The Reluctant Bride by Leigh Greenwood Read Free Book Online

Russ Tibbolt,” he said without preamble. It was clear the news hadn’t gone down well. “What were you doing with that man?”
    Tanzy hesitated to announce that she was a mail-order bride, but she doubted she’d be able to keep the news confidential for long, certainly not after she was seen having dinner with Russ again tonight. “I’m considering marrying him.”
    “You can’t marry Tibbolt!” Stocker exploded. “He’s nothing but a murdering ex-con.”
    “Russ told me he accidentally killed your brother in a fight.” She couldn’t recall if he’d said it was accidental, but surely it hadn’t been intentional.
    “There was nothing accidental about it,” Stocker shouted. “He hunted Toley down and killed him in cold blood.”
    Tanzy had been upset when Russ told her what happened. Stocker’s version shocked her, but she’d spent her whole life living through a feud. She knew how people reacted when a member of their family was killed. It didn’t make any difference what he’d done or the circumstances of his death, it was the other man’s fault and he had to pay. Reason didn’t enter into it. “I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure you miss him terribly,” she said.
    “It’s been more than ten years, yet it seems like yesterday. He was a young, fun-loving kid. He was from my father’s second marriage, a lot younger than I was, but I loved him like he was my full brother.”
    Tanzy didn’t know what to say or how to express her sympathy, so she said nothing.
    “You must have nothing to do with Tibbolt,” Stocker said. “He’s a villain, a wild man, a killer.”
    That’s what the Viljoen clan had said about her family her whole life, and she knew it wasn’t true. People found it hard to stick to the truth when emotions ran so high. She’d been really impressed by Russ’s letters. The fact that he’d told her about killing Stocker’s brother made her tend to believe Stocker was exaggerating because of his own loss, but she was becoming uneasy. Had she been foolish enough to let a handsome man cause her to forget common sense and caution? Was she throwing herself into the path of greater danger than she’d left behind?
    “Come with me,” Stocker said. “I’ll see that you’re protected.”
    Instinct caused Tanzy to pull back when Stocker reached out and took her arm. “Thank you for your concern, but I have to stay here. I promised Mr. Tibbolt I would meet him for dinner.”
    “Haven’t you heard anything I said?”
    “I appreciate your warning, but I can’t change my plans.”
    Stocker drew back. Gradually the look he gave her changed from one of concern to anger. “If you ignore my advice and take up with that man, no decent person will speak to you. Your only company will be crude men and the bunch of thieves and killers who work for Tibbolt. You will have no reputation. The doors to our homes will be closed to you.”
    Tanzy was shocked by the force of Stocker’s anger. He was acting as if Russ was a crazed killer whose mere existence endangered the whole community.
    “I’ve been told that Westerners judge people by their actions,” Tanzy said, drawing herself up, “not by gossip.”
    “Nothing I’ve said is gossip. You wait and see if what I tell you isn’t the truth.” With that, he stormed off.
    Tanzy was so upset by Stocker’s accusations, she wasn’t hungry. After returning to her room for a half an hour to calm herself, she decided to go for a walk. She felt better once she was outside in the sunshine. Stocker’s words didn’t seem so oppressive. He would naturally be angry at the man who’d caused his brother’s death, but Russ couldn’t be the villain Stocker depicted. Her memory of his strong, open face assured her that Stocker’s reading of Russ’s character was wrong. The true soul of a person was mirrored in his face and eyes. The man who’d had dinner with her last night couldn’t be evil.
    Tanzy had been so caught up in her thoughts, she