Free Daughter of Joy by Kathleen Morgan Page A

problems.”
    Conor cast him a sour look. “And exactly what’s that supposed to mean?”
    Devlin shrugged. “Ella said she seems right nice, and the eyeful I got of her yesterday … well, let’s just say she’s a mighty pretty lady.”
    “I hired her to clean my house, cook the meals, and tutor Beth, ” Conor growled. He recapped his canteen. “I doubt she even realizes how pretty she is. She certainly doesn’t know the first thing about how to attract a man.”
    Devlin frowned. “I thought you said she was a widow woman?”
    “She is.”
    “Then it seems to me that she’s attracted at least one man.”
    For some reason Conor didn’t particularly like being reminded of that. He gave a derisive snort. “Tolerated is more like it.” He didn’t fool Devlin, though. Devlin knew him better than anybody.
    “Sounds to me like you’ve given a bit of thought,” his cousin observed with a sly grin, “to how attractive she is.”
    Conor rolled his eyes in defeat, then grinned. “I’m not blind. And I’m certainly not dead.”
    “First impressions and all, she seems a much finer lady than the other women you’ve had work for you.” Devlin’s smile faded. “Take Maudie for instance. That one sure took the prize for low morals and pure meanness. Even heard talk that, before she moseyed out to these parts, she’d worked the cribs of Cripple Creek.”
    Conor stared straight ahead. “You never told me that story,” he finally ground out. “It explains a lot.”
    “Soiled dove or not, she sure reeled you in like a big, fat fish.”
    Conor fought to keep a tight rein on his temper. “She all but threw herself at me.”
    Devlin laughed. “Could anyone blame her? She wasn’t the first woman to set her sights on some prosperous rancher. She was just more practiced and persistent, that’s all. She was also smart enough to figure the way to your heart was through your bed.”
    “Warming my bed was about all she was good for,” Conor muttered. “Maudie was a slovenly housekeeper, and she never did get the hang of Old Bess.” He shook his head. “I lost count of all the meals she burnt.”
    “When the wind was just right,” Devlin laughed, “Ella and I could sure smell those burnt suppers. Whooee … what a stench!”
    A wry chuckle escaped Conor, before other, more painful memories intruded. “She hurt Beth, you know? That’s the reason I finally let her go. It wasn’t her loose ways. It was because she used Beth in the hopes of getting to me.”
    “Poor little kid. I didn’t know.”
    “I’m not in the habit of sniveling about my woes every time I’m disappointed by someone. You know that.”
    “Yeah, and I also know that you keep too much to yourself, Conor.”
    “I knew how to deal with Maudie. I didn’t need your help.”
    “No, I guess you didn’t.” Devlin recapped his canteen and slung it over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t we be finishing up that last run of wire? Looks like there’s only another hour or so until sunset.”
    Conor shoved to his feet, his canteen clenched in his hand. “Yeah, let’s get back to work. Something tells me I’m going to have a pair of irate females on my hands when I head back to the house.”
    A dark brow arched in inquiry. “Beth not taking to your new housekeeper?”
    “Can you blame her, after what she’s been through?”
    His cousin met his steely gaze. “Have you ever thought it might be time to find another wife, Conor? A good woman who’d make Culdee Creek a real home for both you and Beth? A woman who’d offer some stability and permanence?”
    “And what brought this little sermon on? Ella already putting ideas about me and Abigail Stanton into your head?” He shook his head in disgust. “The woman’s only been here a day!”
    “She seems a decent sort. You could do a lot worse.”
    Conor shot Devlin a black look. “And how many times have I told you I’ll never get married again?”
    “A man needs a woman.”
    “There’s only