Free An Unwilling Husband by Tera Shanley Page A

she said low, casting glances at the gawkers. “In private, if you don’t mind.”
    He slid her a glare. Someone petite and soft smelling collided with him. Anna, wearing a light blue dress and toting a feminine-looking umbrella. Hell and damnation.
    “Oh! Mr. Shaw!” Anna exclaimed.
    Arranging his expression into one of politeness, he caught her arms to keep her upright.
    Any man could see the woman was pretty, with her blond hair neatly pinned in a bun and eyes the color of a clear spring sky. Her lips were full and pouty, and the color that rose on her cheeks was becoming on her. He could almost see Maggie bristling at the way Anna smiled at him. “Miss Jennings. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you coming,” he said.
    Anna laughed, a charming tinkling sound. “That’s fine, Mr. Shaw. I didn’t see you either, though I should have seen a man your size comin’ from a mile away.” She leaned into him and whispered, “I must say, it has been my pleasure runnin’ into you.”
    Garrett gave her a half smile. He rarely knew what to do with Anna’s boldness.
    Maggie stepped forward. “Hello, Miss Jennings, was it? Maggie Shaw. Pleased to meet you.”
    “Shaw?” A slight wrinkle furrowed Anna’s brow.
    In hopes of biting back the swear words ready on his tongue, he clamped his mouth shut. In no way did he want to explain the situation then, or ever, if he were completely honest. He’d dreaded this confrontation ever since his blasted agreement to Roy’s final request. Trouble was coming and he had no power to stop it.
    He cleared his throat. “Anna, I’d like to introduce you to my wife .” Though he’d bitten out the last word like a curse, for the first time that he’d called her his wife, it still counted.
    Maggie shivered beside him like she’d taken a chill. Simultaneous dirty looks from he and Anna stilled her quickly enough though, thank God.
    “You’re married to her?” Anna didn’t even try to disguise the disgust in her voice or the scowl on her face. “I wonder what my pa is going to have to say about this, Mr. Shaw. You two practically shook hands on our arrangement, and you know he doesn’t take kindly to Indian Givers.”
    Was this tiny woman threatening him? He shouldn’t have been surprised. She was a Jennings, after all. Probably born to extortion.
    Maggie looked like she wanted to kick his almost-betrothed in the shin. It was time to go, before that redheaded little hellion did something unwise. Again.
    Somehow, he’d managed to dodge one bullet by standing directly in front of another. He sighed with tiredness and tipped his hat. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out, Miss Jennings. It was nice to see you again.”
    And by nice, he meant grating.
    When he grabbed Maggie’s hand again, she yelped, but he led her around the fuming Anna Jennings and toward the direction of the stables.
    “It was nice to have met you!” Maggie called back behind her. No doubt she’d said that to piss Anna off more than to be polite. From the ear-maiming shriek that sounded from behind them, she had likely succeeded.
    Garrett tossed the stable boy a nickel and brought their horses out. Lenny followed closely with hers. Once mounted, he had to wait for Maggie to hoist her skirts over the buckskin’s back. How dadburned long did it take the woman to settle into a saddle? In the time it took to preen her skirts to adorn her horse’s backside just so, he could’ve ambled back into the saloon and taken a road shot to prepare him for whatever obnoxious conversation she’d foist on him next.
    “What? You try riding in these blasted skirts!” she exclaimed.
    His patience back in the shot glass at the Brass Buckle, he held his breath for a five count then said, “Lenny, can you take her to the dressmaker? Get a few readymade dresses and have them put it on my account.” He glared at Maggie. “I can’t stand watching you flounce around in that get-up anymore.”
    Her chin lifted and she leveled a fiery