brides for brothers 03 - cowboy groom Read Free Page B

have bothered with jeans. But he didn’t want one of his sisters-in-law to catch him in his underwear.
    In the kitchen, he cut a piece of Red’s chocolate cake and poured himself a big glass of milk. He’d refused a helping of dessert at dinner, but it sounded pretty good now.
    Just as he sat down at the table, he heard a car approaching. A sense of déjù vu stole over him. Except that the kitchen light was on tonight, and he knew who was arriving.
    She hadn’t been at dinner. He hadn’t wanted to ask her whereabouts, sure the mention of her name would bring more teasing from his brothers. But in the course of the conversation, he’d heard Janie tell Megan that Anna was with Mrs. Cauble tonight. The lady and her husband lived on the other side of the county.
    He listened as the car engine stopped, followed by the muffled thud of a door closing. When the kitchen door eased open, he stared at the slender female form.
    “Don’t you ever keep regular hours?” he asked softly, startling her.
    Anna jerked in surprise before relaxing. With a smile, she turned to him. “Not often. But at least you didn’t attack me this evening.”
    He found himself laughing quietly, much to his surprise. “Nope, no attacking tonight.” He looked down at the cake. “Want some dessert?”
    “It looks good, but I think I’d better have something a little more solid than that.”
    He noticed for the first time how tired she looked. “Didn’t they even feed you?”
    Again she smiled. “I’m afraid dinner wasn’t on their minds. Mrs. Cauble had complications, and we had to summon the ambulance and get her to the hospital for Doc to look at her.”
    Brett stood and put his hands on Anna’s shoulders, guiding her to a seat at the table. “Rest. I’ll fix you some leftovers.”
    “I can—”
    “Don’t move. It sounds like you’ve had a rough evening.” He went to the refrigerator and brought out some of the roast they’d had for dinner, as well as leftover broccoli and carrots.
    After he put a plate in the microwave, he turned to look at Anna.
    “I guess you’re kin to Jake, after all,” she said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Jake tries to take care of everyone.”
    Brett grinned. “Yeah, he does. He’s been riding herd over us for a long time. Dad depended on him to watch the rest of us after Mom died.”
    “How old were you when your mother died?”
    “I was three. I can’t really remember her. She died giving birth to Chad.”
    “Here at home?”
    He sensed some urgency in her question and looked at her closely. “No, in the hospital. It was just before Doc moved here.” He paused, but she said nothing. “Why?”
    “Just wondering.”
    The microwave dinged, and he brought her dinner to her. Afterward he sat across from her and began eating his cake.
    “Where do your parents live?”
    She chewed her food without looking up, and he thought she was going to ignore his question. Finally she swallowed and said, “They’re both dead.”
    He frowned. “You’re not that old. Did they die in a car wreck or something?”
    She shook her head no. “I’m older than I look.”
    “If you weren’t,” he agreed, chuckling, “you’d still be in high school.”
    “I’ve always had that problem.” She smiled back at him. “People think I’m younger than I am.”
    “So how old are you?”
    “I thought a man wasn’t supposed to ask such a personal question?” One slender brow arched over her incredible blue eyes.
    “I figure as close as we’ve been—” he wiggled his eyebrows at her and nodded in the direction of the floor where she’d taken him down “—it’d be okay.”
    He liked the way her smile lit up her face.
    “I guess you’re right. I’m twenty-seven.”
    “Twenty-seven? Well, I guess that’s not too old. I can still give you a couple of years. And you’ll be glad you look young when you’re sixty.”
    “Thanks,” she drawled. “And do people ask you if you’re still in high