Once Upon a Mail Order Bride - Linda Broday Page 0,66
Ridge to remove his hand. He glared at the cat, and she arched her back. “So that’s the way it’s going to be, huh?” He kept his hiss in a whisper so it lost some of the impact. “Just see if I let you in here again. I’ll haul you off so far you’ll never find your way back.”
Ha! That should fix the problem. He was bigger and had more power than a mere feline. Or so he better.
Addie opened her eyes, and his war with the cat was forgotten as he fell into the startled depths of her gaze. She jerked her leg away from his.
“Good morning, love.” Ridge smiled at her sudden timidity in the thin morning light. She was clearly uncomfortable with the new arrangement. “It’ll get easier.”
Miss Kitty licked her face, and Squeakers snuck in between them as well to get its ears rubbed.
Addie bit her lip and met his eyes. “I hope I didn’t crowd you. I tried to stay on my side and give you enough room.”
“I had more than enough room, and you’re welcome on my side anytime. We don’t have a his and hers. Only an ours.” Ridge gave her a light kiss and let a fingertip drift across her cheek. “You look like a beautiful princess. I don’t think I deserve you.”
“Are you always so eloquent this early in the morning?”
Her smile held no fear, which surprised him a little. He’d half expected to wake and find her back in her dreary little room under the stairs.
“I guess you’ll have to find out.” He tweaked her nose and started to rise. “Fair warning, sweetheart. I’m going to get up now and dress. I don’t mind you watching, but if you’d rather not see, better hide your eyes.”
“Thank you—dear.” She rolled away from him and faced the other way.
He could have been offended, but her relief didn’t give him any trouble. It’d take time to smooth these things out. Sleeping next to him was just the first step.
Ridge sat on the side of the bed, the sheet falling away, and reached for his trousers and boots, then padded to the chest of drawers for a clean shirt. He strapped on his gun belt. “I’ll see you downstairs after I milk the cow.”
“Okay.”
The silent house seemed different as he strode through the rooms. It was as though killing Hiram had lightened the whole atmosphere. In the kitchen, he lit the stove for Addie and got coffee on to boil. Stepping onto the back porch, he inhaled a deep breath of clean air that finished purging the blackness inside him.
Bodie emerged from the barn, scratching under his arm, his face a mass of purple bruises. “Morning, boss. I hope you slept good.”
“I never felt a thing once my head hit the pillow. You?” Ridge moved toward the kid.
“Had a lot of thinking to do before I went to bed, then I slept off and on. Mostly off.” Bodie handed him the empty milk pail. “I reckon we’ll tote Hiram into town this morning.”
“Right after breakfast. Folks will be happy that we don’t have to post guards anymore. How’s your jaw?”
“Hurts.”
“Probably have to give it a week or longer ’til that stops.” Ridge went on to the cow and found peace in the milking. He’d always found that mundane chores helped settle a person, and this morning he needed that more than ever. Killing anyone stole a piece of a man’s soul. Even so, he was glad Hiram was dead. He’d pull the trigger again in a heartbeat to rid the world of one more ruthless man.
Addie came out of the house, and he stopped to stare at the way the morning rays caressed her face and touched her hair, turning it a deeper shade of gold. She took his breath and made him happy to be alive. How had he gotten so lucky? His chest swelled.
After breakfast, Ridge loaded Hiram’s body in the wagon, and the three of them drove into town. They rode past the outdoor jail cell, and Tiny and Pickens gripped the bars and craned their necks to watch them go by. Rascal that Ridge was, he drove past them real slow to give them a good look at the dead bounty hunter. Maybe seeing the body would be a deterrent, if they thought about trying to break out.
Which he was sure they did. All prisoners yearned to escape. Let them try.