Monroe, Marla - Their Border Lands Gift [Men of the Border Lands 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Online Free Page A

didn’t like the idea of being lost in the mountains at night.
    “We’re going to check one last address then turn around and find a place to park and sleep for the night.”
    “Maybe we should try another road. This one looks like it goes all the way to Canada to me. We’ll run out of gas before we can get back to get more.”
    “I’ve got it figured out, Kate. We have twenty-five more miles before we have to turn around, and I have five gallons of gas stored if we need it in case I miscalculated. I’ve got it under control, Kate.”
    “Okay, okay. You know I don’t like driving in the dark and especially not on unfamiliar roads.” Kate had a death grip on her seatbelt.
    “Look, help me watch for the next drive. It should be close now.” The map where he’d marked all the houses had come from the courthouse. He’d bought it from one of the men in Barter Town. “We’re almost at the end of the line I drew.”
    Several minutes later, Kate pointed out an overgrown drive on the left.
    “Is that it?” she asked.
    “Looks like it. Hold on. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
    They followed the drive for nearly a mile before it dead-ended at a small house that looked in fair shape. It had all of its windows and doors from what Kate could see, but they would need to look at it all over to know for sure what sort of shape it was in.
    “It’s getting dark fast, Mike. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to check it out.”
    “I think you’re probably right. Let’s sleep in the camper then get up early and see if it will be livable or not.”
    They climbed out of the cab of the truck and walked through the tall grass to the trailer. Mike unhooked the broken lock and helped her climb up in back. She grabbed one of the flashlights and started fixing their beds. She was hungry, but they’d eaten their meal several hours earlier. She didn’t feel like trying to come up with something to eat now.
    “Climb on up on the bed, Kate. I’ll close everything down and bed down on the floor.” Mike secured the camper door with some wire and a small board he’d picked up from somewhere. Then he settled down on the makeshift bed on the floor.
    “I think this one is going to be the one, Kate. Just wait and see.”
    “I hope you’re right, Mike. I’m tired of riding. I just want to set up housekeeping and let that be that.” She hoped he would forget about trying to find her a couple of husbands if they were far enough out that no one would bother them.
    If he found a woman he wanted to settle down with, they could live there as well. What was wrong with that? Families all lived together nowadays like they used to in the past. She’d give them all the privacy they could want. She just didn’t want to end up belonging to two overbearing brutes who would order her around.
    “I can hear you thinking clear down here. What is it, Kate?” Mike’s voice startled her out of her thoughts.
    “Nothing. I’m just wondering how we’re going to plant a garden if we don’t have a plow to plow it.”
    “You let me worry about that part. You’ll have enough to worry over in the house.”
    Kate rolled her eyes, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Mike took his role as head of the house very seriously. She sighed. Obviously, since he was dead set on finding her a husband or two.
    Kate grew sleepy and finally let her exhaustion claim her.

    * * * *

    “Wake up, Kate.”
    Mike shook her shoulder again. She wanted to slap his hand away, but knew they needed to get up and get on the road again. Then she remembered that they had found a house to look at and were in the front yard camping out.
    She opened one eye and groaned at the light pouring in from the side window where he’d opened the curtains.
    “What time is it?” she asked.
    “It’s just after seven. We need to see about the house so we can move on if it’s not livable.”
    Kate rolled out of the little bed and stepped over his makeshift bed that he hadn’t bothered to