Country Bride (Country Brides) Read Free Page B

seemed like the kind of place that might offer me some solitude.”
    “I see.”
    She felt judged. Kristin was embarrassed to have answered. She should have said something different.
    “Anyway,” she changed the topic, “I think this should be the last one,” she said, weaving in the last piece of fencing to patch a small hole. A section of the back yard offered a split rail fence, with a wired mesh to fill in the gaps. “Can I offer you a sandwich? I don’t have a lot of stuff, I need to get back into town for more supplies, but I make a fabulous peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she smiled.
    “Sure, that sounds nice, thank you. This will be the second time you’ve fed me; maybe I could return the favor and make you dinner some time.”
    Kristin looked down, was he asking her on a date, or was it a friendly gesture? She couldn’t tell, and wasn’t sure how to respond. She certainly wasn’t ready to date already, but if she turned down a friendly gesture, she might insult him.
    “That would be nice,” she finally said.
    His smile lit up. “Would I be able to trouble you for a glass of ice water with that sandwich?” He wiped sweat off his brow, and then followed her inside. “So a pretty girl like yourself, no husband, and you end up wanting solitude in Wyoming. What’s that about? Or is that too personal to ask?”
    Kristin wasn’t sure how to answer. “Life threw me a curve ball,” she simply stated, washing up at the kitchen sink.
    Pulling out the bread and fixings, she plated up a couple of sandwiches. “Do you want something besides water to drink?”
    The conversation circled away from her choice to come to Wyoming thankfully, and Ty spoke of the weather and wildlife.
    Her mind was still circling the dinner invitation. Was it a friendly thing, or was he asking her on a date. It felt weird not knowing, and he didn’t make it obvious. She hoped it was a friendly gesture, and would feel rude canceling, but what if it was more. What if in his mind, he thought it would be a date – then what?
    She asked him about growing up on the farm, and shared stories of her home in New Jersey.
    “You’re a long way from home, pretty lady,” he smiled.
    “This is home for now,” was her only reply.
    “I should be going, I’ve overstayed my welcome,” he stood to leave.
    “Thank you for your time. Truly, I appreciate your help. I should be heading into town soon anyway to stock up on more supplies. I don’t think I truly understood how far I’d be from town when I made my plans.”
    “You’ll grow used to it, once you get into a pattern. So dinner, how about Friday night? I’ll come and pick you up, so you don’t get lost on the back roads.”
    “Sounds like a plan,” she said, still wondering if he saw it as a date. It’s not that it would be horrible; she just had no intentions of dating, not now, and not for a long time. She was pretty sure he was just being friendly – though sometimes when he looked at her, he looked a little longer than she’d been expecting.
    Kristin walked him to his truck. She almost didn’t want him to leave. She wasn’t sure why, she just felt better when he was here. He’d come to her rescue with Molly, he helped her outside, and in some weird twist she felt warm and safe around him. It was a far cry from their first meeting.
    As he pulled his truck out of her driveway, she turned to see Molly sitting on the porch waiting for her. “What? It’s not like that,” she cheeks flushed a crimson red, but both she and Molly were aware that something was going on.

Chapter 4
    Kristin felt a pang of guilt. She shouldn’t have a growing attraction to a man she barely knows; it was too soon. Hanging her head in shame, she let herself back inside. “Come on, girl.”
    After c leaning up, she wrote a few pages of notes. Finishing up, she set it aside and made a list. She needed to pick up more groceries and supplies. She was running low on a few things. Ty unexpectedly