Free Duncan's Bride by Linda Howard Page A

He was so determined not to let another woman get the upper hand on him that it might not be possible for her to reach him at all. The realization that she could be fighting a losing battle settled on her shoulders like a heavy weight.
    â€œWhen do your stepbrother and best friend get here?” he asked curtly. He hadn’t liked the idea of Robert and Christine being at their wedding, and now Madelyn knew why. Having friends and relatives there made it seem more like a real wedding than just a business agreement, and a business agreement, with bed privileges, was all Reese wanted, all he could accept.
    â€œThe day before the wedding. They won’t be able to stay afterward, so we’re going out to a restaurant the night before. You can be here, can’t you?”
    â€œNo. There’s no one at the ranch to put the animals up for the night and do the chores for me. Even if I left immediately afterward, it’s almost a three-hour drive, so there’s no point in it.”
    She flushed. She should have thought of the long drive and how hard he had to work. It was a sign of how much she had to learn about ranching. “I’m sorry, I should have thought. I’ll call Robert—”
    He interrupted her. “There’s no reason why you should cancel just because I can’t be here. Go out with them and enjoy it. We won’t have much chance to eat out after we’re married.”
    If he’d expected her to react with horror at that news, he was disappointed. She’d already figured that out on her own, and she didn’t care. She intended to be hispartner in rebuilding the ranch; maybe when it was prosperous again he could let go of some of his bitterness. She would gladly forgo restaurant meals to accomplish that.
    â€œIf you’re certain…”
    â€œI said so, didn’t I?” he snapped.
    She stopped and put her hands on her hips. “I’d like to know just what your problem is! I’ve seen men with prostate problems and women with terminal PMS who aren’t as ill-tempered as you. Have you been eating gunpowder or something?”
    â€œI’ll tell you what’s wrong!” he roared. “I’m trying to quit smoking!” Then he strode angrily to the truck, leaving her standing there.
    She blinked her eyes, and slowly a smile stretched her lips. She strolled to the truck and got in. “So, are you homicidal or merely as irritable as a wounded water buffalo?”
    â€œAbout halfway in between,” he said through clenched teeth.
    â€œAnything I can do to help?”
    His eyes were narrow and intense. “It isn’t just the cigarettes. Take off your panties and lock your legs around me, and I’ll show you.”
    She didn’t want to refuse him. She loved him, and he needed her, even if it was only in a sexual way. But she didn’t want their first time to be a hasty coupling in a motel room, especially when she was still jittery from stress and he was irritable from lack of nicotine. She didn’t know if it would be any better by their wedding day, but she hoped she would be calmer.
    He saw the answer in her eyes and cursed as he ran his hand around the back of his neck. “It’s just two damn days.”
    â€œFor both of us.” She looked out the window. “I admit, I’m trying to put it off. I’m nervous about it.”
    â€œWhy? I don’t abuse women. If I don’t have the control I need the first time, I will the second. I won’t hurt you, Maddie, and I’ll make certain you enjoy it.”
    â€œI know,” she said softly. “It’s just that you’re still basically a stranger.”
    â€œA lot of women crawl into bed with men they’ve just met in a bar.”
    â€œ I don’t.”
    â€œEvidently you don’t crawl into bed with the man you’re going to marry, either.”
    She rounded on him. “That’s unfair and you