Read Online His Bewildering Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Spicy Version Book 3) by Merry Farmer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Merry Farmer
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it remained to be seen where they would be able to build their nest.
Travis had never missed his Ma as much as he did in the first couple of days after getting married. He knew everything there was to know about herding cattle, about calving and raising young heifers, and even about branding and taking cattle to market. He even remembered a few things about timber and felling trees from growing up in Oregon.
He knew nothing at all about women.
No, that wasn’t right. He knew enough to guess that Wendy was disappointed over something, but he didn’t have a clue what that could be, other than him.
“Is she ticked off because I’ve left her at the hotel until things get sorted out with Bonneville?” he whispered to Mason as the two of them sat side-by-side in a pew at church, while the women’s choir sang. Cody sat on Mason’s far side, looking like he had burrs in his britches, and Wendy sat beside Travis. She had scootched to the edge of the pew so she could watch the women singing on the chancel without Mrs. Plover’s hat plumes blocking her view.
“You’d think a woman would be grateful to stay in a fine hotel without some rough-and-tumble ranch hand pawing at her,” Mason muttered back, failing to hide his grin.
“That’s what I thought too,” Travis whispered. “She’s a fine lady, and even if Howard would let us stay the Hen House for a week or two, what would Wendy do out on the ranch all day?”
Mason humphed.
Another thought struck him—one that made him itchy with possibility. “She couldn’t want me to stay with her at the hotel, could she?”
There was only one bed in that hotel room. Granted, he knew how to use it, but Wendy didn’t seem the type to cut straight to those sorts of things when, for all intents and purposes, they’d only just met. Not that he hadn’t lay awake the last few nights thinking about it. Wendy was one of the most exotically beautiful women he’d ever met, and her figure alone made him think—
He cleared his throat, remembering they were in church. “Maybe if I rented another room in the hotel, just to be close to her.”
Mason leaned toward him. “You really have the money to stay in a hotel for as long as it takes Bonneville to write up that contract for you?”
“No.” Travis sighed.
“Have you tried talking to your wife about this instead of whispering about it in church where heaven only knows who can overhear you?”
Travis winced. He twisted as subtly as he could to see who was sitting behind them. Dr. Dean Meyers and Aiden Murphy may have had their eyes fixed on their wives in the choir and their squirming children around them, but their grins said that Travis hadn’t whispered quietly enough.
“Sorry,” he muttered and shifted in his seat, crossing his arms and pretending he was listening to the choir too.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Wendy staring at him. She must have thought he caught her staring too, since both of them snapped their eyes straight forward as soon as they made contact.
Wish you were here, Ma . Travis shook his head and forced himself to listen to the singing. Maybe if he wrote to her, she’d send back some advice. At least he had the baseball game later to distract him.
His uneasiness hadn’t let up by a hair as church finished and everyone stood to socialize. It was too chilly and blustery for everyone to head outside to the yard beside the church for a potluck, the way they usually did. The potluck was held inside the school on days like this. But for now, people formed circles and chatted with their neighbors in the church. If only so many of them weren’t staring at him and Wendy.
“My, what a lovely dress,” Emma Meyers commented as she and Dean, Aiden and Katie Murphy, their youngest children, Travis and Wendy formed a cluster off to one side of the pews.
Cody had already turned tail and run along with the older children, and Mason had gone after him. At least Travis wouldn’t have to
Travis had never missed his Ma as much as he did in the first couple of days after getting married. He knew everything there was to know about herding cattle, about calving and raising young heifers, and even about branding and taking cattle to market. He even remembered a few things about timber and felling trees from growing up in Oregon.
He knew nothing at all about women.
No, that wasn’t right. He knew enough to guess that Wendy was disappointed over something, but he didn’t have a clue what that could be, other than him.
“Is she ticked off because I’ve left her at the hotel until things get sorted out with Bonneville?” he whispered to Mason as the two of them sat side-by-side in a pew at church, while the women’s choir sang. Cody sat on Mason’s far side, looking like he had burrs in his britches, and Wendy sat beside Travis. She had scootched to the edge of the pew so she could watch the women singing on the chancel without Mrs. Plover’s hat plumes blocking her view.
“You’d think a woman would be grateful to stay in a fine hotel without some rough-and-tumble ranch hand pawing at her,” Mason muttered back, failing to hide his grin.
“That’s what I thought too,” Travis whispered. “She’s a fine lady, and even if Howard would let us stay the Hen House for a week or two, what would Wendy do out on the ranch all day?”
Mason humphed.
Another thought struck him—one that made him itchy with possibility. “She couldn’t want me to stay with her at the hotel, could she?”
There was only one bed in that hotel room. Granted, he knew how to use it, but Wendy didn’t seem the type to cut straight to those sorts of things when, for all intents and purposes, they’d only just met. Not that he hadn’t lay awake the last few nights thinking about it. Wendy was one of the most exotically beautiful women he’d ever met, and her figure alone made him think—
He cleared his throat, remembering they were in church. “Maybe if I rented another room in the hotel, just to be close to her.”
Mason leaned toward him. “You really have the money to stay in a hotel for as long as it takes Bonneville to write up that contract for you?”
“No.” Travis sighed.
“Have you tried talking to your wife about this instead of whispering about it in church where heaven only knows who can overhear you?”
Travis winced. He twisted as subtly as he could to see who was sitting behind them. Dr. Dean Meyers and Aiden Murphy may have had their eyes fixed on their wives in the choir and their squirming children around them, but their grins said that Travis hadn’t whispered quietly enough.
“Sorry,” he muttered and shifted in his seat, crossing his arms and pretending he was listening to the choir too.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Wendy staring at him. She must have thought he caught her staring too, since both of them snapped their eyes straight forward as soon as they made contact.
Wish you were here, Ma . Travis shook his head and forced himself to listen to the singing. Maybe if he wrote to her, she’d send back some advice. At least he had the baseball game later to distract him.
His uneasiness hadn’t let up by a hair as church finished and everyone stood to socialize. It was too chilly and blustery for everyone to head outside to the yard beside the church for a potluck, the way they usually did. The potluck was held inside the school on days like this. But for now, people formed circles and chatted with their neighbors in the church. If only so many of them weren’t staring at him and Wendy.
“My, what a lovely dress,” Emma Meyers commented as she and Dean, Aiden and Katie Murphy, their youngest children, Travis and Wendy formed a cluster off to one side of the pews.
Cody had already turned tail and run along with the older children, and Mason had gone after him. At least Travis wouldn’t have to
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