Read Online The Montana Rancher's Bride (New Montana Brides) by Susan Leigh Carlton - Free Book Online

but I’m not going to do that.” His large hand took her face and held it gently, and she put her arms around his neck and in one swift motion, she was in his arms. He pressed his lips to hers, caressing more than kissing. It set her body aflame. She quivered at his sweet tender touch, and felt as if she floated on a soft white cloud. She parted her lips to allow him to enter.
    When his tongue touched hers, waves of desire coursed through his body. He felt himself become aroused. She could feel it also. “Case, we had better stop, or I will not want to, or even be able to.”
    “It might be a good idea, if we returned to town,” he said.
    “It might,” she agreed, “but wouldn’t it be dark before we got there?”
    . . .
    After eating the food prepared by the cook, they were sitting in the living room, in separate chairs. “What did your mother do during the roundups?” Carrie asked
    “Sometimes, Papa would bring a wagon, with a canvas covering. Mama would sleep in it and would do the cooking. It was a lot better than when the cook did it. I can close my eyes, and smell the hot biscuits and coffee she would fix in the morning.”
    “Do you have a problem with people stealing your cattle?”
    “Our cattle,” he corrected. “It’s called rustling. Sometimes, the Sioux takes a few, but if it’s just one or two, we don’t mind. They do it for food. Cattle rustling is a hanging offense if they’re caught.”
    “That sounds terrible,” she said.
    “When someone takes your cattle, they’re taking food from your family. You have to stop it. Life is hard out here on the frontier.”
    Do you… Our cattle ever get mixed in with other ranches?”
    “Not often. There really isn’t another ranch close enough. Occasionally on a drive to the fort, they might get mixed, but we can sort them out by the brand. Each ranch has a different brand. Ours looks like this... He got a piece of paper and drew a figure on the paper.
    A light dawned for her. “I see it,” she said. “Since it’s on its side, it’s lazy.”
    “Exactly. We brand the calves in the spring.”
    “I sure have a lot to learn about living on a ranch.”
    It had begun to get dark as they talked. Case lit a lamp. Through the window, she could see flashes in the sky. “That must be lightning,” she said.
    “It is,” he replied. “Let’s go out on the porch. It can be spectacular.”
    They sat in the rocking chairs watching the lightning dance across the sky. “Could be a storm brewing,” Case said. “Good for the grass, but not so much for the ca ttle.”
    “Why so,” Carrie asked.
    “If there is a lot of thunder, the loud noises can spook them into a stampede, and scatter them.”
    They sat and watched the show for a few minutes, and Carrie said, “I’m a bit tired. I think I’ll go to bed.” She pecked him lightly on the cheek and went inside and on to the bedroom. She could he ar Case as he tromped up the stairs, then she fell asleep.

 
    chapter fifteen
    The Thunderstorm
    Startled by a loud clap of thunder, Carrie sat up in bed. More thunder, and she lay back and pulled the pillow over her head and fell asleep again.
    A banging sound awoke her. Confused by the unf amiliar surroundings, she got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Case was dripping wet. He was sitting in one of the chairs wrestling with his soaked boots. He managed to get them off and stood. “What happened? Where have you been?” she asked.
    “It got pretty loud, so we had to go out and keep them calm. We got lucky. They were spooked, but didn’t stampede. When the storm passed, we got them quieted down.
    “Case, you’re shivering. You need to get out of those wet clothes. You go upstairs right now, and get out of them.”
    “You sound just like Mama,” he said.
    “I take that as a compliment. Now go,” Carrie said.
    He went.
    She decided to check on him. Taking the lamp, she went upstairs and into his room. His clothes lay in a sodden mess on the