Read Online The Christmas Bride - A Western Romance Novella (Book 4, Burnett Brides Series) by Sylvia McDaniel - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sylvia McDaniel
Tags: Historical Romance, Texas, cowboy, matchmaker, bride, Fort Worth, western historical romance, Christmas 2013
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grandchildren. Her family liked him, and no matter what obstacle she threw at him, he wouldn’t let it deter him from his pursuit of her. But she had to stop this before it went any further.
She had to stop this before someone got hurt. She had to stop this before she got hurt.
#
As the afternoon sun slid down the western sky and the temperatures started to cool, the crowd began to pack up their buggies for the drive back to town.
When Wyatt and Lucas finished playing horseshoes, he brought the boy back to Eugenia. He was looking forward to a lively conversation on the return trip about why she didn’t like marriage. He was anxious to hear her reasoning.
He walked around the twenty or more buggies, searching for her dark hair spun with gray. Her sweet voice with its southern drawl that made him smile. As he strolled along, he saw her, seated in her son’s wagon with baby Desirée in her lap.
His breath tightened in his chest. What was it about Eugenia that had his body responding to the sight of her? Why did he want to spend so much time with her?
He strode toward them, and when he came up on their wagon, she gazed at him, her blue eyes challenging him. He lifted Lucas up into the wagon beside his grandma.
“Wyatt, I need to ride home with Travis and Rose. Desirée is getting fussy, and one of us has to hold her all the time.”
Rose climbed into the wagon. “You can hand her to me now, Eugenia.”
Looking directly into Eugenia’s sapphire eyes, he smiled, knowing she had just been caught in a lie. Eugenia sat there frowning, but finally released the child to her mother, and Wyatt decided to make it easy on her.
“I’ll see you at rehearsal on Tuesday,” he said, wondering how much longer he could continue this game with Eugenia. Frustration gripped his insides and twisted them tighter than a vise.
Time was running out before he quit chasing this woman who he knew was attracted to him but held back. God, whatever Thomas had done to her, it was hell trying to get her to consider marriage again.
“I’ll see you then,” she responded.
He turned and walked away, realizing that somehow she’d had second thoughts about telling him why she hated marriage. Every time he thought they’d made progress, she took a step back. How much longer could they do this?
#
Tired, Eugenia sat on the edge of the buggy with Lucas between her and Rose. He leaned his head against her shoulder.
“Nana, why aren’t you married?” Lucas asked.
“Because your grandfather passed away before you were born,” Eugenia said, thinking this was a new question he’d yet to ask her.
“Passed away?”
“He died.”
Lucas sat up, gazing at her with eyes so much like his father’s that she wondered how Sarah had kept his paternity a secret for so long.
“Don’t you want to get married again?” he questioned, his sweet little-boy face gazing at her in wonder.
“Not really.”
He frowned. “Wyatt showed me how to play horseshoes this afternoon. I like him.”
“Good. I’m glad.”“He needs a wife,” the boy said, tugging on her dress sleeve to make certain she heard him.
Eugenia turned to look at her grandson, knowing instinctively what was about to come out of this babe’s mouth, wondering where he’d heard this statement.
“I told him he should marry my nana.”
“And what did he say?” she asked, thinking of ways that she could do bodily harm to Wyatt.
“He told me he would ask you.”
Eugenia took a deep breath to calm the anger exploding within her. Her blood began to writhe and roil like a serpent in search of its victim. She wanted to wring his neck for bringing her grandson into this. Wyatt had no right to persuade her grandson that she needed a husband.
“Please say yes, Nana,” the child whined.
A calmness she’d forgotten she possessed soothed her frazzled brain. “Lucas, marriage is not something that people enter into lightly. You should love the person that you marry.”
“But
She had to stop this before someone got hurt. She had to stop this before she got hurt.
#
As the afternoon sun slid down the western sky and the temperatures started to cool, the crowd began to pack up their buggies for the drive back to town.
When Wyatt and Lucas finished playing horseshoes, he brought the boy back to Eugenia. He was looking forward to a lively conversation on the return trip about why she didn’t like marriage. He was anxious to hear her reasoning.
He walked around the twenty or more buggies, searching for her dark hair spun with gray. Her sweet voice with its southern drawl that made him smile. As he strolled along, he saw her, seated in her son’s wagon with baby Desirée in her lap.
His breath tightened in his chest. What was it about Eugenia that had his body responding to the sight of her? Why did he want to spend so much time with her?
He strode toward them, and when he came up on their wagon, she gazed at him, her blue eyes challenging him. He lifted Lucas up into the wagon beside his grandma.
“Wyatt, I need to ride home with Travis and Rose. Desirée is getting fussy, and one of us has to hold her all the time.”
Rose climbed into the wagon. “You can hand her to me now, Eugenia.”
Looking directly into Eugenia’s sapphire eyes, he smiled, knowing she had just been caught in a lie. Eugenia sat there frowning, but finally released the child to her mother, and Wyatt decided to make it easy on her.
“I’ll see you at rehearsal on Tuesday,” he said, wondering how much longer he could continue this game with Eugenia. Frustration gripped his insides and twisted them tighter than a vise.
Time was running out before he quit chasing this woman who he knew was attracted to him but held back. God, whatever Thomas had done to her, it was hell trying to get her to consider marriage again.
“I’ll see you then,” she responded.
He turned and walked away, realizing that somehow she’d had second thoughts about telling him why she hated marriage. Every time he thought they’d made progress, she took a step back. How much longer could they do this?
#
Tired, Eugenia sat on the edge of the buggy with Lucas between her and Rose. He leaned his head against her shoulder.
“Nana, why aren’t you married?” Lucas asked.
“Because your grandfather passed away before you were born,” Eugenia said, thinking this was a new question he’d yet to ask her.
“Passed away?”
“He died.”
Lucas sat up, gazing at her with eyes so much like his father’s that she wondered how Sarah had kept his paternity a secret for so long.
“Don’t you want to get married again?” he questioned, his sweet little-boy face gazing at her in wonder.
“Not really.”
He frowned. “Wyatt showed me how to play horseshoes this afternoon. I like him.”
“Good. I’m glad.”“He needs a wife,” the boy said, tugging on her dress sleeve to make certain she heard him.
Eugenia turned to look at her grandson, knowing instinctively what was about to come out of this babe’s mouth, wondering where he’d heard this statement.
“I told him he should marry my nana.”
“And what did he say?” she asked, thinking of ways that she could do bodily harm to Wyatt.
“He told me he would ask you.”
Eugenia took a deep breath to calm the anger exploding within her. Her blood began to writhe and roil like a serpent in search of its victim. She wanted to wring his neck for bringing her grandson into this. Wyatt had no right to persuade her grandson that she needed a husband.
“Please say yes, Nana,” the child whined.
A calmness she’d forgotten she possessed soothed her frazzled brain. “Lucas, marriage is not something that people enter into lightly. You should love the person that you marry.”
“But
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