Free Seth (Prairie Grooms, Book Three) by Kit Morgan Page A

husband, imagine that?” commented Sadie. She then turned to Eloise. “And you’re siding with Seth?”
    “Who else am I going to side with? H e is going to be my husband.”
    Sadie shook her head and smiled. “It’s not a matter of siding,” she said. “It’s a matter of believing who is right. It could be that they’re both wrong, and something else happened that we don’t’ know about.”
    “ Like what, dear wife?” asked Harrison.
    “ I don’t know,” said Sadie. “Any number of things, I suppose.”
    Eloise shrugged. “At this point, I don’t care what happened. I just hope the sheriff and the posse find the outlaws, lock them up, and dole out the fullest punishment allowed by the law.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m afraid I’m not hungry. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’d like to go sit on the porch for a while.”
    Everyone looked at her in understanding. “Go right ahead,” said Belle. “I’ll call if we need you for anything.”
    Eloise nodded. “Thank you. I guess I just need a few moments alone. This has been a most confusing day.” Sadie and Belle nodded their agreement as she left the room.
    Once outside, Eloise sat on the porch swing. She stared at the peaceful barnyard, and idly pushed the swing by tapping her foot in a steady rhythm on the porch. She hated feeling confused, and right now, she felt more confused than ever. She also hated the fact that Constance wouldn’t speak to her, and wanted to apologize for siding with Seth. But what good would that do? If she did, it was saying that she didn’t trust him either, and she did trust him, didn’t she?
    She let out a weary sigh. Who was right and who was wrong? Did it really matter? As long as the outlaws were brought to justice, who cared? But, she supposed if she were Ryder, she certainly would care.
    Oh, Eloise; when did you become so self-centered?
    She stopped the swing and gazed out over the prairie. How her life had changed since she’d left London. This was wild country she and her sisters were in, and there was nothing any of them could do to tame it. All they were capable of doing was taking care of those around them, and in this case that meant their husbands. Naturally, Constance wanted to take care of Ryder, and that meant supporting what he believed was right. Eloise, in turn, supported her intended by believing in him. Only time would reveal the truth of the matter. Until then, she might as well focus on the happenings of the upcoming week; namely, her wedding.
    But thoughts of the wedding brought thoughts of Seth and Ryder’s disagreement, and that got her to thinking about Constance again, and… Eloise smacked her head with a hand as if to knock the thoughts from it. “No, no, no! I’m not going to think of this anymore tonight!”
    “ Think of what?” Jefferson asked as he came up the porch steps.
    Eloise looked at the big man. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m rambling.”
    He stepped to the swing and sat next to her. “You look like a woman with a dilemma.”
    She scrunched up her face. “It shows that much?”
    He nodded. “Uh-huh. Edith looks like that when she can’t find an ingredient for a recipe she’s cookin’ up.”
    Eloise laughed. “Well, this hardly constitutes as a recipe problem, but it is a problem all the same.”
    “ Yeah, so I heard.”
    “You… y ou did?”
    “ I was in the kitchen while you were in the dining room talking about it. Darn shame to be warring with your sister like that over something so silly.”
    “I wholeheartedly agree,” s he said. “But there’s not much to be done about it.”
    “ Picnic’s in a few days,” said Jefferson, blissfully changing the subject. “I can’t wait for the tug-of-war this year.” “He looked at her with a big smile. “Be the first year Mr. Berg isn’t here, which means it’ll be an even fight.”
    Eloise stared at him. “What are you talking about? What fight?”
    He laughed. “I keep forgettin’;