Read Online The Payment by Mysty McPartland - Free Book Online Page A

wagons here for an hour.
Alright with you?”
    His eyes rounding flabbergasted to hear Dane
say he married. “Yeah, yeah sure thing, them brother’s of yours
know yah gone and got yah self hitched?” Pete asked and tried to
look around Dane and get a glimpse of his wife.
    Refusing to answer the question Dane spun
around, headed back to the wagons, and lifted his wife down. “Go
with Tuff and buy whatever you need sweetheart.” He looked over at
Tuff. “We’ll meet back here in an hour.” His gaze dropped back to
his wife, and he kissed her brow before he let go of her and walked
away.
    India watched him go with a frown on her
brow. However, when she felt Tuff take her arm, she shrugged and
turned to smile at him.
    “ Come on gal let's get this over and
done with, I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.” Tuff led her
down the busy street and ignored the curious stares they were
receiving. He knew everyone would be wondering about her. Well, as
far as he was concerned, they could keep on wondering. Pushing open
the door of the mercantile, he led India inside. He groaned when he
noticed the woman in the store, knowing instantly there would be
trouble. He cursed under his breath; the gal didn’t need this. He
already knew how wary she felt about facing the boys and what may
happen without this confrontation. And confrontation he knew it
would be.
    Dianne turned slightly when she heard the
door open, her eyes widened and a smile of happiness curved her
lips, with a squeal of delight she hurried over to Tuff. “Oh my
goodness I can’t believe you’re home already. How wonderful. Where
is Dane, Tuff? I can’t wait to see him, I missed him so much, and
there is so much to organize for our engagement party.”
    India stood stiffly beside Tuff; her hand
gripped the sleeve of his shirt as she listened to the tall
blondish haired woman. She looked pretty enough but there seemed a
hard cold calculating look about the woman that made her instantly
alert. However, the word engagement immediately caught her
attention. Could it be true could Dane actually be engaged to this
woman? It made her sick to her stomach to think he might be.
    Dianne waited for Tuff to answer her, but
when he didn’t her eyes narrowed, and only then did she finally
noticed the small woman at his side. Haughtily raising a brow, she
looked the woman over with distain. “Who is this child Tuff? Did
you and Dane pickup an orphan along the way?” She gave a quick
brittle laugh, smiling smugly in disdain.
    Bristling with indignation India let go of
Tuff’s shirt and took a step forward before he could stop her.
Placing her hands on her hips, she eyed the other woman up and down
and with a toss of her head dismissed the woman as insignificant.
Her voice dripped with ice as she turned back to Tuff. “It seems
since my husband has been away his taste in women has greatly
improved. Wouldn’t you say Tuff?”
    Tuff guffawed, took his hat off and slapped
it against his thigh.

 
    FOURTEEN
     
    Her lips twitching slightly at the sound of
Tuff’s laughter, India waited for the explosion to come from the
woman. She could see it building and cringed slightly when the
woman started screeching loudly.
    At first, Dianne could only stare in
disbelief at the smaller woman, but the fury grew inside of her
when she thought of this woman calling Dane husband. The woman
could only be lying; all her plans were made around when Dane
finally returned home. She planned to trick him into an engagement
and then marriage. Her gaze blazing and an ugly sneer on her face,
she started screaming at the woman. “You damn lying little tart.
Dane wouldn’t marry a little nobody like you and besides his
engaged to me. Damn it Tuff tell me the truth, tell me that this
little bitch is lying.”
    Dianne forced herself not to notice how
beautiful the woman looked, with her large violet eyes, heart
shaped face, the dark hair that fell in thick waves down her back
and a figure any woman