To Wed in Texas Read Online Free

the twins were born. Danny’s smart with books and strong as an ox, but he don’t take to change well. That’s one of the reasons I had to sign on as the third big brother, the kid needs a lot of looking after.”
    “I do not.” Daniel frowned. “And I think I’m a bit old to be referred to as ‘the kid.’ ” Wolf was more irritating than Wes or Adam. At least they’d been born to the big brother role. Wolf had adopted it and, like every role he’d played as a spy in the war, he played this one well.
    Wolf walked across the room as though pacing off the space between his thoughts. When he returned to the same spot, he looked past Daniel straight to Karlee. “Miss Whitworth, do you suppose you could use that skillet to make up another batch of pancakes? I haven’t had food worth eating in a week.”
    Karlee nodded and went to work. Daniel groaned,thinking it was almost too obvious what Wolf was planning. But a few home cooked meals wouldn’t change his mind. He’d seen enough of the spinster to know she didn’t belong here. He wanted an older woman who’d cook and clean and take care of the twins…and stay out of his way.
    An hour later Wolf finished off his plate. He tried to smile his thanks, but Daniel knew he’d have to wait another day for any “food worth eating.” Somehow she’d managed to make a dozen pancakes without any of them cooking up round. Two had been stuck together in the flipping, and Daniel had almost laughed aloud when Wolf pushed his fork into the pair and batter oozed out around his plate.
    Several of her creations had jumped skillet into the fire. They were now burning on the coals, generating a smoky, sweet smell throughout the kitchen. He thought the odor blended nicely with the smell of burned coffee beans caused when she’d returned an empty pot to the fire by mistake.
    “I could cook up another plate,” Karlee offered as she removed the empty one from beneath Wolf’s nose.
    “No, thanks,” Wolf forced down the last bite. He had his cup halfway to his lips, before he reconsidered and sat it back down. “I couldn’t eat another one or take another swallow of your coffee if there was a gun at my head.”
    Daniel stood suddenly and stormed from the room.
    Karlee and Wolf stared at one another, then watched the door leading to the rest of the house as if he’d return momentarily. But Daniel’s footsteps sounded on the stairs. A door closed somewhere on the second floor with a slam.
    Wolf frowned and Karlee felt her hopes sink. Daniel didn’t want her here. He’d probably pay to send her back to the aunts when he discovered she’d arrived penniless.After the meal she’d fed Wolf, the hairy man would no longer be on her side. They’d likely take up a collection to have her on the first boat so there would be no chance she’d cook breakfast.
    Karlee forced herself to face Wolf. The least she could do was thank him; he’d given her a chance, which was more than the reverend had done. “I …”
    Wolf’s raised hand stopped her. When he moved his finger to his lips, she heard a strange sound. Low, rumbling, like thunder trapped in a faraway canyon.
    The eerie sound continued, growing louder.
    “What is it?” Karlee whispered.
    Wolf smiled as the sound rattled from above. “It’s laughter,” he whispered. “Laughter from a man who hasn’t laughed in far too long.”
    The hairy man winked at Karlee. “You’re staying, Cousin Karlee,” he mumbled. “If you’re still willing. I think you might just be the medicine this family’s been waiting for.”
    “I’m willing,” she answered, wondering if she might be wiser to think about it for a while. This was unlike any household she’d ever been in. Guns behind sliding doors, drunks arriving unannounced, a Ranger who thought of the place as home.
    But one thing seemed blended in the very air here…adventure. To Karlee, who’d spent the past few years taking care of aging aunts, the desire to breathe deep