Chevonne: Bride of Oklahoma (American Mail-Order Bride 46) by Leighann Dobbs

down the stairs. Was she locking it because she was afraid of him after his behavior the night before? But the door had been locked when she got to the room.
    Trey couldn’t think of any good reason for the room to be locked when Chevonne wasn’t in it. Did she think he would go through her things? Did she have something to hide?
    He didn’t recall seeing anything suspicious in there the night before. Then again, he couldn’t recall much from the night before except the kiss. His heartbeat kicked up a notch remembering how her soft, warm lips had felt against his.
    Chevonne hadn’t mentioned the kiss at breakfast. He’d been half afraid she wouldn’t speak to him, but she’d acted as if nothing had even happened, which, Trey had to admit, bruised his ego just a bit. Had the kiss not affected her as much as it had him? Or maybe she was too embarrassed to even talk about it.
    He’d spent half the night kicking himself for not having more sense. He’d acted like some kind of animal that attacked anything in a thin nightdress. Trey’s body reacted to the thought of Chevonne in her nightclothes. He spun away from the stairs hastily.
    Feeling like this about his wife of convenience was not in his plan. Of course, he should never have kissed her in the first place, but he couldn’t take it back now. The memory of the searing kiss and the feelings that surged through him every time he thought about it was going to make living in the same house with Chevonne awkward. Not taking things further was going to be very difficult.
    With any luck, Chevonne would never mention it and they could both forget about it, eventually. He was sure she wanted the same type of unemotional marriage he did. Although, the flush in her cheeks, the look in her eye and the way her body had melded into his last night seemed to indicate differently, at least for a few moments.
    The project. That’s what he should be focusing on.
    As he turned toward the study, the mason jar of flowers in the foyer caught his eye. It was homey and cheery and he had to admit he did like that nice little touch. Glancing around, he saw for the first time how bare his house was. It was a house but not a home .
    His mind started picturing what it might look like as a home: a cozy sofa and chairs in front of the fireplace in the sitting room, the hearth warm and glowing... and Chevonne curled up on the sofa next to him.
    He shook the image out of his head. Those kinds of thoughts were dangerous. But he did appreciate the nice touch of the flowers and how she’d been cooking his meals, and fixing his mother’s reticule, and now sewing the curtains even though her ankle hurt her. He wanted to do something nice to repay her, and he knew just the thing.
    The other day she’d wanted a bath but hadn’t seemed keen on using the tub out on the porch. The more Trey had thought about it, the less keen he was on her using it out there with his ranch hands so close. He’d come up with a design that required the canvas. He’d work on that now and surprise her with it before supper.
    As he headed out to the tool shed, he tried to shake the image of Chevonne in a sudsy tub out of his mind. He couldn’t afford to waste precious time daydreaming about his wife .

Chapter 13
    C hevonne relaxed into the warm , sudsy water. It felt like she hadn’t had a delicious bath in years. She reached for the bottles of soaps she’d brought from home—one to wash her hair and one for her body. Slowly, she soaped every inch of herself as she breathed in the sweet Lily of the Valley scent.
    Her heart warmed at Trey’s thoughtful gesture. He’d remembered that she wanted a bath and he had provided her with privacy. She admired his handiwork.
    A three-canvas-paneled screen created a room around the tin tub on the back porch. It was perfectly made to fit on the porch, set against the house wall which made the fourth wall of her improvised room. No windows opened onto her bath space.
    There were