Free The Shepherd's Daughter (Dry Bayou Brides Book 1) by Lynn Winchester

need to talk about so bad that you dragged me out of bed?” Best get this over with.
    He stared down at her. Remembering that she was only wearing her night clothes, she crossed her arms over her chest. She decided that if he wasn’t going to talk, then neither would she.
    Finally, Billy let out a loud breath. “How’s your ma doing?”
    “You asked me out here to talk about my ma?” She couldn’t keep the irritation from her voice.
    He chuckled. “No, but I figured that was as good a place to start as any.”
    Start what? she wondered, still momentarily incapable of forming words after his unexpected question. “She’s fine.”
    “Good. You two doing alright since, well…”
    “Since Pa died?” Why did he want to know? “Of course we took it hard, you know that, but I think…I think we’re gettin’ along fine now.” Her pa, Brian MacAdams, had died suddenly when the horse he was riding got spooked by a coyote and he got thrown.
    He’d died in her arms.
    That experience would haunt her for the rest of her life. But that wasn’t what she was out here for. Billy wanted something. And she had no idea what it was.
    “Billy, you said you wanted to talk. What’s troublin’ you? Out with it. My toes are freezin’.” She glanced down at her feet and wiggled her toes.
    When she glanced up again, Billy was closer and she had to fight the urge to step back. At only five and a half feet, Ray was a pipsqueak compared to Billy’s six-foot frame. So, when he stood up close like that, she felt small and vulnerable.
    Not that she’d complain, she enjoyed feeling like a real woman beside the man she loved. It took everything in her not to melt into a puddle at his feet.
    “Ray, I’m sorry about how I acted and what I said the other night. I’m sorry for not telling you about Rebecca sooner.”
    “What do you mean?” She heard his words all right, but what she interpreted was that he was sorry he was caught acting like a fool in front of his betrothed.
    She flipped her hair over her shoulder and wished she’d had the forethought to braid it before she climbed into bed. She huffed out a breath, trying to get the hair out of her eyes, and then licked her lips to be sure none of the wayward strands stuck to her mouth.
    Billy groaned, stepped back and closed his eyes, visibly frustrated.
    “Billy, what—” She gasped.
    Billy’s head whipped down and every nerve in Ray’s body fired at the same time.
    “Ray, I need to tell you something important.”
    “What?” she whispered.
    “I feel bad that…I never meant to… Aw-dingit , I’m not doing this right.” He surged forward, cupped her face between his large, warm hands, and brought his mouth down on hers.
    In shock, she froze and almost stopped breathing altogether. His mouth was firm, but the kiss was soft and seeking, as though he was asking her permission.
    She reached up and placed her hands on his shoulders, then stood on her tiptoes to get closer to him, to press closer to the heat of his body.
    She was chilled and hot at the same time, her whole body turned into apple jelly.
    As quickly as he began, Billy pulled back. “Ray…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, it’s just that…”
    Ray sucked in two, three, four deep breaths then glanced up at Billy through the sudden haze in her eyes. “If that’s how you say you’re sorry to everyone, it makes me wonder why your parents had to look in New York to find you a wife.”
    He rubbed the back of his neck. “Like I said, I’m doing this poorly.” He tugged her close again. “Ray, I only meant to bring you out here to tell you how I feel—”
    “I think you’ve apologized enough, don’t you? Besides, no girl likes to hear a man kissed her simply because he felt bad about hurtin’ her feelings.” She laughed humorlessly.
    “Goodnight, Billy,” she said before walking away.
    She moved as smoothly as she could despite the fact that her knees were wobbly and her stomach was doing a