Free His Brother's Wife by Lily Graison Page B

town.
    The very notion of Grace
being married burned like acid in Rafe’s stomach. He couldn’t
imagine her being any man’s wife. There wasn’t one around who was
good enough for her, that included himself.
    He’d lain awake most of
the night thinking of her, his cock at attention and no way to
relieve it that would leave him sated and satisfied. The only way
he would accomplish that was to bury himself so deep inside of her
he wouldn’t be able to tell where she started and he
ended.
    He regretted speaking to her the way he did but he wasn’t
sure how to treat her. If he was honest with himself he knew
exactly how he wanted to treat her. Like a woman he had
half a chance of making his, but that would never happen. He wasn't
about to risk his heart again and he could only imagine what Jesse
would say if he did. Not to mention Grace. He’d probably be the
last man she’d ever consider as a proper suitor anyway.
    It didn’t make the
prospect any less appealing, though. Grace was certainly the kind
of woman a man would love to have for a wife. Beautiful, strong
willed and brave. She had to be to have traveled so great a
distance alone.
    When the stall was clean,
he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt and looked toward
the house. It was still a sight. The grass had died ages ago and
the railing on the porch was all but rotten. He’d been meaning to
fix it but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. With winter coming on,
he didn’t see himself finding the time. There was too much to do
yet before the snows came but with Grace here, he wanted to make
the time. He didn’t want her living like this. In a rundown house
that was drafty and just plain ugly to look at. She deserved
better. Better than anything he could give her.
    He sighed and shook his head, pushing thoughts of Grace out
of his mind. He would drive himself crazy if he didn’t. Thinking of
her only brought home the realization that he couldn’t have her
regardless of how much he actually wanted her. He stopped, his last
thought whispering across his mind again . He wanted her. He wanted Grace for his
own.
    Dread filled him with the
moment the notion took root. He shook his head, realized the truth
of it as far back as the stagecoach station, when she looked up at
him with those violet eyes and stole his heart with a single
smile.
    He wanted her. He would
admit it, but he'd be damned if he did anything about
it.

Chapter Ten

     
     
     
    Grace took in the town of
Willow Creek with a less critical eye. She realized now she’d
misjudged it when arriving. Sure it was nothing like Boston, but
what town was? Especially one so far west as this.
    The streets were still
deeply rutted but on closer inspection, the buildings seemed solid
enough. Some were in need of white-washing but other than that, the
two-story facades were very similar to those she'd seen in larger
settlements.
    A school house sat at the
end of the street, set off by itself with a large play area on one
side. A new building was being erected in front of it and was
positioned right beside the marshal’s office, which was the first
building in the row, followed by what looked to be a hotel at the
end of the street.
    Grace was surprised to see
the hotel. She wouldn’t have thought a town so small would have
one, but with the stagecoach line running through Willow Creek, it
made sense.
    The mercantile was in the
middle of town, and across the street was the Diamondback Saloon.
The riotous music and painted women hovering near the door told you
that much without the sign hanging over the door.
    Grace turned her attention
from town toward Jesse as he parked the wagon in front of the store
and ran around to help her down. “Thank you, Jesse.”
    “Welcome.”
    He glanced down the street
toward the school and Grace wondered then why he didn’t attend. She
left the question for later discussion and turned toward the store.
“Is there anything I should know before going in?”
    “Like