Free Foxfire Bride by Maggie Osborne Page A

almost twenty-five pounds apiece. Never in her life had Fox expected to handle that much money or know a man worth that much.
    But the strange breathlessness that came over her when Tanner stood too near had nothing to do with money or education or manners. She suspected the reason was more about wide shoulders and sunburned hands and a lean muscled body and an intensity that sent shivers up her spine.
    Which meant that she was as shallow as a pot lid, she thought with a sigh.
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CHAPTER 5

     
    In the morning Tanner could see his breath hanging in the chill air in front of his shaving mirror. Here at this altitude the nights were frigid and dawn sparkled across ground and boulders rimed with frost. Sound and scent sharpened in the cold air, and grits, fried ham, and strong coffee had never smelled as good.
    After toweling his face, Tanner adjusted his collar and buttoned his shirt, pulled up his bracesor suspenders, as they called them out hereand donned his jacket. The heat of the campfire on his face and hands was welcome as he ate, the food as hot and delicious as he'd anticipated.
    "Whoever made the coffee this morningit's especially good."
    Peaches flashed a white-toothed smile. "Coffee's my specialty."
    "It was cold last night," he said to Fox who sat staring into the fire with a surly expression. "Did you sleep well?"
    "I hate people who are cheerful in the morning," she muttered, flicking him a glance and then glaring at Peaches.
    "This is the best time of the day," Peaches said with a laugh.
    "The hell it is ," Jubal Brown snapped. "You can say that only because you weren't up and down all night trading off the watch." Smothering a yawn, he reached for more coffee.
    Morning might not be Fox's favorite time, but Tanner noticed that she had washed her face, braided her hair for the day, and she had already helped Peaches load the mules.
    "I'm getting the idea that Nevada is a succession of mountain ranges separated by long bowl-shaped valleys. Is that correct?"
    "You have to have conversation in the morning." For a minute he didn't think she would say any more, then she sighed. "If you crumpled a piece of paper that's what Nevada looks like. A succession of north/south ranges and valleys." Tilting her head, she squinted at the sky. "It's time to get moving. We'll lose a couple of hours when we reach the valley."
    There wasn't much forage in the mountains, merely a few dry tufts between rock outcroppings. To satisfy the horses and mules, they would have to let them graze in the broad valley below. At this time of year the grass wasn't abundant even on the valley floors.
    Today the descent was gradual and relatively non-eventful, with only one narrow cut through substantial rock walls that looked difficult for Fox and Peaches to negotiate since they were leading the mules. Their expertise was a pleasure to watch.
    And then a cool enjoyable morning erupted into chaos quicker than Tanner would have believed possible. One moment he was gazing out at the wide bowl-shaped valley below, thinking it would be an easy crossing, the next minute he heard Fox and Peaches shouting and swearing.
    Tanner watched it happen. The second mule in Fox's string balked at the incline. In rapid succession the twine broke between the mules as it was supposed to in a dangerous situation. Then the lead mule jerked the rope out of Fox's hand and her string was free and running toward the valley. In an eyeblink the string Peaches led also broke free and also trotted toward the valley floor. The mules reached the valley in time to scatter in all directions before Tanner and the others came off the mountainside and reined up hard.
    Fox swore for a full minute then shook her head at Peaches. "Damn it! Any idea what spooked them?"
    "Not a notion. Oh Lordy, look at that."
    Tanner followed Peaches's frown and watched the money mule lie down and roll in the distant valley grass, then do it again.
    Fox pulled her fingers down her throat. "She's trying to