Free Perfectly Matched (The Blue Willow Brides Book #3): A Novel by Maggie Brendan

she must try to obey her husband, who’d been kind enough to let her keep her own dog.
    A train’s whistle sounded in the distance while Anna struggled to hang the sheets across the clothesline. The wind, sweeping down the foothills with a blast, caused the sheets to snap sharply against her face. Baby yapped at her heels and she started laughing, but she couldn’t see her for the tangle of sheets.
    Suddenly a deep growl erupted from Moose. Whatever was wrong with him? That was the first loud sound she’d ever heard him make. She yanked the sheet from her face, lapping it over the wire line to see what was wrong, and out of nowhere a grimy hand clamped over her mouth.
    “Don’t make a sound, lady,” the intruder hissed.
    Anna twisted around enough to see a dirty-looking tramp, who yanked one of her arms behind her back in a vice grip. She could smell his unwashed body and see his tobacco-stained teeth. She shuddered.
    “Nothing’s going to happen if you do as I say.” He licked his lips, then squinted at her. He had bushy eyebrows and a thick beard, and his hair looked as though it hadn’t come into contact with soap the entire summer. “I’ll bet you’ve got some cash in that fancy house of yours and your husband’s off to work this fine morning.”
    Anna’s heart beat wildly as she remembered that Edward was going to the bank before he started work this morning. Her eyes frantically roamed beyond the man in search of a weapon in the yard, but seeing nothing, she wondered how she was going to get out of his filthy clutches.
    “I see you have a little fight in you. That’ll make this all the more fun.” He leaned in close, jeering at her. “Let’s see that hair you have pushed under that there bonnet. I have a fancy for blondes.”
    Anna swiftly kicked him hard in the shin with her heavy brogan, but it didn’t seem to faze him in the least. He only yanked her arm harder and grabbed her around the waist. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman,” he said, lifting his hand to crush his lips to hers. Anna gagged from the taste and smell of him and gasped for breath. Finally he pulled back, slapping his hand over her lips again before she could call for help.
    Baby was barking sharply, and Moose, seeing his mistress was in danger, snarled then lunged at the man. Standing on his hind legs, which made him nearly six feet in height, he clamped down on the man’s arm, refusing to let go even after the man gave him a hard thump on the nose. The tramp walloped the dog again and caught Moose’s eyebrow, splitting it wide open. But still Moose held on as Baby chewed on the man’s pant leg.
    The tramp uncovered Anna’s mouth but still held her arm. “Call that blasted dog off my arm, or so help me I’ll kill him!”
    “Never!” Anna spat, twisting and turning to try to wrench herself free. “Hold on to him, Moose!” she screamed.
    The tramp’s face was full of fury, and he lashed out against the big dog again, his fist to Moose’s side. Moose howled, letting go, and dropped down in pain. Baby let go too and ran to his side. Anna, thoroughly terrified, didn’t have time to react or run before she saw Edward storm through the side gate, yelling at the man to stop.
    The tramp froze momentarily. He shoved Anna to the ground, then took off running down the alley with Baby right behind him. Moose struggled to his feet, a bit wobbly, withblood dripping from his brow. Edward sprinted after the man once he saw that Anna was all right.
    Anna sat up, rubbing her elbow and hip. The wind had been knocked out of her. She wasn’t sure why Edward had come back early, but she thanked God for His intervention. Moose hobbled over to her and licked her face.
    “Moose, I think you saved me from a worse fate than I could imagine. I’ll have to stitch up your eyebrow.” She knelt on her knees and wiped the blood around his eye with the bottom of her apron.
    After what seemed like an eternity to Anna, Edward