Texas Mail Order Bride (29 page)

Laughter quickly rose, refusing to let her squash it. “You were a saloon owner? You never operated a ranch before, have you?”

A wry grin flirted along the corners of his mouth. “Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?”

“Pretty strange. So you don't know anything about cows?”

“Not much, although I used to live on a ranch when I was a boy.” He slathered butter on another piece of corn bread and took a big bite. “Figure my brothers can teach me what I don't know.” Rand explained that his brothers Cooper and Brett were in the ranching business and that the best rancher ever born raised them. “What about you? Where did you live?”

Icy panic brought a chill to the warm room. Callie drew herself up. “You agreed that you wouldn't ask any questions. Not even a day has passed and you're going back on your word.”

“Let me get this straight. You can ask me anything you want, but I'm not allowed to find out even the most basic things about my new cook?”

“It'll be this way, or we'll head out the door.”

Rand gave a heavy sigh. “All right, I apologize, Callie. Didn't mean to pry. Just wanted to get to know you a little. I promise to watch it from now on.”

Toby pushed back his bowl and asked to be excused. Callie's gaze followed him as he headed back to the pile of blankets.

“I accept your apology. This time. But I meant what I said.” She rose and collected her and Toby's bowls. Then to dispel the tension, she said, “If you brought apples from the mercantile, I'll make a pie tomorrow.”

“I certainly did. A pie would be most welcome.”

Refusing to let her take his bowl, Rand rose and carried it to the wash pan himself. Callie watched him refill his coffee cup and return to his seat, stretching out his long legs in front of him. It was clear that this bachelor was accustomed to doing things himself. He didn't expect her to wait on him. She found that a relief as she set about washing the dishes.

“I'll finish this coffee then set up the bed, but first—I brought you and the boy some things from town. Open the packages, Callie.”

When she turned, she found herself staring into his blue eyes. “We don't need—”

“You darn well do, and I won't hear you arguing about it. Now, let those dishes go and find out what's in these packages. I'll help you with them later.”

The man was awful bossy. She was about to tell him what he could do with those packages when the sight of Toby lying listless in front of the stone fireplace stopped her. To survive the winter, the child needed a coat and warm clothes. Maybe that's what Rand had brought from town. She couldn't refuse those no matter how much she wanted to.

Drying her hands on the flour sack that she'd made into a dish towel, she sat on the floor and tore off the brown paper wrapping on one of the packages. The fleece-lined coat for Toby made her breath catch in her throat. An answered prayer.

Sudden memories of her mother popped into her head. Before her death, Nora Quinn regularly bought and took things to the needy in town. One year in particular, she purchased the most beautiful coat for a little girl who had next to nothing. It had a white fur collar and a muff. Callie, eight at the time, desperately wanted that coat. She'd caught her mother not looking and hid it in her room. A day or two later, she overheard her mother talking about how the sheriff had found the girl half-frozen. She never forgot the painful stillness that came over her. She'd raced upstairs and retrieved the coat, and from then on, she never begrudged anyone the help they needed. For years she always added the girl to her nightly prayers and asked for forgiveness.

Now as she clutched the new coat, she thanked her mother's ghost and the saloon-owner-turned-rancher for looking out for Toby when she couldn't.

Rand had also bought a soft wool dress in a pretty shade of nutmeg for her, and a coat as well. She unwrapped a woman's warm flannel nightgown, then shirts, pants, gloves, and a knit cap for Toby. Rand had even thought to add two bars of fragrant soap. The last package held a comb, brush, and mirror.

A pile of quilts, sheets, and pillows lay in a neat stack. Rand's generosity brought tears to her eyes. She thought of the miserable nights she and Toby had spent in the elements, too cold to sleep. This was a far cry from that.

Maybe, for such generosity of spirit, she could possibly endure a very bossy man with beautiful eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Just glad to help. Probably didn't get everything you needed. Never bought things for a lady before.” A curious light came into his eyes as he shifted his feet and crossed them at the ankles. “But hopefully I got enough to get you by for now.”

“That and more, Mr. Sinclair.”

He quickly held up his hand to stop her. “My name is not mister. Thought we cleared that up at the start. My rule. I'm Rand. Got it?”

“Yes. This must've cost a fortune. I'll repay what you spent as soon as I'm able.”

“Don't want paid back,” he growled. “Your thanks are more than enough.”

“Very well. You have my thanks.” But no matter what he said, she wasn't through with the subject. She would find a way to repay him. One way or another.

“You're welcome.”

“I need to put more salve on your burn.”

“My hand is fine. Not much pain.”

Callie took his good hand and led him to the table. “All the same, I'm putting more ointment on the burn,” she said firmly.

“I know better than argue with a determined woman.”

