The Unexpected Wife by Mary Burton

Author:Mary Burton [Burton, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Historical Romance
ISBN: 9780373293087
Amazon: 0373293089
Goodreads: 2606784
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Two hours later, Holden was sitting atop his rig, ready to finish his journey to Crickhollow. He touched the rim of his floppy hat. “Abby, I appreciate the meal. Best I’ve had in a long time.”

Abby smiled, pleased that her first guest had had a good time. “You’re welcome any time.”

The boys jumped up and down waving their goodbyes. Abby leaned down and whispered in each boy’s ear a reminder and together they shouted “thank you.”

Holden grinned. “Abby, I do believe you have found your place in the world.”

Mr. Barrington stood behind her, his rigid stance as palpable as a touch. Her earlier annoyance hadn’t completely faded and she was grateful that he had chores to do outside of the house for the next few hours.

“Be careful out there.” Mr. Barrington’s deep, rich voice made her skin tingle.

Holden’s smile flattened to a grim line. “You be careful, too. And keep a close eye on Miss Abby. When word spreads that there’s a single woman here, the men will come sniffing around. Just a matter of time before some man snaps her up for his own.”

“Not on my watch.” The cold steel in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She had a glimpse of the man who’d been a bounty hunter.

Abby, Mr. Barrington and the boys all stood watching as Holden drove the coach down the rutted trail toward town. When his coach had vanished from sight, Abby was already thinking about what was to be done next. Holden’s visit was a welcome change, but she had mending to do before laundry day tomorrow. “Quinn, Tommy, let’s get you inside. You can practice your letters while I mend.”

The boys scrambled toward the house and she was directly behind them when Matthias’s strong hand settled on her shoulder.

She turned, shocked by his touch. They’d not touched once since their kiss last week. Foolish, she knew, but she had missed it. “Is something wrong?”

His stormy eyes met hers and she felt her stomach roll. “Do you know how to handle a gun?”

“A gun? No. My uncle kept a pistol in his desk.” She’d seen it there once or twice. “There wasn’t much call for guns in my section of San Francisco.”

The craggy lines in his face deepened. “Then it’s time you learned how to handle one.”

“For heaven’s sakes, why?”

“The railroad is going to bring a lot of good to the valley and it’ll bring trouble as well. I want you to know how to handle a gun.”

Her gaze dropped to the six-shooter in the well-worn holster hanging from his narrow hips. “But you always carry a gun.”

“With all those horses to round up, I won’t be around much. You’ll need to know how to defend yourself.”

She brushed a stray wisp of hair from her face. “I don’t know the first thing about guns.”

“I do. Go fetch the boys from the cabin. I want to know exactly where they are when we start shooting targets. I’ll get the shotgun from the barn.”

“Do you really think this is necessary?”

“Yes.

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