His Heartbroken Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Spicy Version Book 4) Read Free Page A

Cody and Travis and a dark-skinned woman that Libby didn’t know.
    “Mason?” His name caught in her throat, and she burst into tears.

Chapter Two
     
    From the moment the train pulled into Haskell’s station, the hair on the back of Mason’s neck had been standing up. It didn’t matter how much he rubbed his neck and shoulders or paced the narrow confines of the platform, the itching sensation wouldn’t go away.
    “They wrote from Hurst Home to tell me she’s pretty,” Cody went on, jumpy enough on his own to challenge a jackrabbit. “Mrs. Breashears’s letter says she has long blonde hair and pretty eyes, and that she used to be an actress.”
    “Yes,” Wendy, Mason and Cody’s sister-in-law, agreed with a reserved arch of her brow. “Miriam is certainly beautiful and dramatic.”
    Cody’s grin slipped a bit as he glanced to Wendy. About six weeks ago, Wendy had come to Haskell to marry Cody, but the moment Cody saw she was black, he rejected her out of hand. It was a good thing their brother Travis had been there to offer for Wendy’s hand. As far as Mason was concerned, it didn’t matter what Wendy looked like, she was one of the most elegant and sensible women he’d ever met. She had a calming way about her, although right now, even Wendy’s grace couldn’t dampen the prickles racing up and down Mason’s spine.
    Mason kept his mouth shut. He turned to watch passengers disembarking from the train once it had reached a full stop. He crossed his arms, but ended up tapping his foot, his restlessness was so bad. And he didn’t have a clue what was causing it.
    “Do you see them yet?” Off to the side, Josephine Evans stood with her husband Pete.
    “Nope,” Pete answered. He wore an expectant smile over his usual steadiness.
    Maybe that’s what had Mason so uneasy. Josephine always came to meet the mail-order brides getting off the train, but not Pete. Virginia Piedmont had come along today as part of the welcome crew too, but she stood chatting with Travis instead of straining to get a look at the train with Josephine. Josephine and Virginia were usually thick as thieves when new brides came to town, rushing forward to introduce themselves and make the young ladies feel welcomed, but they weren’t even standing together today. Mason didn’t know anything about how women interacted with each other, but—
    His thoughts stopped short and his heart dropped like a rock into his stomach as two small boys leapt down from the train car and scrambled across the platform to Josephine and Pete, hollering, “Grandma, Grandpa.” There were only two boys who would do that. A moment later, Libby Sims stepped down as well. And Lord help them all, she was dressed head to toe in black.
    “Oh, Libby,” he whispered, heart breaking for her. It had been years since he had seen her, and to see her like this hurt. There was only one reason a woman dressed all in black. Something must have happened to Teddy. His restless itching collapsed into gut-deep sorrow.
    “Oh, no,” Travis echoed his thoughts somewhere behind Mason. He saw the widow’s weeds too.
    Mason was already moving forward by the time Libby took two steps across the platform, his heart aching for her as it thumped against his ribs. “Libby? Libby Sims?”
    She heard him, stiffened, and looked around. Their eyes met. Her beautiful hazel eyes that had been so quick to shine with laughter all those years ago were glassy with grief and fear now.
    Yes, fear.
    “Mason?” She choked on his name, then burst into tears.
    Without knowing what was going on or if anything was being done about it, Mason wanted to fly to her, wrap her in his arms, and crush whoever had brought such misery on her shoulders. He picked up his pace as he strode to her, but held back at the last minute. Not for the first time, he gritted his teeth and reminded himself that Libby was someone else’s wife.
    Someone else’s widow.
    “Libby, darling, whatever is the matter?”