Free Cinders' Bride: Mail Order Brides of Texas by Kathleen Ball Page B

done, Cinders wandered out to the front steps and sat. A full moon lit the night sky and there were an incredible number of stars twinkling above. He loved this land, he could feel it in his blood. From one horizon to the next, he could see the expanse of Texas. They were probably in for a hot summer this year. Spring was already warmer than usual.
    It was more important than ever that he teach Shannon to shoot and ride. They'd gotten lucky today though he didn’t want her to know just how lucky. The more experienced men were taking turns at guard duty tonight, and hopefully they wouldn’t lose any more cattle.
    Crickets chirped loudly and the horses moved around in the corral. They usually quieted down at night but something made them nervous. Adrenalin filled him as he unlatched the door and rolled his body into the house without standing. He didn’t want to make himself a target.
    “Shannon, get down on the floor.” He didn’t wait for her to comply. Instead, he crawled to the oil lamp and blew it out. He grabbed his shotgun, some shells and extra bullets for his gun, and quickly shuttered the windows. Flipping the table, he had Shannon crawl between the stove and table, hoping it would add extra protection if bullets started to fly.
    The house had been made with holes burrowed through the logs, which were usually plugged. He unplugged them as he went around the room, and looked out each hole. Fairly certain it was the horses they were after, he watched out the front for any type of movement.
    “Cinders?” she whispered.
    He had to give her credit for doing as told without question. Charlotte would have wanted reasons and they’d probably still be debating the likelihood that Indians were roaming around outside. “It’s fine, honey. They’re after the horses.”
    “They know we’re in here.”
    “Yes.”
    “Cinders, I wish I knew how to shoot. Tomorrow would be a good time to teach me.”
    He smiled despite the darkness at her strong yet wobbly voice. She was different from any female he’d ever encountered. He stared through the hole hoping his men had stayed in the bunkhouse. It wasn’t worth being killed over some horses. They must have known he had most of his men on guard duty watching the cattle.
    He’d ride out to the Comanche camp and find out what was going on. He’d been a friend to the Comanche for several years but with all the government interference sometimes they had no choice but to raid. He didn’t understand why they'd tried to kill him earlier. Something must have happened. Damn, and he had a cattle drive to plan for.
    Just as he suspected, the horses were being driven away. “They’re gone.” He sighed.
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.” He stood up, righted the table, and helped her up. “You did great.”
    “I did?”
    He lit the lamp and grinned at her eyes so full of fright. Gathering her up in his embrace, he noticed how soft and womanly she felt against him. She certainly was a surprise. Where were the usual hysterics? Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened their embrace. Hopefully she was too naive to notice his arousal. He wanted to step back, but it had been a very long time since he’d experienced such a feeling of rightness.
    “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” She snuggled against him.
    There was no way he could be in the same bed with her tonight—he wanted her too much. “I’ll be up the rest of the night standing guard. I need to go to the bunkhouse and check on the men there. I’ll be right back.” He slowly released her and their special warmth evaporated. “Why don’t you get ready for bed so I can turn the lights out and keep watch?” Gazing into her luminous eyes, he knew he was a goner.
    “Sure.” She stood there with the sweetest smile on her face. He lit out, needing to put distance between them before he took her to their bed. He never had this problem with Charlotte, or Polly for that matter. Shannon