“Good.” She got the tin of thick balm and dabbed it onto the palm of his hand. It had already taken away much of the redness, though she knew it had to hurt.

Afterward, he tried to help her in the kitchen, but his fumbling presence only lengthened the task. Finally, she nudged him toward the bed he still had to set up in the room off the kitchen where she and Toby would sleep. He took the hint at last and disappeared.

In the midst of the quiet that followed came a horrendous crash. Looking in, she saw the iron bedstead laying over on the floor and Rand struggling to right it. He stood in the middle of a tangle of metal, muttering a string of cuss words and trying his best to keep her and Toby from hearing the colorful language. Callie covered her mouth to smother the laughter.

His care to keep from being heard touched her. His show of respect raised her opinion of him several notches.

Quickly she moved to offer her services. She held the headboard while he attached the rails, then switched to the foot and did the same. With that secure, she handed him lengths of rope and watched him knot them back and forth across the open space. This would serve as a base for the unwieldy feather mattress. At last, she took one end and he the other and lifted the thick mattress into place.

A little later, surprise rippled over her when he threw a rag rug onto the floor beside the made-up bed onto which they'd spread quilts. “To keep your feet from getting too cold. Keep this door open to draw heat from the stove. I'll make sure it stays lit.”

“Rand, you're a good man.” Gathering tears that she refused to let fall blurred his face. “Keep your bed where it is by the fireplace in the parlor. It's too frigid upstairs.”

His breathtaking blue eyes widened with surprise. He was silent for the space of a heartbeat, then cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was raspy. “As you wish.”

The beloved classic, marvelously reissued

by Rosanne Bittner

USA Today
bestselling author

***

At twenty, Miranda Hayes has been widowed by the Civil War and orphaned by a vicious band of rebel raiders. Alone on the harsh, unyielding frontier, Miranda is surprised to run into the notorious gunslinger Jake Harkner, a hard-hearted loner with a price on his head. Suddenly Miranda finds within herself a deep well of courage…and powerful feelings of desire she's never known.

Hunted by lawmen and haunted by his brutal past, Jake has spent a lifetime on the dusty trail and on the run…until he meets a vibrant, honey-haired beauty who is determined to change his violent ways. But does she love him enough to risk her life to be his woman—an outlaw's woman?

***

Praise for Rosanne Bittner:

“Bittner has a knack for writing strong, believable characters who truly seem to jump off the pages.” —
Historical Novel Review

“Fans of such authors as Jodi Thomas and Georgina Gentry will enjoy Bittner's thrilling tale.” —
Booklist Online

For more Rosanne Bittner, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

The much-anticipated sequel to
Outlaw Hearts

by Rosanne Bittner

USA Today
bestselling author

***

1890, Oklahoma Territory

Jake Harkner spent the first thirty years of his life as a notorious outlaw, until the love of Miranda changed his ways. Now Jake's grown son, Lloyd, rides with his father as a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Still reeling from the death of his wife, Lloyd seeks fulfillment in work and doesn't pay enough attention to his young son until tragedy strikes again in the form of vengeful outlaws. Now it's up to Jake and Lloyd to scour the West for the missing boy, with the help of a young Cheyenne woman, Dancing Wind, whose unexpected kindness promises to make Lloyd's heart whole once more.

***

Praise for Rosanne Bittner:

“Bittner sweeps readers away to the days of early Western romance.” —
RT Book Reviews

“Ms. Bittner has a way of bringing the pages and characters to life…” —
Romancing the Book

For more Rosanne Bittner, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

A Cactus Creek Cowboys Novel

by Leigh Greenwood

USA Today
bestselling author

***

Torn between a desire to be free…

When Laurie Spencer said “I do,” she just traded one pair of shackles for another—until her husband's death leaves her with an opportunity to escape her controlling family. Determined to be independent, Laurie approaches sexy rancher Jared Smith with an offer she hopes he can't refuse…

Jared's determined to make it in Texas, but with the local banker turned against him, his dream may be slipping through his fingers. When Laurie offers a partnership, it looks like his luck may be changing…but when she throws herself in the deal, Jared's not sure he'll be able to respect the terms of their agreement and keep his hands to himself.

There's something about Laurie that awakens every protective instinct Jared has…and when all hell breaks loose, there's nothing and no one who'll be able to keep this cowboy from her side.

***

“Greenwood is a master at Westerns!” —
RT Book Reviews

For more Leigh Greenwood, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Linda Broday resides in the panhandle of Texas on the Llano Estacado. At a young age, she discovered a love for storytelling, history, and anything pertaining to the Old West. There's something about Stetsons, boots, and tall rugged cowboys that get her fired up! A
New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestselling author, Linda has won many awards, including the prestigious National Readers' Choice Award. Visit her at
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