Well, she was married, and she had no choices left. She dropped the armful of wood and then stacked it by the fire pit that Parker had made. Where was he? A twig snapped behind her, and she quickly turned around, but she didn’t see anyone or anything, and a shudder rippled through her. Who knew what animals were in the woods?
Glancing at the horses, she relaxed. They were calmly grazing on the grass. They would have alerted her to trouble. She went to the back of the wagon and put the back down before she climbed in. She could start getting the evening meal prepared. There wasn’t much in this wagon compared to the wagons in the wagon train. Those wagons had been filled with everything the owners had.
She quickly found the flour and almost laughed. He’d seen her at her worst, yet he’d still married her. Why? He could have ridden away. She might have if the shoe was on the other foot.
“Georgia?” He had a nice deep voice.
“I’m in the wagon.” She grabbed what she needed to make biscuits and climbed back out. Parker was getting the fire going. When she approached him, she made sure her face was graced by a smile. His mouth curved upward as well. Her lips twitched.
“I just set a couple snares. There are rabbit trails everywhere, it seems.” He put more wood on the fire as soon as he had a flame.
“That must be what I heard.”
He quickly glanced up at her. “What kind of noise was it?”
“I heard a twig snap. I looked, but I didn’t see anything. The horses didn’t react so I didn’t worry.”
He studied her for a moment. “That is a good indicator. I have to say I’m surprised you’d know that.”
This time her smile was real. “A girl learns a lot when she only has herself to depend on.”
He frowned but didn’t ask her to elaborate. He probably didn’t want to know. Everyone had a hard luck story about the war. Both sides had suffered.
“I’ll just get the biscuits ready to put in the Dutch oven.”
He smiled. “That will go good with the leftover stew from last night. Rabbits have been plentiful ln this part of the trip. I’m sure I’ll be able to get a deer in a few days. I’m glad you can cook. I expected a woman from the south to be pampered.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Once upon a time I was pampered. But you learn what you have to, and you survive the best you can. I saw women wither and take any proposal even from sharecroppers. Not that marrying a sharecropper is bad, but those women were humiliated and wouldn’t meet my eye when our paths crossed.”
“Where did you live?”
“I converted the cookhouse to my living area. It was the only building that didn’t burn. The slave quarters were still intact but I didn’t want to disturb them. I was no longer their responsibility even though many checked on me and tried to help. They didn’t know where to go and many stayed. They had a large garden of their own that hadn’t been pillaged. I helped many find their family members that they’d been separated from and brought them back to my property. In the end, we worked together to keep everyone fed.” Sorrow overtook her and she shook her head. “I cautioned them to make a plan since I could not pay the taxes. It was very likely we’d be run off the land.”
She finished with the biscuits. “It was pure luck I saw the ad you – I mean your mother placed in the paper. I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about going north but I didn’t know if I’d be welcome up there. I divided my mother’s jewelry between me and Betsy. I knew we’d get cheated if we tried to sell it in Tennessee, but I figured it would be useful for something. It got me to St. Louis where I was able to join a wagon train heading this way.”
“Why didn’t you use it to pay the taxes?” he asked.
“The price was the jewelry plus my virtue. What would happen next year? It didn’t make good business sense.”
“It’s been rough for you.” His voice was gentle and sincere. She’d heard it all before but no one ever really meant it.
“It was hard for most. But here I am, married to a man who didn’t know he was supposed to be my groom. That must gall you. I bet having been a captain you’re used to making your own decisions.”
An ironic smile twisted Parker’s lips. “You’ll soon learn that my mother is the general in the family.” He chuckled.
“Was there someone back home you had your eye on? Did you have an understanding with any woman?” She held her breath.
He shook his head. “I’m always too busy to socialize. So the answer is no. I have no interest in any woman.”
Including her. Georgie put the stew on to heat. She knew what it felt like to have choices taken away. “I’m sorry you got stuck with me. The letters were so beautiful, and I thought I knew you through them, but I really don’t know you at all, do I?”
“I’m afraid you’ll find that I don’t have a romantic bone in my body. I am the oldest son, the responsible one, the one who was to take over the ranch someday, so I didn’t get much free time to think about much other than cattle. Then the war broke out.” He shrugged his left shoulder. “It’ll be all right. The house is big, not a plantation, mind you, but it’s nice. It’s heavily guarded against the soldiers, carpetbaggers, outlaws, and Indians.”
“Oh my, are we safe traveling alone?” She peered around into the woods.
“We’ll be fine.”
If those few words were meant to comfort her, they didn’t. “How many guns do you have?”
“You shoot?” His voice was full of doubt.
“Of course I do. That’s how I’m still alive. I’m a good shot too.” She stirred the stew and checked the biscuits. “It’s almost ready.”
“Have you ever shot a man?”
Her eyes grew wide as her heart took up a frantic pounding against her ribs. She didn’t like to think about it. “I only shot people who deserved it.”
He cocked his right brow but he didn’t ask anything more. “I’ll grab a couple plates.”
She sighed in relief as her heartbeat went back to normal. So much had happened and she tried to put it all out of her mind.
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About the Author
Sexy Cowboys and the Women Who Love Them...
Finalist in the 2012 and 2015 RONE Awards.
Top Pick, Five Star Series from the Romance Review.
Kathleen Ball writes contemporary and historical western romance with great emotion and
memorable characters. Her books are award winners and have appeared on best sellers lists including: Amazon's Best Seller's List, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Desert Breeze Publishing and Secret Cravings Publishing Best Sellers list. She is the recipient of eight Editor's Choice Awards, and The Readers' Choice Award for Ryelee's Cowboy.
Winner of the Lear diamond award Best Historical Novel- Cinders' Bride
There's something about a cowboy
Other Books by Kathleen
Lasso Spring Series
Callie’s Heart
Lone Star Joy
Stetson’s Storm
Dawson Ranch Series
Texas Haven
Ryelee’s Cowboy
Cowboy Season Series
Summer’s Desire
Autumn’s Hope
Winter’s Embrace
Spring’s Delight
Mail Order Brides of Texas
Cinder’s Bride
Keegan’s Bride
Shane’s Bride
Tramp’s Bride
Poor Boy’s Christmas
Oregon Trail Dreamin’
We’ve Only Just Begun
A Lifetime to Share
A Love Worth Searching For
So Many Roads to Choose
The Settlers
Greg
Juan
Scarlett
Mail Order Brides of Spring Water
Tattered Hearts
Shattered Trust
Glory’s Groom
Battered Soul
The Greatest Gift
Love So Deep
Whispered Love
Love Before Midnight
I’m Forever Yours
Finn’s Fortune
Glory’s Groom
Whispered Love Page 9