Page 6 of Curvy Girl for the Cowboy

I finally muster up the strength to take a step back from her. “Go on and rest. You’ve more than earned it. I’ll take care of the clean-up here.”

She opens her mouth as if she’s going to speak before she closes it and nods. “Okay.”

She might not want to admit it, but I see the weariness in her eyes. Today wore her out. She’s not used to that kind of work. Hell, that kind of work wears the most seasoned cowboy out.

“Goodnight, Colton,” she tells me before she turns to head to her bedroom.

My throat is so tight as I watch her hips sway as she walks away from me, I can barely respond, “Goodnight, darlin’.”

My perfect yet untouchable wife.

five

?. . .?

Colton

The sun hangslow over the dusty horizon as I watch her from across the corral, the fading light catching in her auburn waves. Sam's reaching up to brush a horse's muzzle, murmuring gentle words I can't quite make out. Even from this distance, her beauty steals my breath. Those soft curves, that radiant smile, those eyes that shimmer like emeralds—she's a vision in a simple blue dress and boots.

I swallow hard past the lump in my throat. What business do I have thinking' on her like this? I'm supposed to be protecting' her, not undressing' her with my eyes. She deserves a better man than a rough-hewn cowboy barely keeping' his ranch from foreclosure. A girl like that...she'd never truly want the likes of me.

Abruptly, I turn away before she catches me staring'. Distance. That's what I need. Some space between us 'fore I do something' mighty stupid, like pull her into my arms and...

No. I shake my head, tryin' to clear it. Can't be thinking' like that. I busy myself with the saddle I'm mending', forcing my eyes down, jaw clenched tight enough to ache.

"Colton?" Her sweet voice drifts over, making' my heart thump harder against my ribs. "You've been awful quiet today. Everything alright?"

"Fine," I manage to grunt, not lookin' up. "Just got a lot of work to do, is all."

Silence stretches between us, thick with unsaid things. I risk a glance her way. Hurt flickers across her delicate features before she masks it with a tight smile.

"Of course. I'll just...leave you to it then." Her voice wavers slightly before she turns to walk away, skirts swishing around her ankles.

Guilt twists in my gut as I watch her go, shoulders slumped, arms wrapped around herself. I'm hurting her with my distance, I know it. Confusing her. But it's for the best. She'll realize soon enough she made a mistake coming here, thinking a mail-order marriage was the answer.

She deserves happiness, love, a future. And I...I can't give her any of that. No matter how badly I ache to.

The chill of the night air seeps into my bones as I stare out the kitchen window, watching moonlight paint the ranch in shades of silver and shadow. Sleep won't come, not with her sleeping under my roof, just down the hall.

I'm a damned fool. What was I thinking, bringing her here? A young, beautiful woman, alone on a sprawling ranch with a man near old enough to be her daddy. People will talk. I don’t give two fucks what they think of me.

Buther.

My chest aches at the thought of anyone saying anything bad about her. She’s the most perfect angel in this world. She doesn't deserve that shame.

A creak of a floorboard makes me tense, hand tightening on my coffee mug. I turn to see Sam standing' in the doorway, wrapped in a quilt, hair tousled from her pillow. Even sleep-rumpled, she steals my breath.

"Couldn't sleep either?" She ventures softly, green eyes glimmering' in the low light.

I clear my throat, lookin' away. "Suppose not."

She pads closer on bare feet. "Colton, have I...have I done something to upset you?" Her voice trembles, making' my chest ache. "You've barely spoken to me in days. If you're regretting this arrangement, I can-"

"No," I cut her off gruffly, the thought of her leaving' panicking' me more than it should. "You ain't done nothin' wrong. It's not...it's me, alright?"

Her brow furrows. "I don't understand."

I exhale hard, rubbing a hand over my stubbled jaw. How can I make her see? Make her understand the battle raging' inside me?

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