Daniel's Desire by Callie Hutton Read Free Book Online Page A

homestead, this section of Indiana had an appeal all its own. Consisting mostly of rolling forests and prairie, the area offered good, rich farmland. It appeared the Wilson farm provided plenty of food to sustain the family, along with several acres of corn and wheat, which most likely brought in cash.
    Hans had built the house to withstand the heat of summer and the cold winds of winter. The structure sat nestled between several large oaks, which would provide plenty of cooling protection from strong sunlight.
    Sturdy shutters framed each window, which boasted much-coveted panes of glass. All in all, the farm looked solid and productive — a place that could easily add horse breeding to its design.
    Get your mind off that subject. This is all temporary for you.
    Had it not been for the war, he would certainly stick around to see if this attraction he felt for Rosemarie was real. And discover if she felt it too, as he suspected she did. Running his palms over her soft, curvy body as he cooled her down had transferred the heat from her body to his. He did not imagine her heart sped up when he shifted her soft body while carrying her, those soft breasts pressed up against his chest. But he needed to put those thoughts aside.
    Daniel whistled as he surveyed the area, and made his way to the creek. After scrubbing his body and hair, then rubbing the goose bumps on his skin dry, he tugged on the pants, which were a bit loose in the waist. He switched his suspenders from his worn uniform to the wool pants. The flannel shirt stretched across his chest, straining the buttons. The cuffs were a bit short, so he rolled them to his elbows. Hans Wilson had been a large man, but not quite as big as Daniel.
    After gathering his filthy uniform, he bundled the pieces, strode off into the woods, and buried them under a log. Checking the pocket of the borrowed pants to assure himself the ring was there, Daniel headed back to the house, feeling and smelling a whole lot better than when he’d left.
    • • •
    Daniel spent the next couple of days working on the chicken coop and some fencing that had fallen into disrepair since Hans’ passing. Then he and the three children scoured the woods, rounding up the escaped chickens and returning them to their proper home. He fixed a gate that had blown down during a winter storm.
    He tried to avoid touching Rosemarie as much as possible. Amelia had been designated to fetch and carry for her, but Daniel still found himself drawn to her room, even for just conversation. And a few times a day, he gathered her warm body into his arms and carried her to the kitchen for meals, or to the parlor for a change of scenery.
    “I don’t understand why you have to carry me everywhere. Can’t you find a sturdy stick outside that I can use to walk with?”
    Daniel smiled at the half-hearted attempt to keep her distance. The three children all asleep, he settled Rosemarie on the sofa, and then sat in the chair across from her. “Maybe in a day or so.”
    “Tell me what the South is like.” Rosemarie shifted her bottom to settle in.
    He tried not to think too much about how he’d like her wiggling that plump bottom like that on his lap. “In some ways very different from here, in other ways much the same.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “A very confusing answer.”
    He chuckled. “But a true one. We talk differently,” he grinned, “as I’m sure you’ve noticed. But both sides want the same things. Enough work to put food on the table. A comfortable home to come back to each evening — ,” he hesitated, “ — a wife, family, friends. All the pleasures of life.”
    “They why are the North and South bent on killing each other?”
    “If you ask me, downright foolishness. Washington wants to tell the states how to live and the Southern states rebelled. Oh sure, slavery was one of the issues, but not everyone in the South has, or wants, slaves.”
    “Did you?”
    Daniel shook his head. “My family owned a