Free Mail Order Romance Bundle #1 by Lisa Page Page A

maybe a little bit. The ride was long and gave me lots of time to think.”
    “You're not having second thoughts on me know, are you?” he joked, his green eyes twinkling.
    She thought he was handsome, though she would have loved him no matter what he looked like. He was tall with dark hair, a square jaw and a nose that was a little too wide for his face but gave him character. He had a day's worth of stubble and looked just as how she pictured a rugged cowboy to look.
    “Welcome to Cactus Creek. Not much to see, just a place where we get our supplies from. We won't be here long before heading to the ranch.”
    And Sam was right, they weren't there long. Just long enough for a stop at the Justice of the Peace to make it legal. Samuel Dawson and Josephine Birch were pronounced husband and wife and Josie's heart raced as Sam embraced her and their lips met for the first time. It was the first time she'd ever been kissed so she didn't have anything to compare it to, though she thought it was wonderful. Then, before she knew it, they were in Sam's wagon on the way to the ranch.
    The ride to the ranch was a happy time that Josie wished would never end. They had gotten to know each other so well through their letters, it was like seeing an old friend again. They had shared so much they didn't feel as if the other was a stranger. Josie couldn't imagine the brides who wanted to get married right away after only one letter from the groom. She took in the stunning scenery; the rolling hills, the wildflowers and the country air invigorated her.
    She knew from his letters that his brother, Luke, had come to stay with him and help out at the ranch and he had an old Irish cook, Murphy, who'd been there since his Pa was running the place and also knew there were a few ranch hands, but other than that, she'd be the only female there. Josie was fine with that, as she'd never got along much with the other girls at her school, though she did always wish for a close girlfriend. But now she had her best friend, Sam, with her, and that was all she cared about. She still felt a bit nervous, but it was more of an excited nervous. Her stomach was filled with butterflies rather than a sickening lump. She felt like she was beginning the adventure of a lifetime.
    Sitting next to Sam on the buckboard, she knew she'd made the right choice. She watched his hands as they held the reins, they were strong and tanned; the hands of a hard worker. She boldly put her arm through his and he looked at her and smiled. It was hard to believe that she was a married woman now.
    “Sam, I want you to know, as I've already told you in my letters, I'm more than willing to help you with whatever needs done around the ranch. I've been a seamstress, laundress, can cook and am not afraid to get my hands dirty if I can help with any of the ranch hands' chores.”
    She could see his lips curl up into a smile. “Whoa, hold your horses there, Mrs. Dawson. You know that I'm in love with you and didn't bring you out here looking for someone to work on my ranch. I want you to be my wife, and my wife is the lady of the ranch. I'll let you do the sewing and mending, I never did have much skill with needles, and you can help Murphy with the cooking and fetching water and the cleaning of the house. But I'm lucky to have enough men to help me run the ranch, so you don't have to worry about that.”
    She smiled and gave his arm a squeeze.
    “I told you that my brother, Luke, is staying at the ranch, so I'm glad you'll get the chance to meet him. Ever since Ma and Pa died, he's been a roaming tumbleweed, working as a cowboy here and there, and probably in more gambling houses and saloons than he should be. Come to think about it, I guess he's been that way even before Ma and Pa died, that's probably why Pa left the ranch to me. But he'll come around, eventually, I hope. Maybe it will take the love of a good woman to settle him down.”
    Josie felt a twinge of jealousy that Sam had a