Read Online His Bewildering Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Spicy Version Book 3) by Merry Farmer - Free Book Online
Authors: Merry Farmer
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livery—lined the roads as well.
“Haskell certainly has room to grow,” Wendy commented as they walked on.
“Howard designed it that way,” Travis agreed. “He wants Haskell to become as big as Cheyenne, or even Denver. I don’t know if that will happen.” He sent her an amused grin.
“You never know, it could.” And if she was really able to set up a dress shop before it did, fortune might smile down on her in ways she’d never imagined.
They walked all the way to the edge of town, where a long, lonely road disappeared into the distance. The cattle Wendy had seen from her hotel window were barely visible as dots against the green and brown of the vast landscape.
“There.” Travis pointed to the other side of the road from where the cattle roamed. “See that clump of buildings way off over that way?”
Wendy squinted and looked. Sure enough, across the distance, a cluster of buildings stood out against the backdrop of mountains. “They look like a group of houses wandered away from town and got lost,” she chuckled.
Travis’s lips twitched, partly in humor, but a bit of the light went out of his eyes. “That’s The Village,” he explained. Wendy dragged her eyes away from the houses to focus on him. “You know, the houses Howard is building for his ranch hands who send to Hurst Home for brides.”
“Cody’s house.” Wendy gazed out over the vast, open stretch once more. She had to shield her eyes and squint to make them out. “I had no idea it was so far from the heart of town.”
“It’s about midway between town and Paradise Ranch.”
“Which is Howard Haskell’s ranch, right?”
“Right,” Travis answered.
Wendy lifted on her toes and searched the horizon. The landscape was more open than she was used to in the city, but also barren enough to make her shiver. “And where is Mr. Bonneville’s ranch?”
“It’s about five miles that way.” He pointed just slightly to the right of The Village. “One bit of it adjoins Virginia Piedmont’s part of Paradise Ranch on the far side.”
Wendy’s shoulders sagged. She peeked back at the rooftops making up Haskell, thinking of the empty storefronts on Main Street, then turned to stare off to the horizon. Five miles was a long way away. Travis had mentioned a cabin on Bonneville’s ranch that he would be given with his new job. She would be expected to live there too, of course. It would be a challenge to do the necessary socializing that led to courting new clients if she had to mind a house and husband so far from the town’s center, especially if she couldn’t afford to buy or rent a shop outright.
“We could drive out there and take a look at the ranches, if you’d like.” Judging from the tone of Travis’s voice, he knew she wasn’t pleased with what she had seen already.
She couldn’t be ungrateful, not when he had done so much for her already. She squeezed his arm and tried to smile. “If that’s what you’d like, I’d be happy to see them both.” And she’d get to spend time talking to him, getting to know him. This feeling that they were strangers thrown together couldn’t go on forever.
“All right then.” Travis nodded, turning her to head down the side of town toward the livery. “I rode out from Paradise Ranch this morning, but we can go down and talk to Herb about renting one of his wagons for a ride.”
“I met Mr. Waters on the train,” she said as they changed direction and headed down one of Haskell’s side streets. “He seems very nice.”
“He is.” Travis nodded. “But I heard his sister in Denver is sick or something.”
Wendy hummed at his comment. It was almost as if they were a normal married couple discussing the news of their neighbors. But her heart was troubled. There were more differences between them than the colors of their skin. Travis was a rancher, she was a seamstress. He worked on the land, her work was best suited to town. He was the fish and she was the bird, and
“Haskell certainly has room to grow,” Wendy commented as they walked on.
“Howard designed it that way,” Travis agreed. “He wants Haskell to become as big as Cheyenne, or even Denver. I don’t know if that will happen.” He sent her an amused grin.
“You never know, it could.” And if she was really able to set up a dress shop before it did, fortune might smile down on her in ways she’d never imagined.
They walked all the way to the edge of town, where a long, lonely road disappeared into the distance. The cattle Wendy had seen from her hotel window were barely visible as dots against the green and brown of the vast landscape.
“There.” Travis pointed to the other side of the road from where the cattle roamed. “See that clump of buildings way off over that way?”
Wendy squinted and looked. Sure enough, across the distance, a cluster of buildings stood out against the backdrop of mountains. “They look like a group of houses wandered away from town and got lost,” she chuckled.
Travis’s lips twitched, partly in humor, but a bit of the light went out of his eyes. “That’s The Village,” he explained. Wendy dragged her eyes away from the houses to focus on him. “You know, the houses Howard is building for his ranch hands who send to Hurst Home for brides.”
“Cody’s house.” Wendy gazed out over the vast, open stretch once more. She had to shield her eyes and squint to make them out. “I had no idea it was so far from the heart of town.”
“It’s about midway between town and Paradise Ranch.”
“Which is Howard Haskell’s ranch, right?”
“Right,” Travis answered.
Wendy lifted on her toes and searched the horizon. The landscape was more open than she was used to in the city, but also barren enough to make her shiver. “And where is Mr. Bonneville’s ranch?”
“It’s about five miles that way.” He pointed just slightly to the right of The Village. “One bit of it adjoins Virginia Piedmont’s part of Paradise Ranch on the far side.”
Wendy’s shoulders sagged. She peeked back at the rooftops making up Haskell, thinking of the empty storefronts on Main Street, then turned to stare off to the horizon. Five miles was a long way away. Travis had mentioned a cabin on Bonneville’s ranch that he would be given with his new job. She would be expected to live there too, of course. It would be a challenge to do the necessary socializing that led to courting new clients if she had to mind a house and husband so far from the town’s center, especially if she couldn’t afford to buy or rent a shop outright.
“We could drive out there and take a look at the ranches, if you’d like.” Judging from the tone of Travis’s voice, he knew she wasn’t pleased with what she had seen already.
She couldn’t be ungrateful, not when he had done so much for her already. She squeezed his arm and tried to smile. “If that’s what you’d like, I’d be happy to see them both.” And she’d get to spend time talking to him, getting to know him. This feeling that they were strangers thrown together couldn’t go on forever.
“All right then.” Travis nodded, turning her to head down the side of town toward the livery. “I rode out from Paradise Ranch this morning, but we can go down and talk to Herb about renting one of his wagons for a ride.”
“I met Mr. Waters on the train,” she said as they changed direction and headed down one of Haskell’s side streets. “He seems very nice.”
“He is.” Travis nodded. “But I heard his sister in Denver is sick or something.”
Wendy hummed at his comment. It was almost as if they were a normal married couple discussing the news of their neighbors. But her heart was troubled. There were more differences between them than the colors of their skin. Travis was a rancher, she was a seamstress. He worked on the land, her work was best suited to town. He was the fish and she was the bird, and
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