Not the Marrying Kind by Christina Cole Read Free Book Online Page A

Ranch.
    “Kids went to that creek every day in the
summer. One day Robb dived in, never came up again. Kat was with
him. Guess she panicked a bit, wasn’t sure what to do. She jumped
in, tried to find him, finally climbed out and came running back to
the ranch for help.”
    “He hit his head on something? Lose
consciousness?”
    The man’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“I don’t reckon we’ll ever fully understand what happened that
afternoon. He was a strong boy, a good swimmer. For some reason, he
just stopped breathing. Doctor Kellerman said Robb must have
blacked out, but, well, Abner wasn’t exactly sober. Never know what
to make of anything Doc Kellerman tells you.” He closed the Bible.
“Can’t question the Lord’s will, either. For whatever reason, He
saw fit to take my son.”
    “I’m truly sorry.”
    “But life goes on.” Phillips paused for a
moment before saying, “After Robb died, Katherine took it on
herself to work even harder around the ranch. I suspect it was a
way of easing her grief, maybe assuaging her conscience. To this
day, I think she feels it was her fault, that she should have been
able to save her brother.”
    “It wasn’t her fault,” Joshua said, imaging
the pain and anguish Katherine Phillips must have gone through. He
hated to see anyone go through that sort of suffering. Bad enough
to lose a loved one. Blaming yourself in any way only made it
worse.
    “No, of course it wasn’t, but it seems she
was determined to make up for the loss somehow. She worked longer
and harder than any of the ranch hands. Katherine’s a fine girl,
Mr. Barron. She’s just a mite hard-headed, especially when it comes
to the Rocking P.”
    “I understand.”
    “Well, let’s get down to business,” the man
suggested.
    “Just how much are you asking for this
ranch?” Intrigued, Joshua scooted forward.
    For the next hour, the two men talked.
Phillips had a lot to say, and Joshua listened with keen attention,
now and then asking pointed questions, trying to get all the
information he needed.
    When, at last, they’d signed and shaken on
their deal, Joshua got to his feet. After spending that much time
in the dark, cramped little study, he couldn’t wait to get outside
and into the light of day again. He’d had enough of closed-in,
confined spaces to last a lifetime and then some.
    From the porch, he saw Katherine sitting on
the corral fence, and for a moment—before she noticed him—he took
the opportunity to study her more carefully.
    Certain now that the young woman would make
a perfect wife for Cody, he wondered how he would he describe her
to his cousin. Could he ever find exactly the right words to depict
the dark, russet color of her hair, or to illustrate the way the
sunlight made her long tresses shimmer like gleaming ripples of
copper? Perhaps he would wax poetic and compare her pale blue eyes
to the clear Colorado skies, and her lips to the soft pink light
that heralded the dawn of a new day.
    If only she had a bit more meat on her
bones .
    Maybe if she weren’t wearing that flannel
workshirt, or those trousers, her figure might appear a bit more
womanly. Joshua tried to imagine how she would look dressed in a
fancy gown with ruffled skirts. He frowned, realizing he actually
preferred seeing her in the trousers. Skirts and dresses would
cover up those long, slender legs. He eyed her from top to toe, his
gaze raking slowly over her.
    “What are you gawking at?”
    Joshua’s head snapped up. He’d been caught.
When a man didn’t have a good answer to a question, best to simply
ignore it. That was his philosophy. Grinning, he walked toward the
corral, his gait halting. He’d never found his walking stick.
    “Well, missy, looks like I’ll be starting
work come Monday morning.” He stuck out a hand. “I’m your new
foreman.”
    Those pale blue eyes grew paler still,
turning almost icy. “Don’t play games with me, Mr. Barron. My
father didn’t hire you.”
    He quirked