Faith (Goldwater Creek Mail-Order Brides 1) by Leighann Dobbs Page A
Authors: Leighann Dobbs
Tags: Romance, Historical, Adult, Regency, Western, 19th century, Bachelor, Victorian, Marriage of Convenience, sweet, secrets, Past Issues, society, Forever Love, Single Woman, Deceased, Mail-Order Bride, Philandering Husband, Travel West, Husband's Debt
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tattered and fraying. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She could repay Jax’s kind gesture with one of her own. She was an excellent seamstress and could easily fix the cover. Maisie was sure to have some scraps of fabric that she could use.
With the book clutched to her chest, she ran to her room to get a needle and thread.
Chapter 15
“ I can see why you wanted to keep your new wife all to yourself. If I was you, I’d want to keep her away from a handsome devil like me, too.” Jax felt a rush of jealousy even though Ryder’s gray eyes twinkled with mischief and he knew his friend was teasing.
“I wasn’t trying to keep her away from anyone.” Jax regretted his defensive tone and added. “Well, except for you .”
Jax swished the lemonade around in his glass, then scanned the bar for signs of Cleb. Luckily, the man was nowhere to be seen.
Ryder laughed. “I think you have a real gem there. You lucked out considering your ridiculous specifications for a wife.”
Jax shrugged. He had lucked out. Ryder had tried to talk him out of stipulating a plain, unassuming wife in his mail order bride letter. Ryder had said he’d regret saddling himself with an ugly woman he couldn’t even have a decent conversation with, but Jax had insisted. At the time, he couldn’t imagine having feelings for anyone ever again, so ugly and unintelligent worked for him. “Funny, how you think you want one thing and it turns out you end up getting what you actually need.”
“Ahhh … so you’re admitting it now. You have feelings for her, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I could see it last night. And she has feelings for you, too.”
“You think so?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jax grimaced. He sounded like an insecure schoolboy.
Ryder laughed. “With all your experience with the ladies, I wouldn’t think you’d have to ask.”
Raucous laughter from the table in the corner diverted their attention. Seated around the table were four scruffy-looking men. Cards and poker chips littered the surface of the table. A poker game was in session, even though it was only mid-morning.
Jax tensed. He knew all too well that poker games could easily get out of hand. “They’re laughing now, but one bad play and it could turn ugly … especially with someone like Kade Berringer there. I hope we don’t end up in the middle of a shoot-out.”
“Kade can be trouble.” Kade had appeared in town a month earlier. Neither Jax nor Ryder knew exactly what the man did for a living, though they had their suspicions it was something on the wrong side of the law. He wasn’t very pleasant, either, at least not evidenced by the few times they’d crossed his path—he’d been distant and unfriendly. A man of few words and even fewer smiles. In fact, Jax was surprised to hear him laughing. He didn’t know he had it in him.
Jax watched as Kade tilted back in his chair. Cocky. Arrogant. Long legs stretched out in front of him, long brown hair spilling down from under his buckskin hat. His angular face appeared hard and rugged. He had dark skin like someone who was accustomed to spending long days out of doors, and a perpetual stubble of dark hair on his chin.
But the thing that really put Jax off was the man’s eyes. They were piercing eyes of an unusual seafoam green, so pale they were almost translucent.
“I’d like to go kick that chair out from under him,” Ryder said.
Jax’s brows rose. “Why?” He was half surprised Ryder didn’t just go over and do it. Neither he nor Ryder had ever been afraid of a fight. Then again, these days they tried to keep a more respectable profile.
“I don’t like the way he treats his horse.” Ryder’s eyes were still narrowed on Kade.
“Oh?” Jax knew that Ryder’s Achilles’ heel was animals. His boyhood friend was a tough guy on the outside but a softy for anything with fur or feathers. It was too bad he didn’t show that side to more people, especially women, but Jax
With the book clutched to her chest, she ran to her room to get a needle and thread.
Chapter 15
“ I can see why you wanted to keep your new wife all to yourself. If I was you, I’d want to keep her away from a handsome devil like me, too.” Jax felt a rush of jealousy even though Ryder’s gray eyes twinkled with mischief and he knew his friend was teasing.
“I wasn’t trying to keep her away from anyone.” Jax regretted his defensive tone and added. “Well, except for you .”
Jax swished the lemonade around in his glass, then scanned the bar for signs of Cleb. Luckily, the man was nowhere to be seen.
Ryder laughed. “I think you have a real gem there. You lucked out considering your ridiculous specifications for a wife.”
Jax shrugged. He had lucked out. Ryder had tried to talk him out of stipulating a plain, unassuming wife in his mail order bride letter. Ryder had said he’d regret saddling himself with an ugly woman he couldn’t even have a decent conversation with, but Jax had insisted. At the time, he couldn’t imagine having feelings for anyone ever again, so ugly and unintelligent worked for him. “Funny, how you think you want one thing and it turns out you end up getting what you actually need.”
“Ahhh … so you’re admitting it now. You have feelings for her, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I could see it last night. And she has feelings for you, too.”
“You think so?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jax grimaced. He sounded like an insecure schoolboy.
Ryder laughed. “With all your experience with the ladies, I wouldn’t think you’d have to ask.”
Raucous laughter from the table in the corner diverted their attention. Seated around the table were four scruffy-looking men. Cards and poker chips littered the surface of the table. A poker game was in session, even though it was only mid-morning.
Jax tensed. He knew all too well that poker games could easily get out of hand. “They’re laughing now, but one bad play and it could turn ugly … especially with someone like Kade Berringer there. I hope we don’t end up in the middle of a shoot-out.”
“Kade can be trouble.” Kade had appeared in town a month earlier. Neither Jax nor Ryder knew exactly what the man did for a living, though they had their suspicions it was something on the wrong side of the law. He wasn’t very pleasant, either, at least not evidenced by the few times they’d crossed his path—he’d been distant and unfriendly. A man of few words and even fewer smiles. In fact, Jax was surprised to hear him laughing. He didn’t know he had it in him.
Jax watched as Kade tilted back in his chair. Cocky. Arrogant. Long legs stretched out in front of him, long brown hair spilling down from under his buckskin hat. His angular face appeared hard and rugged. He had dark skin like someone who was accustomed to spending long days out of doors, and a perpetual stubble of dark hair on his chin.
But the thing that really put Jax off was the man’s eyes. They were piercing eyes of an unusual seafoam green, so pale they were almost translucent.
“I’d like to go kick that chair out from under him,” Ryder said.
Jax’s brows rose. “Why?” He was half surprised Ryder didn’t just go over and do it. Neither he nor Ryder had ever been afraid of a fight. Then again, these days they tried to keep a more respectable profile.
“I don’t like the way he treats his horse.” Ryder’s eyes were still narrowed on Kade.
“Oh?” Jax knew that Ryder’s Achilles’ heel was animals. His boyhood friend was a tough guy on the outside but a softy for anything with fur or feathers. It was too bad he didn’t show that side to more people, especially women, but Jax
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