Page 16 of Conveniently Wed
Obviously, marrying him had been a better choice than working at the saloon. He couldn’t blame her for that, even though he could blame her for everything else. Like getting on that orphan train in the first place. What could have forced a gal like her, orphan or not, into going west and leaving her life behind?
Frustrated that he couldn’t seem to get his thoughts off his new problem wife, he stalked into the barn, where he planned to bed down instead of the bunkhouse.
For one, he’d be able to get the chuck wagon hitched quickly in the morning and get off the ranch before he even had a chance to see Fran or her sister.
And he’d be able to watch over the house better from here.
It sat wrong with him, settling the two girls in his ma’s house, in Breanna’s bedroom. It was true there weren’t a lot of valuables to be had around the place, but if they messed up his family’s home, he’d never forgive himself.
He didn’t expect to get a lot of sleep that night.
And another benefit of sleeping in the barn? He didn’t have to face his brothers again.
He’d spoken to them briefly about his new plan to get the cattle delivered to the buyer. Teaming up with two of their nearest neighbors, who also had cattle to sell, would make things easier on them and provide more eyes to watch over the cattle.
He’d barely gotten his plan laid out before the brothers had started razzing him. Even Davy, who was quiet-natured, had apparently been filled in and was teasing him about his new wife.
And that’s when he’d commanded Davy to watch over the homestead in his absence and rushed out of the bunkhouse to pack up the chuck wagon. His feelings about Fran were so muddled. Mostly he just wanted her gone.
She was pretty enough, he guessed. But he couldn’t trust her.
The soft light that had been shining from Breanna’s bedroom went dark. Finally.
He folded himself into the bedroll, just inside the barn door that he’d cracked open. The night before, he’d been up all night helping that mama cow, and now he wanted nothing more than to slip away into sleep, but he forced himself to keep his gritty eyes open. The hint of moonlight didn’t offer much, but he could distinguish the darker line of the house from the night sky.
For some strange reason, he really hoped that his new wifewouldn’tbe found sneaking out of the house.
Fran curled up beneath the quilt next to her sleeping sister, mind racing.
It was a snug house, well-built. Different from what she was used to. A small white dog had greeted them at the back step until Edgar had shooed it away.
Edgar and his brothers were leaving in the morning, along with another couple of cowhands. He had said he would leave her under the care of his brother Davy, but what if….
What if the man she’d overheard on the Lincoln platform was still hunting them on Mr. Underhill’s behalf? What if he tracked her here?
She’d married Edgar for the protection he could afford her—she’d seen how he had rushed to rescue a bunch of people he didn’t know from the train wreck—but how could she rely on his protection if he wasn’t there? How could one cowboy who didn’t even know her go up against Mr. Underhill and his associates?
Edgar had said he would be gone for a few days, but what if she didn’t have that long?
Emma stirred beneath the thin quilt, and Fran’s drooping eyes flew open as an idea hit her.
What if she and Emma went on the cattle drive with the men? Surely they could help in some way. This solution would keep her and Emma from staying in one place. They would be on the move.
And near Edgar.
It would be hard for Mr. Underhill to track them if they just disappeared.
The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.
She only hoped her new husband wouldn’t be too mad about it.
It was still dark outside when Fran was roused by the blow of a horse nearby. The confining wall next to her bed was unfamiliar, and why was Emma pressed against her back so closely? She could barely breathe.
She came awake at the murmur of a man’s voice.
She was in the wagon. She’d been unable to sleep most of the night, praying they wouldn’t be discovered, but she must’ve finally drifted off.
And the man nearby was Edgar White. Her paper husband.
