Gabrielle: Bride of Vermont (American Mail-Order Bride 14) by Emily Claire Page A

to catch up on and I’ll be pretty busy.” He lifted his right arm over her head and placed his right hand over the rein in her right hand, thus encircling her with his long arms. His left hand settled over her left hand as he showed her the proper way to get the horses to move into the desired direction.
    Gabrielle started to protest but realized she needed this skill. She preferred to practice new things when she was completely alone. Accuracy and perfection were always her goals, but driving a wagon wasn’t something she could learn completely on her own. She’d practice after she learned the basics.
    “All of my horses know their way home. You can pretty much just get ‘em started and they’ll get you there. I have one or two that I drive into town most of the time, but I use some of the others when I’m training them for buyers.”
    As they approached a fork in the road, he showed her how to lead the horse into changing directions. The horse pulling them resisted slightly, but Gabrielle felt her way through the steering, with Boone’s help. As he did so, she felt his chest press against her arm and back and had to force her thoughts to remain on the horse, rather than the feeling of warmth he generated through her coat.
    Boone felt her relax as she became more comfortable, but he was reluctant to let go of her hands. He appreciated the scent of her hair and the feel of her body next to his but then cautioned himself and released his hold.
    Settling into position, he leaned back a little and sighed, crossing his arms over his waist, and smiling at her.
    “You know, it’s kind of nice having someone else take the reins. Even on a short drive. You won’t have any trouble once you start setting out on your own.” Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile play on her slightly red lips. “I’m glad you’re here, Gabrielle,” he said warmly.
    Her heart began beating faster. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get used to his compliments. “I’m glad we talked last night. It’s better that we have a clear understanding of our reasons, both of our reasons, for the kind of marriage we’ve chosen to have.” There. That should keep things clear between us. “This is going to work out just fine as long as we keep to our agreement, right?” For emphasis, she turned her head to look at him.
    His brown eyes seemed to smile as he nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I believe everything will be just fine.”
    They rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way home, neither feeling the need for talk just to fill in the passing time.
    As soon as everything was unloaded and brought into the house, Gabrielle intentionally prepared a very large lunch. “I want to get started on the curtains right away. So, if you don’t mind, we’ll just save the rest of this meal for dinner.” She glanced over at Boone and couldn’t quite read the look on his face.
    “What is it? Would you prefer I not work on them right now? I guess it can wait until tomorrow.” she said, disappointment clearly in her tone.
    Boone shook his head. “You’re a hard worker. I guess I’ll go out to the barn and get a little head start on Monday so you won’t make me look like a lazy man. I’ll leave you to your sewing.” He grinned at her. “See you later, Breezy.”
    “Breezy?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
    He nodded. “It suits you. You’re just short of a whirlwind, kicking things up and moving them around a bit. You’re like a good breeze making its way through the area. Yep, definitely a refreshing breeze.”
    He heard her chuckling as he left the room.
     
    *******
     
    When Boone returned at dusk, he found her humming. She’d been busy, if the hemmed squares and rectangles of cloth were of any indication. He saw the sewing machine she was using. He’d forgotten about it. Amanda had inherited it from her mother, but he’d never seen her use it.
    He walked across the room and picked up one of the large squares of cloth.