Colonist's Wife by Kylie Scott Read Free Book Online Page A

that as at not letting Rose’s hand-holding bug her.
    And besides, she needed to go to the bathroom. The beer had caught up with her.
    “Back in a moment,” she murmured in her husband’s ear. She stood and wove her way through the crowd, pushing back the irritation. Better to concentrate on the music, the beating of the drums and the ambience of the place. Let it all soothe her.
    Rose could go hang. Adam wasn’t hers.
    Louise saw to the necessities and washed her hands. Finger-combed her short dark hair without looking in the mirror and straightened the baggy white blouse. She’d hung a belt about her hips to try to cinch it in, but her vanity hadn’t been appeased. What she wouldn’t give for her own clothes. Some makeup, maybe. She wasn’t a girly girl, but there were limits to how dull and sexless she could pretend to be. Waking up with all those long-forgotten little aches and pains that spoke of good sex had made the façade much harder for her to maintain.
    It would be wonderful to feel like herself again. To be surrounded by her own things. What she wouldn’t give for the vintage book collection inherited from her grandmother, some of them with pages so brittle she daren’t touch them. What she wouldn’t give for all her things, no matter how stupid or small. They had let her take nothing.
    Louise closed her eyes tight against the threat of tears and took a deep breath. Throwing pity parties in restaurant bathrooms wouldn’t help. She knew better. The price for her things would be her life and she wasn’t willing to pay it.
    Another woman came in and nodded hello before ducking into a cubicle. Louise splashed some water on her face and pulled her shit together. She could do this—time to return to her husband. One of his infrequent smiles would do her good.
    Chairs had been shifted in her absence, pushing hers out to make room for their tighter gathering around the small table. They were deeply immersed in their conversation. Rose had a hand on each of the men, as if she were anchoring them to her. One hand sat on Taka’s shoulder while the other gripped Adam’s wrist as he laughed and shook his head at something she’d said.
    It was the first time she had ever heard him laugh. A real, full-on belly laugh. It sounded wonderful. Louise stood there, hesitating, watching the scene like a kid with her nose pressed to the glass. Wanting in but not invited.
    Taka spotted her first and the corner of his mouth leaped. “Thank the gods, someone reasonable for me to talk to.”
    “I’ll get us another round.” Rose surged to her feet.
    Adam turned to Louise and smiled slowly, the heat in his gaze solely for her. “No. Let’s call it a night.”
    It felt as if someone had flicked a switch inside her. Her blood rushed and her body warmed. Having the full focus of her husband’s attention was a breathtaking, giddy thing. She didn’t even hear Rose’s snarky reply…mostly.
    Adam stood and pushed back his chair, moved to stand in front of her. Close enough to block out everything else. The scent of him filled her head, warm and pleasingly familiar.
    “Let me go take care of the bill and then we’ll go,” he said.
    “Okay.”
    Taka fell in beside him while Rose busied herself at the table, gathering her bag and coat. The dark fall of her braids blocked her face from view.
    “It’s lovely here,” Louise ventured.
    “Yes, it is. I was going to bring you here the other day when I was meant to give you the tour.” Rose’s voice was brusque as she settled her bag on her shoulder. She didn’t look directly at Louise. Her focus remained somewhere over Louise’s shoulder, mouth pinned shut.
    “I’m sorry I missed your message.”
    The woman snorted.
    Which made it past time to cut the bullshit. “What’s the problem here?”
    Rose turned and hiked her chin up. “It doesn’t matter… I understand you went to Adam and offered to scrub his back. It’s great that you and he are getting on now.”