What a Bride Wants Read Free

to cook, clean, iron, keep a tidy house, and raise well-mannered, obedient children.”
    “ And the rest?”
    “ Well, who wouldn’t want a man who’s committed to due diligence, the greater good, and sparkling silverware?”
    Ella draine d her drink in one long swallow and signaled for another. “I’m going to kill him.”
    “ Shush. If you tell everyone about it beforehand, you’re not going to be able to claim temporary insanity. What do you think excellent remuneration package means?”
    “ It means I’m going to kill him.”
    Another grapefruit daiquiri got plonked down on the table in front of her. They must have had it waiting. “It’s still on the house,” drawled Mardie. “Reese says don’t do anything stupid. Me, I figured you might want to know that some bright spark pinned the ad to the bulletin board too. You want me to take it down?”
    “ I want a piece of paper,” Ella grated.
    “ Better than a gun,” Jo said and Mardie nodded her agreement.
    By the time Mardie returned with a writing pad with the saloon’s logo scrawled across the top, Ella’s temper had settled to a slow seethe and she had her chin up and her mortification almost under control.
    “ You ready to order?” Mardie asked. “Not that I’m rushing you.”
    “ Give us another few minutes.” The title would need to be eye-catching. Large print.
     
    PERFECT LOVER WANTED
     
    “Oh, yay,” said Mardie and was gone again before Ella could gift her with a glare.
    Instead, Ella underlined her heading and started in on the specific skill set required.
    “ Experienced, attentive, innovative—
    “ Male,” Jo added. “You’d better put down male.”
    “ Experienced attentive innovative male bedmate required for hardworking cattle dynasty heiress with no time to meet a man and no desire for a husband of any kind, docile or otherwise. Should I ask for references?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ References required. Ability to alienate meddlesome father essential.”
    “ You need to ask for a photo and a phone number as well. I know how this works.”
    Ella dutifully wrote “Attach photo and contact details below.”
    “ Please,” said Jo. “ Please attach photo and contact details below. You don’t want to come across as demanding.”
    Ella dutifully added please to the front of the sentence. “It still sounds demanding.”
    Jo ’s lips twitched. “How odd.”
    Ella ignored her and signed her name with a flourish. “There. All done.”
    “ Good. Now burn it.”
    “ No.”
    “ Ella Grace, I know what you’re thinking, and as your dear childhood friend it is my duty to— Ella!” Jo’s voice was rising, the further away Ella got from the table. Ella was halfway to the bulletin board, her shoulders back and her gaze firmly fixed on her destination when Jo spoke again. “Ella, this is a really bad idea.”
    “ No, I’m really liking it.”
    “ You won’t in the morning.”
    “ My future won’t look so hot in the morning anyway, what with me murdering my father and being a wanted fugitive and all. I’ve decided to live in the now.” Ella reached the saloon’s bulletin board, glared at the offending personal ad, and briskly cleared a space next to it. She stole two pins from the school band’s flyer and another pin from a postcard advertising the local library, and stuck her own ad up on the board. If Samuel T. Emerson wanted to make her private life public then, dammit, she’d make it public.
    She studied the ad, tilted her head to on e side. Something was missing. Ella uncapped the pen and wrote MUST HAVE SPARK across the bottom in big bold capitals. Might as well live in hope.
    “ Jo, have you ordered yet?” Ella wasn’t quite yelling. Jo wasn’t quite doubled down on the bench seat trying to stifle her giggles. Reese wasn’t quite ready to throw them out. Yet.
    “ Not, but I’m having the beef and the potato bake.”
    Ella smiled brightly . “Hey Mardie, we’re ready to order. I’ll have the