck. “I notice men ride horses. If they can do it, then so can I.”

Annabelle wished she had Natalie’s attitude. Maybe if she had grown up in place where no one thought anything of a woman riding a horse in town, she’d be able to move beyond her fear of doing so. The only time she rode a horse was when she was out of town.

She used to think she was brave, but it seemed to her that Natalie and Ben had more courage than she did. Natalie was riding horses in the middle of Omaha, and she didn’t care if someone gossiped about it. Ben decided to pursue a job as a preacher even though his family didn’t approve.

Her gaze went to Natalie as she slid off the horse. “Are you nervous when you’re riding the horse in the middle of Omaha, or is it easy to brush off others’ criticisms?”

Natalie tied the reins to the nearby post. “I get nervous. Katherine and her friends have a way of making me feel anxious no matter what I’m doing, but I decided I would press through the fear and do what I want.”

“And it’s not easy to do that?”

Natalie shook her head. “It’s harder than I make it sound. My hands didn’t stop shaking until I was out of town.”

So courage didn’t mean there was the absence of fear. People could still be anxious. She’d never thought of courage that way before. She hadn’t thought she’d ever admire something about Ben, but she had to admit it was admirable he stood up for what he wanted to do even though his family obviously didn’t approve of it.

Natalie came over to her and gestured to the flowers. “Do you need any help? I’ve tended to a lot of flowers over the years.”

“Actually, I’m almost done.” Annabelle turned back to the flowers and finished watering the last of them. “I’ve been out here for almost an hour.”

“There are plenty of flowers to take care of. You have a lovely garden.”

“Ben asked Mrs. Gibson to help me plant the garden. Would you believe she said this is only a sample of what she had?” She motioned to the size of the garden.

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