Free Trent's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides series) by Maya Stirling

be in the stable with the horses. She hoped he was safe, out of the storm. Chloe didn't want him coming back inside soaked to the bone. The last thing she wanted was a husband getting sick.  
    Especially on their wedding night.
    She drew Evan tighter against her shoulder.
    This was their wedding night.
    What a strange thing a marriage of convenience was. This night, of all nights, would normally be a time of closeness, intimacy, even passion. But not with a marriage in name only. For that was what it was. That thought made something tug at Chloe's heart. Was that sadness? Regret?
    Evan coughed slightly and Chloe patted his back, rocking him gently.
    Chloe looked out at the dark and the rain and wondered how it could be that, on this night of all nights, she was here, alone in a room with her son, while her husband was somewhere outside.
    Later when she lay in her own bed, listening to the distant sound of the rain and Evan's soft breathing, she heard Trent coming back into the house and make his way up the stairs.  
    And when he walked past her slightly open door she was sure that she heard his footsteps pause for a long moment, before eventually heading down the corridor, all the way to his own bedroom.

CHAPTER TWELVE

    Trent awoke and squinted at the bright early morning sunshine coming in through the bedroom window. He stretched out an arm across the wide bed. There was no-one next to him and the memory of the previous night suddenly filled his thoughts.
    How could he have been so stupid? Storming out like that. Leaving Chloe all alone on that night of all nights. But the impulse to leave the dining room had been overwhelming. He'd realized that they might be married but they were still strangers. And that thought alone had driven him out, lest he make a complete fool of himself. Chloe wasn't like other women. She was so special. He'd always known that, ever since Lucas had first introduced her to Trent.
    Last night he'd felt that special quality in her even more keenly than ever before. The way she'd reacted to his clear statement of intent had shaken him. She'd welcomed those words in a way that had taken him by surprise.  
    Chloe had been Lucas' wife. Now she was Trent's!
    It wouldn't have felt right and the only way he'd known to deal with the feelings warring inside him had been to get outside, be anywhere except near Chloe.
    He'd gone to the stable and tried to busy himself   ensuring the horses were settled. Trent knew enough about Montana weather to know that there had been rain coming. And he'd been right. The downpour had been heavy and the roaring sound of it thundering on the roof of the stable had matched the feeling in his heart.
    When he'd finally summoned up the courage to come back into the house he'd been relieved to find that Chloe and Evan were fast asleep. It had made things so much easier. But it had taken him a long time to fall asleep.
    The house was quiet. Trent was always the first to get up in the morning, although Mrs. Ross usually ran him a close second. He'd always liked to start his day fresh, with no-one else around. It helped to keep his mind clear, making it easier to prepare for the day to come.
    He got dressed and made his way down the corridor. Peeking into Chloe's room he saw that it was empty. Her bed showed signs of having been slept in. A tinge of regret gnawed at him at the sight of that.
    Across the hallway the door to Evan's room was open. His room was empty too. Trent heard faint sounds from downstairs. The sound of laughing. Evan giggling and the voices of Chloe and Mrs. Ross.
    He made his way downstairs quickly. He strode hesitantly into the kitchen. Chloe was seated at the kitchen table bouncing Evan on her lap. The little boy's eyes were wide with excitement and his bright smile involuntarily drew a similar one from Trent. Chloe turned and looked at Trent.
    "Good morning," he said quietly.
    "Good morning," Chloe responded with a slight smile. She continued to bob Evan up