Hunter's Montana Bride (Montana Ranchers and Brides #8) by Maya Stirling Page A

women started to make their way back to the house, Gretchen couldn't help wondering whether Hunter would be able to offer her the kind of patient understanding that Chloe had described.
    Or whether he would refuse to allow Gretchen the privilege of being able to keep her promise.

CHAPTER TEN

    Hunter paced nervously along the side of the corral. He couldn't face being in the house for the moment. Not with there being so many surprise guests crammed into the parlor.
    When he'd ridden his horse into the yard he'd been mildly horrified to see so many carriages outside the ranch house. He'd recognized the carriages and knew immediately what it meant.
    Word had gotten around that Gretchen was back, although the news about the twins might not have circulated quite so widely. Gretchen had told Hunter that she'd met Trent on the way to the ranch. So Hunter figured Trent must have told Chloe and she had arranged this mass visit. Babies and all.
    The noise inside the parlor had been deafening, even more so when Hunter had walked into the room. Noisy and enthusiastic greetings had been exchanged as well as genuine congratulations on becoming a father. He'd accepted the good wishes but he'd been surprised to see no sign of Gretchen.
    But, then Trent had explained that Gretchen and Chloe were in the garden, and that they were probably having a "womanly talk" as Trent described it. After a while Hunter had politely excused himself and asked Mrs. Roper to tell Gretchen that he was home.
    Hunter heard the screams of laughter coming from inside the house and felt like groaning out loud, but he resisted the impulse to do so. He'd come home with the express purpose of talking to Gretchen and he'd arrived to find the house full of women and children.
    What a contrast to only a few days before when the house had seemed like the emptiest and most forlorn place in Montana.
    His trip to town had been abandoned on the way. Hunter's mind had been too full of unanswered questions for him to be able to concentrate on a visit to town. On the way into town one of the hands had gotten a hold of Hunter and told him about a fence breach they were having difficulty fixing. Hunter had seized the opportunity to throw himself into work, desperate to forget the disagreement with Gretchen.
    And it had worked. There was nothing like hard work to help a man forget about his troubles. And the fixing of the fence had proved to be handy and effective in driving the words Gretchen had spoken to Hunter clear out of his mind.
    But, the minute he had started on home, that had been the moment when the same old doubts and fears had started to raise their ugly heads.
    Why couldn't Gretchen tell him where she had been while pregnant with the twins? Hunter was sure that Gretchen was keeping something from him, but he couldn't figure out what it could be. She seemed to be under some kind of obligation. Something that clearly made it impossible for her to tell him what he so desperately wanted to know.
    It was burning Hunter up. Not quite as much as how mad he had felt when she had gone away, but it sure was close. What would drive Gretchen to stay away like that? And not only stay away, but not tell her husband where she was. It had driven Hunter nearly crazy, and he'd had to restrain the urges to hunt his wife down by whatever means possible. It had only been the firm but consistent reassurance from Gretchen's mother, Beatrice, that had held Hunter in check.
    And truly, at times, he'd felt like he was about to explode unless he got answers.
    But he'd waited and he'd waited.
    Now she was back, and he found that he still wasn't satisfied.
    How could that be? He had two beautiful children and a beautiful wife who was now back where she belonged. By his side.
    But Hunter still hadn't shown her how he felt about her; still hadn't crushed her in his arms and claimed her with a kiss that would show her the depth of his feeling for her. She was so incredibly beautiful. He'd almost