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

would more likely kill you than fill you.” Maggie shook her head. “Huh uh.”
    Lenny repeated the gesture, then got up and took stoneware canisters of salt and flour and pans out of various cupboards, holding each up in front of Maggie in turn. Then she pointed in the direction in which the men had disappeared and made horns on her head with her fingers.
    “I don’t understand,” Maggie said. “Garret?”
    The girl nodded enthusiastically.
    “Garret is a bull? I know he’s a bull-headed man. Is that the symbol we are using for him? Bull?”
    Another nod and a smile
    “We need the symbol for donkey.”
    Lenny frowned, head cocked, and Maggie brayed like an ass. A peal of laughter came from the Indian girl, and she couldn’t help but join her.
    Recovered, Lenny began again, making the symbol for Garret, and then pointed to Maggie and shook her head in mock sadness.
    “He doesn’t think I can make it out here. He doesn’t think I can do anything?”
    Lenny nodded slowly.
    “Will you teach me?”
    Smiling, the girl held up the flour again. Lesson one.
    * * * *
    Without Lenny’s guidance the biscuits would have been in flames, cooked until they resembled unappetizing hunks of black coal. Thanks to her, the biscuits didn’t taste half bad and mopped in molasses with a side of fried eggs, breakfast was just this side of heaven.
    After they’d had their fill, Lenny took her riding. She didn’t show her much, other than to adjust her posture, but they went on a long ride around the ranch. Perhaps both to give her time in the saddle so she could adjust to riding again, and to become familiar with the place she would now call home.
    She’d explored the land in her youth, but it was something more with Lenny, who pointed out rock formations jutting from the craggy earth, creatures that were invisible to the untrained eye, and followed indiscernible trails.
    Behind Lenny, she ducked branches and sidestepped rocky terrain and when her escort pushed her to take Buck up a steep embankment, squeaked in fear. As terrifying as it had been, upon reaching the top and experiencing the view, oh, what a feeling of accomplishment. She could see for miles. A view like this didn’t exist in the city. Clusters of bright green trees dotted the landscape and a river wound through the land like some great serpent.
    By the time they dismounted in front of the house, her muscles ached from the combination of riding the day before and the long ride around the ranch. Lenny laughed as Maggie strode tenderly into the house. She must look every bit the bowlegged cowboy. If one ignored the fancy dress, of course.
    Lenny packed up a lunch of leftover biscuits, cheese, dried beef and an apple for each of them, careful to show her where everything was, then took a couple of long-barreled rifles off the sturdy hooks that held them. One lesson on how to hold the gun safely wasn’t nearly enough, but the Indian girl headed out the front door, leaving her to follow clumsily behind.
    Lesson or not, she held her weapon like it was a snake. The rifle looked even more dangerous in her soft, unpracticed hands, and when the barrel of the gun snagged one of her perfectly pinned curls and threatened never to let go, Lenny stepped in and put an end to her frantic flailing. Kindly, her experienced teacher only rolled her eyes once.
    They plodded around the side of the house and headed in the direction of Roy’s place, and the thought of him had her sinking in despair. He should’ve been here to show her how to shoot, encouraging her with his kindness and dry sense of humor. By the time they stopped at a lane where a wooden table had been set up, she was close to misery.
    Lenny took the gun from her, set it upright against the rickety, weather-worn table, then holding Maggie’s hand, led her to a giant cottonwood. In the shade of the sprawling branches, she sat with Lenny and ate lunch.
    In the wake of the rifle trying its best to maim her curls, her hair