Nathan’s Montana Bride (Sweet Historical Mail Order Bride Romance) (Montana Ranchers Brides series) by Maya Stirling Read Free Book Online Page B

said.
    "I know you do, Abby. Get a good rest. I'll see you in the morning," he said with a note finality.
    Abby's heart sank, her stomach curled and her legs felt weak. How could he do this to her? On their wedding night. She felt crushed.  
    Her wedding night.
    She leaned against the door to steady herself. Nathan looked at her for a moment as he began to turn away. He seemed about to ask if she was okay. But then he paused.
    Abby straightened herself up, standing tall. She wasn't going to let him see how she was feeling. If he needed the time to be by himself, then so be it.  
    She turned quickly and closed the door softly behind her.
    Abigail Grantly wouldn't have a wedding night to remember. The more she thought about it the evening had turned out to be a wedding night she would never forget.  

CHAPTER NINE

    Abby awoke during the night and she was alone.
    The bed seemed huge with only her in it. She ran her hand through her hair and tried to convince herself that the events of earlier that evening had been a nasty dream.
    Nathan's absence in the bed told her it had been only too true. But where was he? Surely he wouldn't be sleeping somewhere else tonight of all nights.
    She sighed and got up out of the bed and wrapped a gown around herself and put her slippers on. She went to the window and peered out into the darkness. It was almost pitch dark outside. Only a few small lamps hung on the doorways of the quarters of the ranch hands cast any light.
    Then her eyes caught a flash of light moving away from the house.
    It was Nathan.  
    He held a lamp in front of him and he was walking away from the house and out past the corral. It looked like he was heading uphill away to the rear of the house. Abby didn't know for sure what was up there.
    Maybe now was the time to find out.
    She ran downstairs and outside, following the direction of where she had seen Nathan heading. As she rounded the corner of the ranch house she saw the light from Nathan's lamp up ahead.
    He was heading up a trail that led away from the collection of outbuildings, some of which housed the ranch hands. There was only darkness up there as far as Abby could make out.
    She made her way forward, tripping and stumbling from time to time. She tried to make as little noise as possible. Nathan didn't turn around, seemingly so intent on his destination that even the sounds of Abby behind him weren't noticed.
    The trail headed up a hill that became increasing steep until eventually it flattened out onto a wide, flat ridge.
    There were a few scattered trees on the flat area. Nathan had stopped. He'd placed the lamp down on the ground in front of him.
    Abby took up a position behind one of the trees. She was out of breath and feeling cold. Peering into the darkness she tried to make out what Nathan was standing in front of. There seemed to be some sort of rectangular bulk which Nathan had taken up a position in front of.
    Then it came to her.
    It was a grave!
    And it could only be the grave of one person.
    Nathan had come up to his wife's grave in the middle of the night.
    Suddenly Abby felt she shouldn't be there any longer. It was not her place to intrude on such a quiet, private moment such as this. She had no place standing behind a tree, watching her new husband standing by the graveside, like this.
    Then she heard a sound and she knew she shouldn't be there.
    In the dark, under the stars of the Montana sky, hiding behind a tree in the middle of the night which should have been her wedding night, Abby distinctly heard Nathan speak.
    She couldn't make out what he was saying. He was too far away for her to hear the words. But she could tell by his tone of voice that the words he was speaking by his deceased wife's graveside were sad. Unutterably sad.
    Abby felt a lump rise in her throat. She tried to swallow, but she couldn't. In spite of herself she felt her eyes moisten. The image of Nathan standing there just affected her in a way that she could barely