Mail Order Prairie Bride: (A Western Historical Romance) (Dodge City Brides Book 1) Read Free Page A

clamped around the worn leather reins, Briggs refused to do anything but stare straight ahead. His head throbbed with a tension he’d not felt in months. How in tarnation had he gotten stuck with such a beautiful woman? He needed someone who could gather fuel, empty the stalls and milk the cow. Not to mention helping out with the harvest, and when it came time to slaughter the pig…well, that went without saying. Hadn’t she understood his ad? What was she going to do when she saw the sod dugout she’d have to live in?
    Worse yet, she was exactly the type of woman Briggs had always found attractive. Her midnight-black hair was pulled into a loose bun on top of her head. She had big brown eyes a man could lose himself in, skin the color of fresh cream and lips the color of raspberries. And those lush, soft, feminine curves…
    Aw, hell . He didn’t want to notice those things because the minute she set eyes on his sod house, she’d no doubt demand to be sent straight back home. He’d be a fool to think otherwise.
    When they turned up Railroad Avenue, the wagon struck a rock and leaped into the air. Beside him, Sarah bounced like a jumping bean and nearly landed in his lap. “Sorry,” she said, then quickly righted herself.
    All of Briggs’s muscles went rigid. His body tightened with a maddening awareness and an arousal in his groin that he struggled to disregard, but it was no easy task. She seemed so delicate being tossed about, like a butterfly on a sudden unexpected gale.
    George moved to the front of the wagon bed and sat directly behind them. “Are you tired from your journey, Miss MacFarland?”
    “Just a little,” she answered, politely. Her leg—somewhere beneath all those layers of skirts—bumped Briggs’s, but she quickly drew it back to a proper distance, much to his relief.
    “Well, you’ll be pleased to know your travels are over,” George said. “Until tomorrow, anyway. Then it’s a six-hour drive out to the claim.”
    Briggs whipped around. “What do you mean, tomorrow? There’s a full moon tonight. We’re heading back this afternoon, just as soon as the judge gives us the certificate.”
    George pulled out a white handkerchief and blew his nose. “Well, I took the liberty of booking you both into the Dodge House for tonight. It’s the best hotel in town, and I thought it would be a fine wedding gift, after Miss MacFarland’s long journey.”
    Briggs made no effort to hide his irritation. This ceremony wasn’t supposed to be romantic. Briggs had planned to be up and fed and in the fields tomorrow by dawn. Now he’d have to spend the morning on the road, wasting even more precious daylight hours.
    “Thank you so much, Mr. Brigman.” The appreciation in Sarah’s voice smacked Briggs like a brick. He turned to look at her, seeing for the first time what a wonderful smile she had. Her eyes were twinkling—at George—and her teeth were as straight and white as pure ivory. Was there nothing ugly about her?
    “You’re welcome, Miss MacFarland,” George stammered like a schoolboy. “And you can call me George.”
    Briggs shook his head at his brother’s syrupy tone.
    “And what do you do, George?” Sarah asked.
    “I’m a solicitor,” he replied. “I have my own office, right here in town.”
    “How wonderful.”
    The horses trotted to a stop outside the red brick courthouse. Briggs set the brake, wrapped the reins around it and hopped down. As he rounded the two-horse team, he watched Sarah clumsily wiggle down. She clutched at the splintery side of the wagon, her other hand holding her enormous hat to keep it from blowing off. Her little nose crinkled as she tried to gather her skirts at the same time.
    Briggs shook his head at the spectacle—she just looked so plumb ridiculous!—until he noticed George clambering out of the wagon to assist her.
    Well, he’d be damned if he’d let his brother beat him to it. Briggs hurried toward her and stopped just behind that