Read Online Amon by Kit Morgan - Free Book Online

straight.
    If only he knew how.
     
    * * *
     
    Amon studied the man sitting across from him. Newton Whitman was handsome, with dark eyes and shoulder-length golden hair. He wondered if long hair was the latest fashion in England. But the man’s hairstyle didn’t matter. What did was the offer Mr. Whitman had just extended to him.
    “My sister, Mr. Cotter, has been through almost more than she can bear. I’ll not see her suffer any longer. Can you guarantee me that you’ll make her happy?”
    “I can’t guarantee anything,” Amon told him evenly. “She might not like me. Then what?”
    “A logical assumption,” Newton agreed. “But she has to marry and, as the Cookes deem you the best possible choice, I’d rather she become Mrs. Nettie Cotter than be saddled with one such as Mr. Moresy.”
    Amon nodded. “Clinton is probably the worst man around these parts she could get stuck with. But somehow I doubt that could happen, not with you around.”
    “And you’d be right, dear sir. I’d prefer she live out her days as a spinster than attach herself to the likes of him.”
    Amon stared at Newton a moment and tried to identify the emotions welling up inside. Their discussion had been amiable enough, and twice he battled with telling the Englishman he wanted nothing to do with marriage, that he was only trying to defend his sister from Clinton. But something kept stopping him. Before he knew it, he was shaking hands across the small table between them, agreeing to a union that an hour ago he would have avoided like a plague.
    Now, however, was another story. Those strange clicks inside him had done … something. And before he could stop it, the matter had been settled.
    Now came the details. “I don’t have a house, I’m afraid – I live in the men’s camp outside of town. Obviously that’s no place for a woman.”
    “How long would it take you to build a house of your own?”
    Amon shrugged. “Depends on the help, I guess. Of course, I am good with wood – I could build one myself if I had to. But it would take longer.”
    “Ambitious, I must say,” Newton said, sitting back in his chair. “But not necessary. I’ll help you. We have ample money to stay at the hotel for some time. You and Nettie could have your own room.”
    “Well … that’s most generous of you,” Amon said. “I’m sure your sister would prefer to continue on at Mr. Van Cleet’s hotel rather than sleep out on the prairie.”
    “Quite so,” Newton agreed and stood. “I’d like to get things moving immediately if you don’t mind.”
    “Not at all.” Strangely, he didn’t mind, even though he knew he probably should. “But tell me … after I marry your sister, what’s to become of you? Are you going to stay in Clear Creek?”
    Newton looked away a moment and stared out the window. “I haven’t thought about that much. Protecting Nettie and seeing to her needs has been my priority since we arrived here.” He chuckled as he looked back at Amon. “Long before we left England, actually. It never occurred to me what I would do once my job was done.”
    “Naturally you had to see to her protection. But once that’s passed to me, you’re free to go anywhere.”
    “True enough. But I’ll not think about it until she becomes Mrs. Cotter. After all, there is the possibility she won’t … like you, just as you say.”
    “And what if I find I don’t like her?”
    Newton smiled. “Really? You have seen her. What’s not to like?”
    “The heart and mind are two separate things,” Amon stated. “Though your sister’s do happen to come wrapped in a delightful package, if I may say so.”
    “You may. But be warned,” Newton chuckled. “Her mind is fast and her heart … well, my sister is of a passionate nature. Whether it’s a cause she believes in or a loved one she’s protecting, she gives it her all. And she’s a fighter. I suggest you woo her carefully, Mr. Cotter, and tap into that passion for yourself. As