A Taste of Heaven by Alexis Harrington Read Free Book Online

his friend.
    He shrugged. “She's got nowhere to go, Ty. No
family, no job, nothing.”
    “Then give her enough money to last her
awhile. I'm not running a home for females in distress.” He threw
out his hands to emphasize the simplicity of his wishes. “I don't
want her here. I don't like depending on women. You know that.”
    “Who's gonna cook for us when she's
gone?”
    Tyler looked at him as though he'd asked what
day of the week Saturday falls on. “Well, hire another cook, Joe. I
count on you to handle these things.”
    Joe's patience was evaporating. “It'll be
nigh on to impossible to find someone this season, Ty. After last
winter, just about everybody who could went west to Oregon, and
south to the spreads in Nevada and Colorado. We did the best we
could to get along on our own but these men don't know anything
about food except how to eat it. And if we can't give them decent
meals, they'll move on, too, and you know that.”
    “And am I supposed to bring her along on the
trail drive, too?” Tyler inquired with obvious exasperation.
“Fifteen men and one city woman out on the prairie with a thousand
cattle? The first time she sees a snake she'll probably hide in the
chuck wagon and refuse to come out.”
    Joe gestured toward the house. “I think Miss
Libby is a lot tougher than that, Ty. Anyway, she cooked for us
last night and even on short notice it was the best supper I've had
in a long time. At least let her stay while we try to find someone
to do the job.”
    The muscles along Tyler's jaw tightened and
Joe knew he was battling with his urge to be rid of Libby Ross
right now, no matter what. In the end, practicality won out.
    “All right, damn it! She, can stay till the
drive starts in two or three weeks, but after that I want her gone
whether you find someone else or not.” Ty turned on his heel and
stalked back into the house, leaving Joe feeling like he'd just
spent a whole day being pummeled by an especially stubborn
bronco.
    Upstairs, Libby pushed her trunk to the
gallery and closed the bedroom door softly behind her. Adjusting
her jacket, she tried to formulate a plan as she reviewed her
assets. But she came up with mostly liabilities. She was a lone
woman in a vast, wild country where man or nature could harm her,
or destroy her, with a swift, uncaring stroke. Tyler Hollins might
be an ogre but she'd been relieved just to hope that she had a
place here. She was pulling on her dusty gloves when she heard her
name.
    “You, there—Mrs. Ross,” he called
brusquely.
    Libby peered over the railing and saw him
standing in the parlor below. He was looking up at her, his face
still a mask of frustration.
    “Those men need to eat and I don't have any
choice but to keep you here for the time being. So get some
breakfast going.” He stormed away, his boots thundering as he went
out the front door again.
    The heel! The lowdown cad! Libby nearly
strangled on her indignation. She raised her skirts and swiftly
descended the stairs. Her feet were carrying her to the door to
search for him, to tell him what he could do with his graceless
demand, when the cold hand of reason stopped her. He had no choice?
She had less than no choice. At this moment in her life she was
without options, money, or friends. And as rude and unpleasant as
he was, having shelter and food was better than sleeping in her
wagon.
    “Tyler's bark is worse than his bite.”
    She jumped and saw Joe Channing standing in
the doorway. The rawboned foreman walked in and pulled his hat off,
giving her a quiet smile. His politeness was a comforting contrast,
but his eyes revealed him to be a poor liar.
    “I think you're fibbing, Mr. Channing. I
would guess that Mr. Hollins's bark is only a sample of his bite,”
she retorted.
    He smiled again, looking sheepish. “Well,
ma'am, not every time,” he demurred in his low, rumbling voice. “At
least it didn't used to be that way.”
    Libby was still too busy smarting from
Hollins's sharp