The Trailrider's Fortune
Page 32
Travis jerked back from her touch as he heard the men begin to snicker. Mick was shaking with suppressed mirth. Danbers appeared to be suffering an apoplectic fit. Travis could guess why. He probably looked like a horse's hind end.
"Whatever. The point is—" He informed her with a dark scowl, "—I'm lookin' for a housekeeper and I mean to hire a spinster or a widow woman. You know what that means, widow? Somebody a lot older than you."
She dashed to a battered valise and pulled out a black shawl. She covered her head and turned back to him, looking downcast before she spoke. "Vedova." This came with another emphatic nod. Travis began to suspect she knew only too well how her bosom jiggled when she nodded like that. "Lady with no marito."
Aha! Now they were getting somewhere. That last part sounded close to "married," so he knew she'd grasped his meaning. "Right. No marito. Exactly."
"Yes, I keep no marito! Me, yes. Thank you, yes."
The crate yowled again and Travis saw the men grinning. "Nope. You no," he countered, firmly shaking his head.
He knew what she saw here—a passel of eager wranglers; a ranch house with a recent coat of paint, big natural rock chimney, and windows of glass, not oiled paper or cowhide. A young buck as boss of the outfit. He wasn't wealthy, but to a foreigner with her whole universe piled in a sorry collection of crates, he probably looked like quite some prize.
He was about to explain that, for a variety of reasons, she couldn't stay on. He wasn't offering her the job. But his men chose that moment to mutiny. They formed a solid wall, standing shoulder to shoulder to block the drive, faces set in grim determination.
Damned cowards.
Mick was the only one with gumption enough to speak his mind. "Taste them cookies, Boss. Imagine what one of them would be like, dunked in some genu-wine coffee, not Sourdough Freiling's mud."
It was over without a fight.
About the Author
Shannah Biondine is a former professional resume writer who is the author of several historical romances and works of fantasy. Shannah is an avid and eclectic fiction reader herself. She collects Venetian masks and the art of Josephine Wall. Shannah also owns big dogs, reads tarot cards, enjoys both jigsaw and crossword puzzles, and since relocating from California to Colorado has developed an affinity for shoveling snow. To learn how to pronounce her pen name or learn more about her titles, please visit her website: www.shannahbiondine.com
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
AUTHOR NOTE
About the Author