Rustler's Heart (A Kinnison Legacy Novel) by Amanda McIntyre Read Free Book Online Page B

refrigerator, spotted a longneck beer and held it up. “Do you mind?”
    Rein was still processing the whole “sharing the bathroom” idea. “Uh sure, go ahead.”
    She twisted off the cap and lifted herself to sit on the counter. Taking a drink, she glanced his way and raised a brow. “What do you think?”
    Of your thin cami top, or your jeans with enough holes to leave damn little to the imagination? Rein opened his mouth to speak, just as Dalton stepped through the patio screen door. “Hey, Liberty. See you found sanctuary. The only thing worse than a man puking his guts up, is the sound of a woman retching.”
    “You have poetic tendencies, Dalton.” She lifted her bottle in salute and took another swallow. “I told Rein that Aimee’s folks arrived, and I decided to move out to give them Rein’s room.”
    “Hey, there’s always my room.” Dalton shrugged, dropping the wood by the stove.
    “Have you looked at your room?” Rein and Liberty blurted the words together as if on cue. Liberty’s unbridled laughter caused Rein’s mouth to lift in a smile.
    She took another swallow from the bottle. “Besides, once they shovel out your room, Dalton, the wedding party is going to need the space to get ready. I figure it’s easier on everyone this way.”
    Dalton reached into the fridge and snagged himself a beer. He held it up and tapped Liberty’s bottle. “Fine by me. We can make this work. Rein and I will just head down to the next cabin.” He took a swig from the bottle and then frowned. “Except that we have no plumbing.”
    “Which is where you came in,” Rein sighed, still contemplating the options.
    “I suggested a bathroom schedule.” Liberty spoke directly to Dalton.
    A grin spread across his face. “Perfect. It’s settled. I’ll go get the truck and we‘ll load up some of the furniture that’s going into the cabin.”
    “I’ll help.” Liberty hopped off the counter and followed Dalton out the door.
    Clearly, they’d not waited to hear his thoughts on the subject. Rein squeezed the tired piece of plastic in his fist and tossed it in the trash. When had he lost control? A sobering thought occurred to him. The last time his life went topsy-turvy, was when Caroline Richardson waltzed into it.
    And look how that turned out.
    In theory, this should be the happiest week of his older brother’s life. So why did he feel like a bad moon was rising?

 
     
     
Chapter Four
     
     
    Everything seemed to be coming together. Liberty had never seen such a large group work so cohesively to make something happen. She stood on the front porch, a cup of coffee in hand and watched as Rein, Dalton, and Michael followed Sally’s orders, relieved that she’d been given charge over Aimee. Wyatt took refuge inside with a couple of others from town, storing the bales of hay in the upper floor of the barn.
    “Did we remember the ladders? I’ve got to get up there to drape the rafters with the tulle.” She called after the men struggling to carry two eight-foot banquet tables at a time.
    The Church of Christ had allowed them to borrow a few for the reception. The horses had been regulated to the pens outside, the barn floor was in process of being swept and bales of hay with blankets donated by Michael and Rebecca had been placed around the barn inside and outside, for extra seating. A small stage for a local country band had been arranged at one end of the building. Seating for two hundred, Aimee had told her, meant that she’d nearly invited the entire town, in addition to an array of out of town family, clients and friends.
    Aimee, who’d slept in a little later these past couple of mornings, appeared at Liberty’s side, looking pleasantly tired.
    “Morning,” she commented in lackluster fashion.
    The two stood in silence a moment watching the male energy and Sally’s teaching skills in action.
    “She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Liberty remarked. She genuinely liked Sally and it appeared