Cassandra Austin Read Online Free Page B

goodness.” Emily sighed. “We’re almost home. I’m so-o-o tired of traveling.”
    “Poor little Em,” soothed Christian. “Didn’t you get to nap on the train?”
    Emily’s elbow landed firmly in Christian’s ribs, causing him to jolt into Lynnette. He gave her an apologetic smile, but he didn’t exactly look repentant.
    “I slept some,” Emily said, “but there were two little girls giggling the whole way.”
    Lynnette felt a twinge of apprehension. She hoped Emily didn’t relate the source of the girls’ giggles. Even if Emily had seen the book, even if she remembered the title and author, no one would guess it was hers.
    She stole a glance at Christian and found his eyes on her. Had he sensed her unease? She concentrated on breathing slowly, willing her hands to remain still in her lap. She didn’t want her reaction to make him curious enough to ask Emily why the girls had been giggling.
    Another glance told her he still watched her. Perhaps he was vain enough to take credit for her nervousness, to believe his leg pressing against hers made her heart beat loudly enough for him to hear, to believe his arm against her shoulder made her fingers tremble.
    And of course, that wasn’t it at all.

Chapter Two
    T he wagon was almost even with the house before Lynnette was able to relax. And it wasn’t because of the man sitting so close beside her. Or at least it wouldn’t have been if she wasn’t certain that he watched her.
    “Mostly we live in the top two floors,” Emily said. She seemed to take Lynnette’s effort to keep her face turned away from Christian as interest in the house and leaned around Christian to talk as the wagon jostled up the slope. “The bottom floor’s for entertaining, which we don’t ever do.” She scowled at her brother.
    Lynnette stole a glance at Christian. He was smiling fondly at Emily. Deep dimples in his cheeks made her long to test the texture of the fine blond stubble visible where the sun struck his face. Shocked by her thoughts, Lynnette turned her attention back to the house.
    It had been built into a hillside, allowing ground-level entrances to the bottom floor in front and the middle floor in back. The first floor sported corner bay windows and a porch at the front door. These becamethree balconies for the rooms above. The top floor consisted of a mansard roof with two large dormers, each with its own smaller balcony.
    Christian drove the wagon past the house and turned up a graveled path that led between it and the barn. Lynnette had been so enthralled by the house that she had scarcely noticed the barn. It too had ground-level entrances on two floors and a ramp that led to the third. She looked forward to a chance to explore the massive structure.
    The wagon turned again, and Lynnette got a glimpse of a wide valley below before her view was blocked by the house itself. The back had the same quiet grandeur as the front, though it was less imposing with only two stories visible.
    The two gables had the same small balconies, and she turned to see what their view might be. The ground sloped upward gradually from the house for barely twenty yards then rose sharply. A trail meandered up a hill that dwarfed the house, and Lynnette could only guess what the view would be from there.
    “Welcome to the Prescott Ranch.”
    Lynnette turned to find Christian regarding her quizzically. Was she acting like a city girl, studying her surroundings so intently? There was no need for her to feel defensive. She was a city girl. Besides, she had no reason to impress this man.
    “Thank you,” she murmured, hearing the chill in her voice.
    Emily had already climbed down from the wagon and run around it. Christian jumped down from the dashboard and turned to offer Lynnette a hand. Shewas about to grasp it when Emily’s shout caught their attention.
    “Papa!”
    A tall thin man with fine gray hair had come through the door. Emily flung herself into his arms, and he swung her around