Read Online Brides of Texas by Cathy Marie Hake - Free Book Online

day, the June heat had begun to build. The door to the doctor’s office was open. Mercy stood at the threshold and decided she ought to knock—after all, the doctor didn’t just work here; he and his brothers lived here, as well.
    “Hey, Rob!” Christopher Gregor appeared in the hall and shouted up the staircase as he yanked Mercy inside. “The plans are here!”
    Of all the brothers, Christopher was the one who never ceased to startle her. His actions were invariably swift and often unexpected. Mercy barely kept from screaming.
    Chris grinned at her, completely unaware of how he’d practically sent her into a panic. “Rob said you think we ought to keep some of the embellishments on the house. You’d better be ready for a fight, because I’m holding out to eliminate every last one.”
    “It’s your house.” She managed to scoot away from him.
    “That’s what I’m telling them. I’ll do most of the construction. I used to do a lot of the mine construction back home.”
    “Oh.”
    “Good morning, Miss Stein.” The doctor descended the stairs.
    “I gave your brother the plans.” She started to turn toward the door to make a quick escape.
    “Actually, while you’re here, I’d appreciate some help.”
    “No fair askin’ the lass. It’s your own fault.” Chris folded his arms across his chest and growled at Mercy, “He slept through breakfast.”
    “I didn’t mean anything about food,” the doctor snapped.
    Chris leaned toward her. “Pay no heed to his surly attitude. He gets that way often enough. One night with a few paltry interruptions and he gets cranky.”
    “So you need some breakfast?”
    “No, I dinna need you minding my belly.” The doctor scowled at his brother. “Go make yourself useful.”
    “Nae. ’Tis too much fun staying here for the moment.”
    “This is a touchy subject,” the doctor began.
    The whole matter seemed far too dubious. Mercy murmured, “Then perhaps you ought to have someone else assist you.”
    “I seriously doubt anyone else could help.” The doctor heaved a sigh. “Come out to the back.”
    “You go on ahead. I’m not fool enough to chance it,” Christopher announced.
    “Coward,” the doc muttered.
    Mercy tagged along and tried to ignore the smell of scorched oatmeal as she passed by the stove. She had no idea what she was getting roped into, but the brotherly banter struck her as amusing. Once she reached the back steps, she gave the doctor a confused look.
    Features strained, he whispered, “So you dinna know what to do, then, either?”
    She blinked. “About what?”
    The doctor cringed at the normal volume she’d spoken in and whispered even more softly, “That.” He pointed to a huge pasteboard box.
    Mercy leaned forward, looked inside, and started to giggle.
    “Now then”—the doctor’s brows puckered—” ’tisna all that funny.”
    “Just yesterday, you told me you were going to get a house kit. I didn’t think you meant this kind.” She went down on her knees by the box where a cat was nursing a litter of kittens—but in contrast to all the other marmalade-colored babies, one was black and white.
    Doc leaned down and clamped his hands on her upper arms as she reached for the baby skunk. He murmured, “I wasna askin’ you to get rid of the beast—just for some advice. I read about them, and I dinna think it’s wise for you to be so close.”
    “He’s a spotted skunk. If he’s ready to do mischief, he’ll stand on his hands.” She didn’t pick up the kit. Instead, she rubbed each of the tiny kittens in the litter. “They’re all about the same age and size—about six weeks.”
    “So how do we reunite him with his mother? And how do we get rid of them all?”
    Mercy sat back on her heels. “Spotted skunks don’t stay any one place for long. They roam. The mother could be anywhere—in a rotten log or an abandoned burrow. She probably came to the house because you’ve set food out for the cat.”
    “So she