Read Online Mail Order Cowboy (Harlequin American Romance) by Pamela BAUER - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Pamela BAUER
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Hannah?”
“I’m not seventy-five, Mr. Dumler....”
“Wood,” again he corrected her.
“And I’m not in the habit of letting complete strangers into my house.”
“If you’ll untie my hands, this stranger will leave your house. I don’t make a habit of staying where I’m not wanted.”
He could see she was still a bit apprehensive about untying him, but finally she moved closer to the bed. Tentatively, her fingers reached for the frayed ends of cloth, carefully avoiding any contact with his flesh. As she struggled with a knot that didn’t want to be undone, Wood saw straight white teeth tug on her lower lip. The longer she worked at the knot, the more he studied her face.
She knew he was staring at her. She’d sneak a quick peek at him, then quickly return her attention to the knot, a delicate pink spreading across her cheeks. For someone with such a sharp tongue, she had a very kissable mouth. Soft. Full. Wood had to look away for he could feel his body reacting to her nearness.
Not that it helped. Even with his eyes on the ceiling he was very much aware of her presence. The scent of orange blossoms wouldn’t let him forget that she was close enough to touch.
“There.” She breathed a sigh of relief as the knot finally came undone. “Can you get the rest?”
“I don’t think even a sane man could untie one of your knots with only one hand,” Wood answered.
“I get the job done,” she said proudly. She had to stretch to reach his other hand, the action pulling her shirt free of her trousers so that Wood caught a glimpse of bare flesh. Automatically his body responded and he tried to focus on . something—anything to take his mind off of her.
It was then that Wood noticed the leather band on her wrist. In the middle was a small gray square with numbers.
“Is that some sort of time piece?” he asked.
“It’s a digital watch,” she replied flatly, then straightened and gave him a look that said in no uncertain terms was she going to help him with his ankles.
Digital watch? Something was definitely odd with these folks. In all of the time he had been in Minnesota he had never heard anyone use such foreign words or dress so unconventionally. He needed to get away from the Davis farm. He freed his feet, then flexed his muscles, before pulling on his boots.
“Are you all right?” Hannah asked when he dropped his head in his hands.
He nodded. “My head’s sore.” Confused would have been a better word, but he didn’t want to give Hannah Davis any fuel for the fire. “Jeremy said your privy’s near the house?”
“Our what?”
“Privy.” He remembered that Jeremy had told him they called it something else in this part of the country. “The bathroom.”
“You’ll have to come up to the house,” she told him, her face revealing just how distasteful that thought was.
Wood was getting tired of her displeasure. “This might surprise you, but I don’t want to be here, either. Just show me where the privy is, give me my hat and I’ll be gone.”
“I don’t know where your hat is.”
“I reckon I can get along without it,” he said unhappily. “I don’t suppose anyone found my horse?”
Her brow wrinkled. “You brought a horse? I thought Gabby said you came on the bus?”
What was the bus? Wood could only guess that it must be some kind of wagon. “I had a horse, but I’m not sure what happened to it.”
Again, wariness had her stepping backward. She motioned for him to follow her outside. As Wood stepped into the bright sun, he squinted. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he stopped in his tracks. Across from the bunkhouse were four round metal buildings.
“What are those?”
“Grain bins,” she replied in a tone that said he had to be the dumbest man on earth if he needed to ask that question.
“They’re metal.”
“Yeah. So?”
As she led him past the bins his footsteps slowed at the sight of the oddest looking contraption he had ever seen.
“I’m not seventy-five, Mr. Dumler....”
“Wood,” again he corrected her.
“And I’m not in the habit of letting complete strangers into my house.”
“If you’ll untie my hands, this stranger will leave your house. I don’t make a habit of staying where I’m not wanted.”
He could see she was still a bit apprehensive about untying him, but finally she moved closer to the bed. Tentatively, her fingers reached for the frayed ends of cloth, carefully avoiding any contact with his flesh. As she struggled with a knot that didn’t want to be undone, Wood saw straight white teeth tug on her lower lip. The longer she worked at the knot, the more he studied her face.
She knew he was staring at her. She’d sneak a quick peek at him, then quickly return her attention to the knot, a delicate pink spreading across her cheeks. For someone with such a sharp tongue, she had a very kissable mouth. Soft. Full. Wood had to look away for he could feel his body reacting to her nearness.
Not that it helped. Even with his eyes on the ceiling he was very much aware of her presence. The scent of orange blossoms wouldn’t let him forget that she was close enough to touch.
“There.” She breathed a sigh of relief as the knot finally came undone. “Can you get the rest?”
“I don’t think even a sane man could untie one of your knots with only one hand,” Wood answered.
“I get the job done,” she said proudly. She had to stretch to reach his other hand, the action pulling her shirt free of her trousers so that Wood caught a glimpse of bare flesh. Automatically his body responded and he tried to focus on . something—anything to take his mind off of her.
It was then that Wood noticed the leather band on her wrist. In the middle was a small gray square with numbers.
“Is that some sort of time piece?” he asked.
“It’s a digital watch,” she replied flatly, then straightened and gave him a look that said in no uncertain terms was she going to help him with his ankles.
Digital watch? Something was definitely odd with these folks. In all of the time he had been in Minnesota he had never heard anyone use such foreign words or dress so unconventionally. He needed to get away from the Davis farm. He freed his feet, then flexed his muscles, before pulling on his boots.
“Are you all right?” Hannah asked when he dropped his head in his hands.
He nodded. “My head’s sore.” Confused would have been a better word, but he didn’t want to give Hannah Davis any fuel for the fire. “Jeremy said your privy’s near the house?”
“Our what?”
“Privy.” He remembered that Jeremy had told him they called it something else in this part of the country. “The bathroom.”
“You’ll have to come up to the house,” she told him, her face revealing just how distasteful that thought was.
Wood was getting tired of her displeasure. “This might surprise you, but I don’t want to be here, either. Just show me where the privy is, give me my hat and I’ll be gone.”
“I don’t know where your hat is.”
“I reckon I can get along without it,” he said unhappily. “I don’t suppose anyone found my horse?”
Her brow wrinkled. “You brought a horse? I thought Gabby said you came on the bus?”
What was the bus? Wood could only guess that it must be some kind of wagon. “I had a horse, but I’m not sure what happened to it.”
Again, wariness had her stepping backward. She motioned for him to follow her outside. As Wood stepped into the bright sun, he squinted. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he stopped in his tracks. Across from the bunkhouse were four round metal buildings.
“What are those?”
“Grain bins,” she replied in a tone that said he had to be the dumbest man on earth if he needed to ask that question.
“They’re metal.”
“Yeah. So?”
As she led him past the bins his footsteps slowed at the sight of the oddest looking contraption he had ever seen.
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