Page 33 of My Heart Will Find You

Nothing had intimidated her. Not Martha nearly sending them crashing, not the abundant saloons with the gaudy women outside. He thought that an educated Eastern lady would have been shocked.

But no. His new wife waved and spoke to the women like they were her friends.

When Cornelia showed up, he knew he should have driven on, but part of him wanted to gloat. At their split, she’d said some really nasty things about his masculinity. They shouldn’t have, but her words hurt.

When she struck at his new wife with her whip, he managed to save her. Afterward, he’d expected her to be frightened or angry, maybe. But her only concern had been the damage done to the parasol Alice had made for her.

To Max, anyone who appreciated his sister was his friend.

On impulse, he took her to the homestead, his private place, where he didn’t even take Alice.

Max had surprised himself when he told her that helikedher. He’d never felt that way about a female before. To him, girls were either like Alice, delicate, fragile people who needed constant care and protection, or like Cornelia, who expected everything to be done for her.

But this woman was different, and he told her so—or thought he did. He said he’d give her land, and if she stayed he’d build her a house. That offer had been spur of the moment, unplanned. He’d thought that legally marrying her was enough, but after what he’d seen of her, he’d wanted to give more.

He couldn’t figure out how or why, but it had all gone wrong. She said she wanted to return home, that she wished she hadn’t married him. She made it clear that she didn’t want anything from him.

He’d been hurt. Cornelia’s temper and her whip had suddenly seemed more honest, and certainly easier to deal with.

Maybe it was wrong of him, but he made sure he gave her the roughest ride possible on the way to the house. When they got there, he pointed the way to Alice, then left her to fend for herself.

It was just minutes later that Alice was screaming that the woman had fainted. He carried her to the couch. She seemed to be all right, but she refused to even open her eyes while he was in the room.

He left, but he didn’t go far. Alice might need him.

After that, he didn’t want to think about all that had happened. He made up his mind that he was going to ignore her. He would never again allow her to get to him. And if she said she wanted to go home, he’d put her on the first train out of town.

But she’d come to his office, ordering him to go get some lawyer he didn’t even know. When he told her no, he tried to make her understand that what she was saying had no logic. He was hoping to teach her something.

But she wouldn’t listen or learn. Instead, she talked utter nonsense about the preacher, a man she’d never even spoken to. What she said was so absurd he quit listening.

However, when she complained about his men, he did listen. That was his territory, not hers.

So he went outside and looked. He’d show her she was wrong.

He didn’t want to think about what he’d seen. His men were in front of Alice’s windows. They were wetting their shirts and showing off like peacocks on parade.Hismen!

If he didn’t need their work, he would have fired them on the spot.

Instead, he was now sitting on a wagon heading into town to invite some man he didn’t know to come to dinner. To meet his innocent young sister.

He stopped the buckboard in front of the law office. It was upstairs, over his favorite saloon, the Red Dog. He didn’t allow himself to look at the place. Nor did he look at the man in the back of the wagon. He was afraid that if he did, he’d remember the vision of him in his wet, transparent shirt. Max thought he might rip it off and strangle him.

Max dropped the reins, leaving them loose for Hank to take care of, then he went up the tall outside staircase and opened the door. BERTRAM LLOYD was painted on the glass. Max removed his hat.

A woman sat at a desk. He knew her. She was in her forties and had buried three husbands. At the death of the last one she said, “No more! I’m done.” All the men in town had let out a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Ellis glanced up, then back down at the papers on her desk. “Thought you’d be busy today.”

He wasn’t going to reply to that. “I need to see him.” He nodded to the closed door behind her.

“John Kecklin’s already been at him. He won’t take you on.”

“This has nothing to do with land.”

She looked up at him with interest. “What do you want with him on your wedding day? Town says you got a mail order prize.”

Max clenched his fists at his sides. “The town can keep its mouth shut.” He stepped past her and opened the door. The office was empty.

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