Free Daisy (Suitors of Seattle) by Kirsten Osbourne Page A

if Eli would mind if she took the wagon to the other woman’s house during the day sometimes.  Clara could certainly use help around the house, even with Natalie and Gertrude there.
    She didn’t know if she had done something wrong that he was treating her differently now, or if the first days had been an aberration, but she felt like something had changed that day.  She finished the dishes and went into the bedroom, changing into her nightgown.  She lay awake in bed for a while, wondering when he’d join her.
    It seemed like hours before the door opened and he crawled into bed beside her.  She turned toward him in the dark, immediately snuggling against his hard body.  He cradled her to him and made love to her.  It was different that night though.  She could feel his desperation in the way he held her and stroked her.  There was something wrong, and she needed to find out what before her marriage was lost.
     
    *****
     
    At breakfast the following morning, Daisy tried to get to the bottom of what was wrong with him.  She asked if he was feeling well, if he was worried about anything.  He didn’t respond, making her feel as if there was nothing she could do to reach him.  Finally, she asked, “Would you mind if I drove the wagon over to Clara’s house sometimes while you work?”
    His eyes met hers for the first time that morning.  “Why would you want to do that?”   Was she looking for a way to get away from him?  An excuse to get on a train and head back to Seattle?
    She shrugged.  “I spend a lot of time alone here, and I would like to have another woman’s companionship at times.  Would that bother you?”
    “I’d rather you didn’t.”  He didn’t say anything else as he spread jam on his toast.
    She stared at him in surprise.  He wouldn’t even give her a reason?  “Well, are there closer neighbors that I could go visit?” she asked reasonably.
    He shook his head, saying nothing else as he continued to eat his eggs.  She frowned.  “Could I drive into town and get the supplies?”
    “I’ll take you.  Do you already need more things?” he asked.
    She shook her head.  “I just wanted to see what you would let me do without you.  Don’t you trust me?”  She hated that he wouldn’t let her do things on her own.  It wasn’t like she wanted to run amok with the horses and wagon.  She just didn’t want to be stranded at all times.
    He shrugged.  “I trust you.  I just don’t think a woman should be running around the countryside without a man to protect her.”
    Daisy gaped at him.  “You said you believe a woman can do anything a man can do.  That doesn’t extend to your wife?”
    He eyed her carefully, obviously not wanting to say the wrong thing, but afraid to say what he was thinking.  “Of course it extends to you, but you’re new to the area and you don’t know what kind of wildlife you could encounter.  This is an area where there are a great deal more men than women.  There are also Indian tribes still living around here.  I don’t want anyone or anything to hurt you.”
    She nodded.  “I’ll learn to use a gun then.  It’s obviously the only thing that would make you feel safe when I left the house.”  She’d never really cared for learning to shoot, but her sister, Lily, was an excellent markswoman.  She saw no reason why she couldn’t be.
    He was surprised to hear her say that.  “I can’t see you using a gun.”
    “My sister, Lily, can outshoot any man I’ve ever met.  And she can out-fish them too.”  She shrugged.  “I guess I should have had her teach me before I left.”
    He shook his head, dropping his fork onto his plate with a loud clang.  “If you want to learn to shoot, I’ll teach you.”
    She smiled at him.  “I’d like that a lot.”  It would mean he’d have to spend more time with her during daylight hours.  More time together was all she was aiming for anyway.
    “We’ll start tomorrow.  I’ll