Free The Marshal's Rebellious Bride by Starla Kaye Page A

right to the other side of the gate. Her eyes
were so green, grass green. And there was a spattering of freckles over the
bridge of her nose that he hadn’t noticed before. “You need to get to town and
see about your dress.”
    She ignored him and turned away to bend over to pick
up the curry brush she’d dropped when she’d discovered the mule trying to
escape. The tempting sight of her taut backside fully facing him now had him
sweating. He decided right then that he needed to torture her as much as she
was torturing him. “I’ll take you on a buggy ride later. We can eat down by the
river. Talk some.” Okay, maybe that would end up torturing him more than her.
    The announcement had her jerking up and gaping at him.
“Maybe I don’t want to go on a buggy ride with you.” Her cheeks were pretty and
pink. Her eyes mirrored confusion.
    He blew out a breath. “You’ve got to be the most
contrary woman. Here I’m trying to court you a bit before we get married—”
    “I don’t want you to court me,” she snapped, cutting him off. “I do not want to marry you. Do. Not.” She stretched up to her full
height, still far shorter than him. “I just want you to sell me the ranch and
leave.”
    He watched her skunk come waddling across the corral,
stopping to rub his furry body against her legs. She bent down to scoop him up
in her arms and hug the offensive critter. The skunk snuggled close and all but
purred in happiness. It riled him that every damn animal on the ranch—including
his own persnickety horse—seemed to desire, and get, attention from her.
Yet she had absolutely no use for him. Damn hard on a man’s ego.
    “I’m not selling out to you. But if you want to have decent say in the running of this
ranch, you’re going to have to marry me.”
    She puffed up and her ample breasts drew and captured
his focus. “This is all so unfair! I’m the only member of the family who really
loves this ranch. It’s my home.”
    He saw the anger in her eyes, the pain. “I’m not
kicking you off the place. I’m offering to share it with you.”
    “You’re willing to share with me on your terms, as your wife . Why can’t we just be partners in the ownership? Share
the decisions.”
    He looked at her and didn’t see just a business
partner. He saw a beautiful, spirited young woman. This was the woman who crept
into his dreams at night on a regular basis. She was a woman he would never be
able to work with on a daily basis and keep his hands off of.
    “My terms are the only ones we can both live with.
Trust me,” he said solemnly.
    “They’re the terms you can live with,” she protested. “My terms are sharing the running of the ranch,
although most of it could be your part. I am more interested in taking care of
the livestock.”
    He stiffened. Every time she talked about that he
envisioned some crazed horse stomping on her, some pea-brained cow trampling
over her. He was certain that when he married her, he could keep her busy with
taking care of the house, taking care of him and Tyler. She wouldn’t have time
for the nonsense of tending to injured or sick critters. At least that was what
he sure as hell hoped.
    “Marriage, Whiskey. I’ll only settle on marriage.” He
could be as stubborn as her, but he’d begun to think he’d met his match.
    “Why do you insist on this ridiculous marriage thing?” She looked steadily at him , her eyes
glistened with moisture .
    Tears? Hell
no! He couldn’t deal with a woman crying,
except when she should be, after a well-deserved bottom burning. Otherwise…
well, hell.
    He looked beyond her to the house and said, “Because
it’s for the best. I owe Taos. He asked me to do it and I promised I would.”
    In truth, he wasn’t so sure that really had much to do
with why he wanted to marry her now. He admired the way she stood up for
herself, even though it aggravated him as well. She was a damn fine looking
woman, too. He was fairly certain she would be every