coward. You disappoint me,” Isabelle said, getting to her feet. “I thought that after your experience you’d be able to see what most women are too silly to see.” Isabelle fixed her with an angry glare. “I hope you never have occasion to discover just how much courage Matt does have. No matter what the situation requires, Matt will do it. And without hesitation.”
Ellen felt like she’d been slapped in the face. “I like Matt,” she protested, “I really do. He’s a kind and gentle man. He’s probably a good rancher, too.”
“Come with me,” Isabelle said, heading to the door. “I think you ought to see how Matt breaks a horse.”
Ellen didn’t want to see Matt break horses. “Tess is afraid of horses. I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“I’m not fond of horses either, but if she plans to stay in Texas, she’s got to get used to them. I was twenty-three when Jake forced me to make my peace with horses. Believe me, it’s a lot easier to do when you’re young.”
Ellen wanted to argue, but she had enough sense to know Tess couldn’t avoid horses. She followed Isabelle outside and collected Tess from the porch. “I don’t really think Matt’s a coward,” she said as she struggled to keep up with Isabelle’s suddenly very unfeminine stride. “He’s just not the kind of man to catch my fancy.”
Isabelle’s laugh was harsh. “Do you think I thought Jake was the kind of man to catch my fancy?” she asked, looking back at Ellen without slowing her stride one iota. “I thought he was a crude barbarian, and I told him so. It’s no fun swallowing your words, even when you’re crazy in love with the maddening, frustrating man who caused you to say them in the first place.”
“But Matt said you loved Jake.”
“I was raised by a wealthy aunt in Savannah, but the money vanished and I was sent to an orphanage. I got a job with an aristocratic family. My kind of people, I thought, until the husband tried to rape me. I ended up in Texas, trying to help some boys nobody else wanted. I couldn’t think of enough words to express my disgust at everything I saw, including the men. I finally learned to look beneath the lack of manners and harsh attitudes to see inside Jake to the man he really was, not the one who’d built a hard shell to enable him to live in this world. Matt’s like that, only worse. You’ve got to learn to see inside him, or you aren’t fit to be his wife.”
A second slap. Isabelle had more than lived up to Ellen’s expectations, just not in the way she’d anticipated.
“If things had been different—”
“Things will never be different.”
They would be different when she moved to San Antonio and opened her own shop. No one would know she had been accused of trying to seduce a boy, had worked in a saloon, had adopted the fatherless children of a saloon dancer.
“I do like Matt. I’ve been trying to figure out why ever since he asked me to marry him, but it wouldn’t make any difference if I loved him. He’s the one who suggested the business arrangement.”
Isabelle stopped and turned to face Ellen, her face wreathed in smiles. “You do truly like him? I know he’s so handsome he makes women act silly, but I’m not talking about that.”
“Neither am I, but it doesn’t make any difference.”
“Yes it does,” Isabelle said as she took Ellen’s hand and pulled her toward the corrals. “It makes all the difference in the world.”
“Matt doesn’t want to be married,” Ellen said as she rescued her imprisoned hand.
“Of course he does,” Isabelle said. “Every man wants to get married. Matt doesn’t think he’s worthy.”
“Why?”
“He’ll have to tell you that. Now, let me introduce you to some of your new brothers-in-law.”
Ellen knew every man gathered around the corral. You couldn’t live in Bandera and not know the Maxwell clan.
“This is Sean O’Ryan,” Isabelle said as she introduced Ellen to a mountain of a man
Ellen felt like she’d been slapped in the face. “I like Matt,” she protested, “I really do. He’s a kind and gentle man. He’s probably a good rancher, too.”
“Come with me,” Isabelle said, heading to the door. “I think you ought to see how Matt breaks a horse.”
Ellen didn’t want to see Matt break horses. “Tess is afraid of horses. I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“I’m not fond of horses either, but if she plans to stay in Texas, she’s got to get used to them. I was twenty-three when Jake forced me to make my peace with horses. Believe me, it’s a lot easier to do when you’re young.”
Ellen wanted to argue, but she had enough sense to know Tess couldn’t avoid horses. She followed Isabelle outside and collected Tess from the porch. “I don’t really think Matt’s a coward,” she said as she struggled to keep up with Isabelle’s suddenly very unfeminine stride. “He’s just not the kind of man to catch my fancy.”
Isabelle’s laugh was harsh. “Do you think I thought Jake was the kind of man to catch my fancy?” she asked, looking back at Ellen without slowing her stride one iota. “I thought he was a crude barbarian, and I told him so. It’s no fun swallowing your words, even when you’re crazy in love with the maddening, frustrating man who caused you to say them in the first place.”
“But Matt said you loved Jake.”
“I was raised by a wealthy aunt in Savannah, but the money vanished and I was sent to an orphanage. I got a job with an aristocratic family. My kind of people, I thought, until the husband tried to rape me. I ended up in Texas, trying to help some boys nobody else wanted. I couldn’t think of enough words to express my disgust at everything I saw, including the men. I finally learned to look beneath the lack of manners and harsh attitudes to see inside Jake to the man he really was, not the one who’d built a hard shell to enable him to live in this world. Matt’s like that, only worse. You’ve got to learn to see inside him, or you aren’t fit to be his wife.”
A second slap. Isabelle had more than lived up to Ellen’s expectations, just not in the way she’d anticipated.
“If things had been different—”
“Things will never be different.”
They would be different when she moved to San Antonio and opened her own shop. No one would know she had been accused of trying to seduce a boy, had worked in a saloon, had adopted the fatherless children of a saloon dancer.
“I do like Matt. I’ve been trying to figure out why ever since he asked me to marry him, but it wouldn’t make any difference if I loved him. He’s the one who suggested the business arrangement.”
Isabelle stopped and turned to face Ellen, her face wreathed in smiles. “You do truly like him? I know he’s so handsome he makes women act silly, but I’m not talking about that.”
“Neither am I, but it doesn’t make any difference.”
“Yes it does,” Isabelle said as she took Ellen’s hand and pulled her toward the corrals. “It makes all the difference in the world.”
“Matt doesn’t want to be married,” Ellen said as she rescued her imprisoned hand.
“Of course he does,” Isabelle said. “Every man wants to get married. Matt doesn’t think he’s worthy.”
“Why?”
“He’ll have to tell you that. Now, let me introduce you to some of your new brothers-in-law.”
Ellen knew every man gathered around the corral. You couldn’t live in Bandera and not know the Maxwell clan.
“This is Sean O’Ryan,” Isabelle said as she introduced Ellen to a mountain of a man
Similar Books
