Patchwork Bride Read Online Free Page B

fencing.
    Braden signaled him. “I don’t want you gettin’ too friendly with any of the neighbors.”
    “Are you tellin’ me you want me to be rude?” Heangled his brim against the driving snow tapping against his hat and stinging like icy needles on his jaw.
    “Not rude, no. But I want your mind on horse business.”
    “It will be.” The chance to keep learning at Braden’s heels was all he wanted. So why did his gaze stray to the buggy? Although he couldn’t see Meredith from this angle, he wanted to, as surely as he sat in the saddle. That could not be a good thing.
    “I know how it is. It’s only natural to take interest in a pretty gal. But remember, we move on. Our commission here is only two months at the most.”
    “I know that.” He knew what was important and why he was here. He had learned a lot, and on this assignment he would have more responsibility and a real opportunity to use what he had been taught. “I know what you’re asking, Braden, and you can count on me. I’m not going to leave you with all the work while I chase after a pretty calico. I’m not that kind of man.”
    “I’m still waiting to see the brand of man you are.” Braden, tough for his years, iron-strong and jaded, had a look that could pare like the sharpest blade. “You have potential, Shane, but you’re a blue blood. I’m waiting to see which wins out.”
    “I’m not playing at this. I’m here to work.” He still had a point to prove. Right now his work was the only importance in his life. He squared his shoulders and did not flinch when arctic blew in on the wind. The curtain of snow thickened, obscuring Meredith’s driving buggy and the rest of the world from sight.
     
    Home was nothing more than a hint of a roofline and a glint of windows through the whiteout. The weather could often be a surprise in Montana Territory and she liked that about this part of the country. Here, you could build a fence, but you couldn’t fence in the prairie. The adventurous part of her, the one Mama did her best to lecture right out of her, thrilled in the feel of the icy wind and violent snow.
    “Uh-oh.” Minnie stood up, gripping the dashboard, to squint in the direction of the front porch. “That’s Mama. Do you think she will notice the mud?”
    “How could she not?” Meredith drew poor snow-covered Sweetie to a stop and set the brake. Beneath the blanket, the mud thick on her coat and skirt had frozen, crackling as she moved. The good news was that snow had iced over it, so it was almost impossible to see the dried brown beneath.
    Please, Lord, let Mama be understanding. She laid the reins over the snowy dash and squinted into the white haze. She saw nothing but shadows and no sign of handsome Mr. Connelly.
    “Allow me.” His voice rolled through the storm. A gloved hand caught hers, and in the thick of the storm she could make out the cut of his wide shoulders and the hint of his square jaw.
    When her hand settled against his broad palm and she felt the power there, awe thrilled her. He was a perilous man because he made her feel both safe and in jeopardy in the same breath. Simply allowing him to help her from the buggy was like taking a grand adventure. For a moment she floated, caught in midairas if defying gravity before she flew downward and her shoes touched solid ground. The veil of snow had thickened, obscuring him completely, and when his hand released hers she felt alone.
    “Girls!” Mama’s shrill voice dwarfed the howling late-spring storm. She barreled into sight, well-wrapped against the cold, marching down the walkway like a general at battle. “I have been worried sick! Where have you been? And who are these people? ”
    Although it was hard to tell in the snowfall, Meredith could well imagine Mama’s curled lip. Mama did not approve of strangers, particularly strange men who were not in the same social class. Meredith winced, picking her way through the ice toward the lee of the house, where