Free Shotgun Bride by Lauri Robinson

Robinson
    The flutters stopped and her gaze met his. "I ... I wanted to have supper ready when you got home." Yup, his heart was melting, warm, thick, blood raced to fill every inch of his six feet height. He squeezed the hand still in his and used his other to turn her around, toward the door. Guiding her beside him, he smiled down on the face looking up at him. "Thank you for trying. That was very nice of you." The haze had cleared, but the smell of burnt biscuits still filled the kitchen. Her pert nose curled up, and a sweet, soft smiled covered her face. "The stew should still be fine." She slipped from beneath his arm, walked to the stove and lifted the lid off a pot.
    The separation came too quickly, he reached a hand out, almost grabbing her fleeing form before he realized the movement and shoved his hands in his pockets.
    "I'm sure it will be fine. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Kid walked to the table. Maybe having a wife wouldn't be so bad, he wasn't much of a cook, but had managed to get by. A hot meal waiting every evening, as well as the company of a welcoming face would be a comfort he hadn't had in years. Jessie carried two bowls to the table, set one in front of him, and sat down. He looked at the dark broth in the bowl. A frown tugged at his brows. Steam floated up from it and tried to penetrate his nostrils. He sniffed harder. His sense of smell must still be irritated from the smoke, because he couldn't catch an appetizing whiff. It smelled more like old jerky. He lifted his spoon and stirred the contents. In the bottom of the bowl of brown water he detected a chunk of something. 74
    Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
    by Lauri Robinson
    Catching it with the spoon, he lifted it into view. It looked like a chunk of old jerky. He glanced at Jessie. She lifted a spoonful, blew on it, and let the soup pour between her lips. Her tongue came out to catch any leftover drips before the spoon went back into the bowl. Kid let the chunk fall back into the bowl and filled the spoon with broth. The hot liquid landed in his mouth. Quickly, he pulled the spoon out and fought to swallow the bitter brew. His gag reflex put up a good fight. With a painful swallow, he managed to win the battle.
    She continued to eat the soup like it was quite delicious. Her little tongue licked across pink lips with each sip. He pulled his gaze from the enticing picture and tried a second spoonful. This one was harder to make go down than the first one had been. It tasted like water old jerky had been boiled in. He searched for the clump in his bowl again, and once he found it, lifted it out. It was an old chunk of jerky. Sparkling blue eyes gazed at him, her smile encouraging him to eat. He gave a slight nod, and hiding a shudder, regrettably slipped the spoon into his mouth. His jaw tightened as he chewed. And chewed ... and chewed, trying to break down the smoked meat.
    When Jessie looked back down at her bowl, as discreet as possible, he pulled the meat from his mouth and slipped it beneath the table.
    A soft whine let him know Sammy wasn't willing to take it from his fingers. Stupid dog, he eats anything—everything. He glanced down and waved it below the dog's nose. Sammy 75
    Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
    by Lauri Robinson
    lowered to the floor and placed both paws over his long snout.
    Disgusted by the mutt, he pushed his chair away from the table. "Come on Sammy, you can go out while we eat." He walked to the door.
    Sammy looked from him to Jessie. She reached down and patted the dog's head. "Be a good dog and go outside now." The lab gave him a scowl before he rose to his feet and padded to the door. After Sammy meandered out, Kid threw the chunk of meat out the door and closed it. He walked over to the cupboard and took out a loaf of bread, sliced off several large pieces, found a jar of his mother's jam, and carried it all to the table. Evidently, his new wife didn't know how to cook. Still, he looked