An Unwilling Husband by Tera Shanley Read Free Book Online Page A

“No.”
    When he tried to sidle past her to the bedrooms, she sidestepped and stood in front of him, arms crossed. She hadn’t waited around all evening to give up so easily. “No, you won’t even talk to me? I am your wife, Mr. Shaw. You don’t like me. You have made that abundantly clear. It doesn’t, however, pardon you from showing me the respect of a conversation about your intentions.”
    “Look here, Margaret—”
    “Maggie.”
    He squinted at her. Likely he was having as much trouble seeing in the dark as she was. The candle in her bedroom offered little in the way of illumination. “Maggie, I have to be up to drive those cattle at dawn tomorrow. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and in no way up to fighting you tonight, so please...” He gestured for her to scoot aside.
    Compromise it was. “Fine,” she said. “We’ll talk on our way into town tomorrow, then?”
    He gave a harsh laugh. “Oh, no. There is no way you are coming with us on this drive. I saw the way you ride a horse, and I can’t be saving you every two minutes. You’ll stay here. I’ve already talked to Lenny and she has agreed to stay with you. She’ll show you around.”
    Oh, sod it all. You couldn’t compromise with a rattlesnake. “When will you be back?”
    “A week at least,” he replied testily.
    No doubt, he loathed that he might have to answer to anyone. “A week? Why so long?”
    “Because we only drive the cattle fifteen miles a day so they don’t lose weight,” he said in an overly patiently tone, as if she were a petulant child. “It’ll take us a few days to get them to the train station, and then we have to corral them and negotiate a price. In the day we waited to bury Roy the price might have dropped, I don’t know. If it has, we may wait a couple of days for it to come back up. Won’t know ’til we get there.” Garret sighed. “You ever use one of those?” He nodded toward the three rifles mounted on the wall by the door.
    “Of course I have,” she lied, not about to admit any more weakness.
    He raised an eyebrow. “Great. Well, use one if there’s trouble. Good night, Maggie.” Then he stepped around her and disappeared into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
    Worst wedding night ever. Her life was so terribly different from what it had been.
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
    Maggie woke from a fitful sleep to the sound of murmured orders, the jingle of harnesses, and the rooster, which seemed to have an irrational need to crow continuously. Burke yelled at the unknown someone who’d taken the last buttered biscuit, and wood slamming against wood reverberated as boxes of supplies were loaded into the back of the wagon. The men were preparing for the drive at dawn and they weren’t being quiet about it.
    Her bedroom was at the front of the house, so the window gave a great view of the bustling activity. A shawl tightly around her shoulders against the crisp coolness of the morning, she peeked through the window searching for…something.
    Garret. Giving orders and tightening the cinch on a big, dark chestnut horse. The animal was tall and well bred. The early morning light reflected off twitching muscles as he stamped his front hoof. Irritated or not, the animal was beautiful.
    He flattened his ears testily as Garret finished saddling him, and she snorted. The horse seemed as arrogant as its rider. No less an animal would have done for such an unapproachable man as Garret Shaw.
    Her heart ached when the men headed out. She hadn’t expected him to say goodbye, but a look back in her direction would have been nice. How obnoxious, that she felt anything for her impossible and infuriating husband.
    Husband. She plopped un-fetchingly onto the bed. Idiot was more like it.
    Having washed, and dressed in a light blue silk gown, she headed into the kitchen, where Lenny waited at the table. The girl pointed to the stove and sat back, eyes bright and lips quirked in amusement.
    “Me? Make breakfast? My cooking