Free Malachite (The Jewels of Texas Historical Romance Series Book 5) by Ruth Ryan Langan

a tour of the ranch.
    Diamond had ridden off with little Ony to her own ranch. Ruby and Quent, along with Jade and Dan, had left for town as soon as they’d finished lunch. And Pearl had packed up little Amber and left for school with the children.
    Byron was eager to get Millie alone. After all, it was his duty to warn her of the pitfalls of the arrangement she was contemplating.
    “No thank you, Byron. There’s no sense going home now.” Millie began gathering up the dishes. “I’ll just stay on here with Carmelita until the children return from school in a couple of hours.”
    “But I...” He was quickly losing his patience. He lowered his voice. “I need to talk with you.”
    “All right. You can talk while I wash the dishes.”
    “No.” He caught her arm and began steering her toward the door. “I’d like to talk to you alone.”
    Carmelita watched without comment as they stepped out onto the porch.
    “What’s wrong with you today, Byron?” Millie shaded her eyes from the sun and peered at the three men heading toward one of the distant outbuildings.
    “He’s what’s wrong with me.” Byron stood beside her, glaring at the tall figure disappearing into the barn.
    “I don’t understand. Why should you be bothered by the sudden appearance of Onyx Jewel’s son? If Diamond and the others can accept him, why can’t you?”
    “I’ll tell you why.” He gritted his teeth and struggled to hold his temper. “He’s inviting trouble to our town. And if that isn’t reason enough, I don’t like the way you’ve been behaving since he came here.”
    She turned to fix him with a cool look. “And how have I been behaving?”
    “Carelessly. Last night, without knowing a thing about this man, you allowed him to spend the night in your home.”
    “I’ll remind you that I run a boardinghouse, Byron. A lot of men, and families, spend the night at my place. That’s how I make my living. That’s how I can afford to raise my children.”
    “But this man ... this man is different. You saw how he acted when he arrived here last night. Like a man hell-bent on destruction. You could have been putting yourself and your children in grave danger.”
    “I can’t believe what you’re saying.” She started to flounce away, but before she could walk inside he caught her arm.
    “You listen to me, Millie. You’re an unmarried woman. If you allow this... half-wild savage to stay in your home, you won’t be able to stop the gossip that will spread all over town.”
    She pulled her arm free and shot him an angry look. “Now it’s your turn to listen, Byron Conner. The Jewels are my friends. I’d put up any one of them at my place for as long as they wanted. I’ll do no less for Malachite Jewel. And if the town gossips want to chew on that, I can’t stop them.”
    She stormed into the kitchen, allowing the door to slam behind her. Moments later she heard the sound of his fine rig rolling away.
    Carmelita was busy at the sink, her hands in hot, soapy water. When Millie picked up the square of linen and began to dry, the housekeeper had to bite hard to hide the smile that played on her lips.
    She’d overheard everything these two had said to each other. And she admired Millie’s spunk. After all, the arrogant young banker was considered a fine catch, and everyone knew he’d set his cap for this pretty little widow. It would be hard for a woman with three small children to refuse what he was offering.
    And though Millie Potter might insist that she was only taking in Malachite Jewel as a favor to friends, Carmelita thought differently. She’d seen the way Millie watched him when she thought no one was looking. What was more, she’d seen the way Malachite Jewel returned the look.
    Carmelita felt a quick tug of excitement. Winter here in the hill country was usually cold and bleak. But this one looked as if it were about to heat up considerably.
    * * *
    “So you think you could start working with the wranglers