Cutty (Prairie Grooms Book 8) by Kit Morgan Page A

taste them. He downed the coffee, burning his throat and didn’t care. His heart had sunk to his toes the moment he realized he might not be able to marry Imogene. And all because of …
    “Because of me,” he said to himself. He blew out a breath and hung his head. The look in Imogene’s eyes when they’d both realized their mistake was heart-wrenching. But what could he do about it?
    Cutty bit his lower lip in determination. He’d have to find a way – he owed it to her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him besides Nettie and Newton. He couldn’t let her down anymore than he already had.
    He watched her emerge from the house with another plate of cookies and start passing them out. He could do with a few more, but after that last conversation they tasted more sour than sweet – just like his mood. He’d be glad when this day was over.
    “Cutty?”
    He turned. Amon stood, some cookies in his hand. “Did you get some?”
    “Yeah, but I don’t want no more. Thanks for offerin’.”
    Amon gave him a single nod. “I almost forgot – Nettie wanted you to come home with me to supper tonight. You can stay with us, then ride out with me in the morning.”
    “Yer gonna be here tomorrow too?”
    Amon nodded as he shoved a cookie into his mouth and chewed.
    A chance to spend time with Nettie … the offer was tempting. He glanced at Imogene. She’d ride home with the Cookes, of course, and Ryder and Constance would be tuckered out from the day’s labors. “Sure. I’ll come.”
    “Fine. We’ll leave in time to get home before dark.”
    Cutty nodded as Amon offered him a cookie. “Aw, okay,” he said and took it. “If ya insist.”
    “You know you want it,” Amon said with a smile. “Nettie made you a cake for tonight.”
    Cutty looked at the cookie in his hand, then at Amon. “Chocolate?”
    “Sure. It’s your favorite, right?”
    He nodded as a chill went up his spine. “Yeah …”
    “She made it special, just for you. Maybe you shouldn’t eat that. I wouldn’t want you spoiling your appetite for my wife’s cooking.”
    Cutty gulped and handed him back the cookie. “Right.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine,” Cutty told him. “Best get back to work.
    Amon watched him a moment. “Sure.” He ate the cookie, watched Cutty a moment more with a look that said I’m not convinced, then strolled back to where the other men were talking and eating.
    Cutty took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I can’t take much more of this,” he whispered, making a fist. Maybe he should get it over with, work up his nerve and tell Nettie tonight. He’d only have Amon to deal with … though Amon was a big fellow and could easily pound him into pudding. But he was going to have to do it sometime and he’d have to deal with Amon either way.
    But Amon Cotter didn’t know his past like the Cooke family did – when they found out, it might not be pretty. Hmmm … maybe he and Imogene should keep it secret as he’d originally planned. They could travel to someplace like Oregon City, or that little town in the Washington Territory Sheriff Hughes was from to get hitched. No one would think to look for them there …
    … “Oh drat!” he said under his breath. Elsie Drake, formerly Elsie Waller, was from there. And Sheriff Hughes visited his relations there regularly. Word would still get around. San Francisco, maybe? Seattle?
    Cutty shook his head. There was no easy solution to his problem. He’d just have to muddle through in the meantime, concentrate on Nettie and Newton, and figure out the rest later. He groaned and picked up his hammer. “A fine kettle of fish this is,” he grumbled and headed to where he’d been working earlier.
    He stopped short. There was, of course, one way to get out of this mess …
    “No. No, I can’t!” He started moving again. Imogene would never forgive him – and probably tell everyone who he was – if he just ran away. That was something that