Free Shotgun Bride by Lauri Robinson Page A

forward to her company. Jessie accepted the piece he handed her. "Thank you. Would you like some more stew?"
    "No, no, thank you. This will be fine." He pretended to eat a few more mouthfuls of soup before he gave up and filled the empty pit in his stomach with slices of bread. A new thought formed. "Did you find the pantry today?"
    "The pantry?"
    "Yes, the door, over there, beyond the stove, that's the pantry. There should be most everything you need for cooking in there. And behind the house, the small mound with the door, that's the root cellar. It has more supplies, as well as the ice for the ice box."
    "Oh, no, I didn't look in either place. I found this jerky in the saddle bags on the coat rack by the front door, so thought I'd make a stew from it. I got the flour for the biscuits from 76
    Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
    by Lauri Robinson
    the sacks Joe brought up to the house. He said you cut the bags up for dish towels, and bandages." Her eyes went to the scratch on his cheek. "Does your face hurt today?"
    "Uh? No, no, my face is fine." That's why it tasted like old jerky, it was old jerky. He hadn't used that saddle bag since spring. Good thing the biscuits had burned. Heaven knows what they would have tasted like; those bags probably had been in the barn for years. He shrugged the shivers off his shoulders. "When you're done eating, I'll give you a more thorough tour, so you know where things are."
    "I didn't want to be nosey, poking around your house. I hoped you wouldn't mind that I used the things I did," she said, twisting her spoon around with her fingers. A smile covered his face. "Well, it's your house too, now, so there's no need to worry about being nosey. Feel free to use whatever you need. And if you don't find something, just ask."
    Jessie looked at his full bowl of soup. She couldn't blame him for not liking it. It tasted awful. She was used to eating things that tasted awful, but he probably wasn't.
    "I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook. I've never used a stove. Soup is about all I know how to make."
    "When I moved out on my own, Stephanie wrote down several recipes so I wouldn't starve. I'll show you were they are, maybe they'll help."
    Hope at not being a complete failure as a wife rose in her chest. "Oh, yes, I'm sure I could follow a recipe. Russell was never around much for me to cook for." 77
    Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
    by Lauri Robinson
    Kid leaned forward and pulled something from his back pocket. "I believe this is yours." Jessie took the hair brush, the only thing she had left from her younger days. She'd gotten it for her fifth birthday. "Yes, it is. Thank you." The tooled silver felt warm and smooth beneath her fingers, reminding her of plaguing thoughts. "Did you go to the soddy today?"
    "Yes, I did." He leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his chin.
    "Did it survive the storm?" She'd wondered all day about the condition of the little house and worried about who would pick fresh grass for her prairie chickens.
    "Not very well."
    She sighed. "I was afraid of that. It needs so much work before winter sets in."
    "I went there because I thought you might need some of your things. Clothes and such, but I didn't really find much." She picked the bowls off the table and rose to carry them to the counter. He now knew of her dismal life. He probably thought she was as money hungry and conniving as her brother. "The brush you found is about all I have."
    "You don't have any other clothes or-or personal possessions?"
    She shook her head. "I had another dress, but had to leave it in Dodge City when we left." After setting the dishes down, she turned to walk back to the table. Kid stood right behind her and stopped her before she could walk past him. "How long have you been living in the soddy?"
    78
    Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
    by Lauri Robinson
    "Almost three months, but I wasn't squatting. I went into Nixon a couple months ago and claimed the