Read Online Devlin's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers Brides series) by Maya Stirling - Free Book Online Page A

ignored it and started to lead her back to the house. Trent and Nathan followed.
    Devlin looked at Elise as they stepped up onto the porch. She was staring defiantly ahead, studiously avoiding his gaze.  
    What a woman! He'd seen more spirit from her today than he'd seen in all the women he'd known before combined. She wasn't someone to cross swords with. In a way though he'd liked what he'd seen. She was obviously someone who didn't take no for an answer. In this wild country that was only going to be a useful attribute in a wife. But it would certainly make for an interesting life.  
    How was he going to tell her what Trent had revealed? He didn't know that he could. How would she react? Would she storm out and abandon their marriage before it had even started? Or would she do something even worse
    One thing was for sure. He was being drawn closer and closer to his new wife. It didn't seem to matter how hard he worked to keep a distance from her. Trying to keep her at arms length was proving impossible. This whole marriage of convenience thing was turning out to be a whole lot more complicated than he'd first imagined.  
    After she'd stormed out of the bunkhouse he'd thought to himself that maybe this woman was going to prove too much of a handful for him after all. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to deal with her.  
    But they both had to make a go at the marriage, whether they liked it or not. And now, Trent had let him in on something that made it even more urgent that their marriage be seen to be a real one, and not just a fake.
    The nerves tumbled inside him as he thought about just what that meant.  
    He was going to have to get a whole lot closer to Elise than he'd originally bargained for. The thought of that created a whirl of emotions and thoughts inside him.  
    The only decision he had to make right now was how close to her was he willing, or able, to get.
    He gestured for his friends to enter the house ahead of him and closed the door behind him.  
    He was suddenly certain that getting as close as he could to Elise in every possible way would be the only chance either of them would have for a future.

CHAPTER TWELVE

    How come Devlin is being so nice to me all of a sudden, Elise thought as she helped Mrs. Mildmay clean up the dishes.  
    The men had retired to the parlor and she could hear their laughter. They sounded like they were having a fine old time.
    Mrs. Mildmay's kindly eyes seemed to scrutinize Elise's every movement.
    "Are you okay dear?" Mrs. Mildmay asked in a gentle voice.
    Elise sighed. "I guess so. Why do you ask?"
    "It's just that you seem preoccupied dear."
    There was another burst of male laughter from the parlor. Elise rolled her eyes.
    "The men certainly seem to have enjoyed the meal," Mrs Mildmay said with a satisfied grin.
    Indeed the meal had been lovely, Elise reflected. Mrs. Mildmay had gone to great lengths to put everyone at ease. The incident with the pie was making Elise feel very uneasy, the more she thought about it.
    Trent and Nathan were obviously good men. Elise could tell that the three ranchers were real close. She supposed that the trials of ranch life had brought them all closer together.  
    At the kitchen table, tucking into the meal, Trent and Nathan had described the difficulties of ranch life in such a way that Elise began to wonder just what she'd gotten herself into. It was clear that life on a Montana ranch was nothing like life in a Montana town with all it's pleasures and conveniences. It wasn't the harshness of life on the ranch which worried her so much as the difference between it and her former life.
    Was she a spoiled brat? Had Mrs. Mildmay's initial opinion of her been accurate? She certainly had behaved like one, she thought to herself. Her parents had done their best to bring Elise up to be a young lady with decent standards. But what good were those standards here on a ranch? She'd allowed herself to slip when she'd behaved so petulantly and