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

forgotten how sweet it was to be by her side; how proud he felt at calling her his wife; how soft her skin was to the touch; how sweet she smelled.
    Who was he kidding? He'd never forgotten those things. They had driven him near crazy while she had been gone. And now was no different. Every time he looked at her he felt like a new man; felt the same passion he'd always felt for this gorgeous Montana woman.
    He paced nervously alongside the corral. He'd come outside because what he had to do couldn't be done in the house. Not with visitors present. And he knew that he had to do the one thing which had always come naturally to him whenever it came to Gretchen.
    His thinking was cut short by the sound of the front door opening. He turned and there she was. Hunter instantly felt his heart beat faster, his breathing get tighter in his chest.
    Gretchen looked somehow different than she'd looked earlier. She held her chin high and her shoulders back. Gretchen saw him and stepped out onto the porch, starting to make her way across the yard.
    Hunter leaned back against the wooden railings of the corral and simply savored the sight of his beautiful wife making her way toward him. Her movements were so elegant, her poise so assured. The expression of delight on her face at seeing him seemed surprisingly genuine.
    Hunter ran his eyes down the length of her figure enjoying the sight of how she held her hands clasped in front of her, the firmness of her figure and the slow, swirling of her blue dress around her legs. He loved the way her dainty booted feet kicked up little puffs of yard dust.
    Gretchen Sinclair was a sight to behold and he wondered how on earth he could have even thought of having harsh words with her. Right now the last thing he wanted was to say anything unpleasant to this astonishing wife of his. Because that was what she was. An amazing, beautiful woman who had come back to him.
    At last.
    The whole time he'd been down with the ranch hands one thought had kept coming to him, irresistible and insistent. It had been that Hunter had been a fool, doubting Gretchen for even a moment. What right did he have to doubt her? Her reasons for doing what she had done must have been powerful and strong.
    After their earlier conversation Hunter had felt a real curious mixture of emotions. He felt sorry that they had parted on less an good terms. He regretted that he'd obviously upset her. But the one thing that lingered a long time after they had gone their separate ways that morning was the way he felt about Gretchen. She had affected him in the most extraordinary way. A truly surprising way. Being so close to her had reminded him of just how much he loved her; how much he wanted her; how much he needed her.
    So now, leaning back against the wooden railings of the corral, watching Gretchen come closer to him, Hunter set his mind firm. He was going to tell Gretchen how he felt, convince her that she was the most important person in Hunter's life. He was going to make sure that Gretchen was under no illusions about just how far Hunter was prepared to go to show her that he loved her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

    Gretchen's legs were shaking slightly. Every step she took closer to Hunter seemed to make her legs weaker, her stride less sure.
    Did he really have to look at her like that? His gaze was burning into Gretchen so deep she could feel the butterflies tumbling in her stomach. Her throat felt suddenly tight. Her lips were dry and when she tried to smile in his direction, keep up at least an appearance of calm, her lips just seemed to tighten up.
    Hunter was leaning back against the railings of the corral, his elbows crooked against one of the middle bars. His head was cocked to one side, and there was a smile on his face which stood in sharp contrast to the look of frustration she'd seen this morning.
    But it was his eyes that really caught her attention. They burrowed straight into her, making something uncontrollable shift inside her.