In Your Arms (Montana Romance) Read Online Free Page B

it were cotton. His feet were already stiff and clumsy. Lily charged on in front of him. If he felt the cold, she must be chilled to the bone.
    “So are you letting me give you a ride home or not?” he called after her.
    “Not,” she said without hesitation.
    “Why not?” he demanded.
    She pressed her lips tight instead of answering.
    He sighed and moved faster until he walked by her side. The sky was grey and dull above. The scent of snow was in the air along with wood smoke from the rows of houses. Icy air bristled in his lungs.
    “Give me one good reason why you should walk three miles in this cold when I’m offering a ride,” he said.
    “ Because I’m not interested,” she replied.  “As I said, I have a horse.”
    He stopped and huffed out a breath. Irritating woman.
    She turned toward River Woman’s house and he followed. He stood just behind her as she knocked on the door.
    The door swung open. “Singing Bird, Mr. Avery,” River Woman greeted them.
    Singing Bird. Something about the sound of it sent shivers straight to places they shouldn’t go when children were around.
    “ We’ve come to check on Red Sun Boy,” he said without hesitation.
    Lily twisted to glare at him with a look that could evaporate the snow in the sky.
    River Woman smiled, her weathered face wrinkling, and held the door wide. “Come in then. He is resting.”
    Lily stepped into the house ahead of him. Christian followed before she could slam the door on him. He had no doubt she would do it if given half a chance. He fought not to grin at the thought.
    “ Does it sting any less?” Lily asked Red Sun Boy without preamble. She knelt by his chair to look at his red and puffy face.
    “I can bear these wounds,” Red Sun Boy answered, ever the stoic warrior. “They will know I am not a coward.”
    “No one’s saying you’re a coward, son,” Christian said.
    Why his statement earned him a sharp glare from Lily was beyond him.
    “You must make an effort to cooperate with Grover and his friends,” Lily told the boy. “I know they were in the wrong, but we should never sink to the level of an enemy.”
    He had the distinct impression she was including him in her speech.
    “Yes, Miss Lily,” Red Sun Boy nodded, looking every bit as proud as a chief.
    Lily stood to face River Woman. “I am sorry this happened.”
    “He is just like his father,” River Woman chuckled.
    The comment was meant to dismiss the seriousness of the incident, but for reasons unknown, Lily seemed more uneasy than before. She clasped her hands behind her back, lowering her eyes. Women were all friends, weren’t they? Yet there Lily was, looking like she’d forgotten how to speak.
    “We’d better get moving,” he said to break the baffling tension that filled the room.
    “Yes, yes. The weather is getting bad,” River Woman agreed. “You should both leave while you can or you will be stuck.”
    “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Christian added.
    Lily’s jaw went rock hard. “I’ll be back for the children first thing on Monday morning,” she said, ignoring him. “We begin preparations for the academic games next week, and I am counting on you for my team, Red Sun Boy.”
    In spite of his bruised and swollen face, Red Sun Boy smiled. “I will not let you down, Miss Lily.”
    Lily nodded her goodbye to River Woman, then headed out into the cold. Christian tailed her, catching up to her side as they walked to the stable. Light flakes of snow were beginning to float through the air.
    “What are the academic games?” he asked.
    She said nothing.
    “Is it something at the school?”
    Still silence.
    He huffed out a breath that clouded in the air.
    “Did I say something wrong that’s making you pretend I’m not here?” he asked.
    It took her too long to answer. “I don’t appreciate men who try to bully me and interfere with my business.”
    Christian stopped and spread his arms wide. “Who’s bullying you? I just