She grasped the bulk of her hair and tried to hold it still. He glanced at her again and grinned.
“You’ll need to get used to Montana’s weather, and especially the wind.”
She nodded. “I shall try to adapt quickly.” There was a lengthy pause between them as the wind seemed to pick up speed. “What about you, Mr. Easton? You are a handsome man, so why did you decide to seek a mail-order bride?”
Chuckling, he removed his hat as it threatened to fly with the wind a few times. “You were in town a few minutes ago, Miss Ross. Did you see all of the single young women I had to choose from?”
She tried not to grin. “True. I didn’t see many women at all. However, you could have gone to another town to find a wife.”
“I could have, I suppose, but I didn’t want to.”
Maverick’s attention stayed on the road. As she studied his profile, she could see there was something else – something he wasn’t telling her. “Go on,” she encouraged. “Why don’t you want to find a wife elsewhere?”
“The truth is...” He sighed heavily and pulled the wagon over on the road before bringing the horses to a stop. He faced Hannah, looking deep into her eyes. “I really don’t want to get married.” He shrugged. “I don’t think I’m ready for a wife and children, yet. However, my grandfather feels differently.”
At first, her gut twisted. He didn’t want to get married. He had to, instead. Would she have time to find another man who would accept her as his wife, and especially, the illegitimate child growing inside her?
“Why...” She cleared her throat. “Why is your grandfather involved in this particular decision?”
“You see, Miss Ross, my grandfather still owns the lumber yard, along with the sawmills. He has grandsons who do the actual running of each place, but we still have no financial backing except for him. Just recently, he has decided that his grandsons need to find wives. He wants us all wed within six months, or we’ll forfeit our inheritance.”
She gasped audibly, not expecting to hear that explanation. “Why that’s... barbaric. That is absolutely medieval. I didn’t think wealthy people still blackmailed their families in such a way anymore.”
Chuckling, he rolled his eyes. “Grandfather is a very backward thinker, so for him to give us that stipulation doesn’t surprise me.”
“Are your two other brothers going to look for mail-order brides, too?”
He shrugged. “I’m not certain how they plan on finding their brides, but for me, the only way to get this completed quickly was to find a mail-order bride.”
She breathed slightly easier. At least he wasn’t sending her on her way. And yet, she either needed to charm him enough to consummate the marriage, or she needed to confess. However, he admitted to not being ready for a wife and children.
Oh, decisions, decisions...
Another gust of wind blew from behind her, and she fell against Maverick. His arms circled around her, keeping her from falling off the seat. She pressed her hands against his chest and looked up at his face. His forehead wrinkled with worried lines as his gaze looked up at the sky.
“I fear, Miss Ross, that the winds from the canyons are too strong to continue our journey.”
“What shall we do?”
He glanced down at her and shrugged. “Find someplace to hide the wagon and horses before they blow away.” He nodded. “And, if we were wise, we’d hide with them.”
TWO
Maverick didn’t want to worry the pretty lady, but he knew Montana’s weather, and when winds were this strong, that meant the loggers needed to stop what they were doing and find shelter. Usually, several old trees came down during these windstorms.
He stared into Miss Ross’ pretty green eyes. Indeed, she was too lovely to be a mail-order bride. If he didn’t keep on task, he’d be tempted to take his first kiss sooner than scheduled.
Gently, Maverick pushed her away and grabbed the reins. “I know where we can stay until the wind dies.”
He whipped the reins, urging the team off the road heading northeast. The road wasn’t as smooth here, and both he and the woman bounced on the seat. He was certain Miss Ross hadn’t experienced anything of this sort, and she’d probably be very weak and achy by the time it was over. He might have to step in and play the part of the comforter and give her a neck and shoulders massage.
Maverick quickly snapped out of his wicked thoughts. He needed to stay on task, and having these kinds of images in his head about the very lovely woman, wasn’t a good idea at all.
Along the hillside, he had discovered last year that there was a small cave. This would be the perfect spot. There was enough room for the wagon and horses, and he and Miss Ross could sit in the back of the wagon and wait until this insane wind passed.
Finally, he reached the opening and stopped the wagon. Maverick tossed the reins to Miss Ross. “Hold these.” He hopped down, hurried around in front of the horses, and grasped their leather collars, and slowly pulled them inside the semi-darkened hole in the hillside.
Once the horses stopped, Miss Ross tied the reins around the bar of the seat. She pushed her fingers through her messy hair. Not often was he privileged to see a woman’s long hair, especially this messy, but he found it mesmerizing the way her fingers expertly threaded through her hair and untangled the bulk, all within a few minutes. All he did for his hair was push the palms of his hands against the sides and place the hat back on his head.
Maverick walked
