His Tempting Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Spicy Version Book 5) by Merry Farmer Page A

wait.
     
    Madame Kopanari was a bit spooky, Cody decided as he flicked the reins over the back of the horse he’d borrowed from Travis at the livery. Miriam sat close to him on the bench of the borrowed wagon, a blanket covering both of them. He hadn’t been able to shake the weird feelings the old gypsy woman’s story had given him, and if he was a betting man, he’d say Miriam hadn’t been able to shake them too. She was too quiet.
    “It’s not exactly a great afternoon for a drive,” he admitted, squinting toward the western horizon, where the sun was already setting. “But at least the wind isn’t blowing today.”
    “Yes.”
    That was it. That was all she said.
    Cody shook his head and concentrated on driving. The road out to The Village and on to Paradise Ranch was only partially cleared. They’d had the usual amount of snow that winter, and the wagon still had sleigh blades fitted where the wheels would be once the snow was gone.
    It wasn’t the condition of the wagon that concerned him, though. What did Madame Kopanari know about the shadows chasing him? Someone must have told her about the fiasco with Wendy. That would explain the bit about running from happiness because it was different. But what about the rest of it? Had one of his brothers visited her and told her all about how broke up he’d been when their father had lost his logging business? Had one of them squealed about how hard it had been for him to leave one life and start another?
    And why shouldn’t he have had a hard time with it? It was a difficult thing for a man as young as he’d been to imagine his life would always be one way, and then to have that ripped out from under him. He hated having to change his mind, hated having things not work out like he’d imagined they would, hated—
    “Oh, my lord.” He puffed out the words as if the light of day had burst through the clouds in his mind.
    “What?” Miriam sat a little straighter, scooted a little closer, as if waking up from her own thoughts.
    “I…I just had a thought that I’ve never had before.”
    Miriam chuckled. “With so many thoughts to think out there in the universe, it’s a wonder we don’t all think new thoughts every day.”
    Now that was something to think about too. Cody wanted to slip his arm around her and tug her close. Heck, he wanted to stop the wagon and kiss her until they were both as warm as July. Instead, he shook his head and tapped the reins on the horse’s back to urge him to hurry on to The Village ahead of them.
    “Ever have a thought that suddenly makes a whole lot of other things in your life make sense?” he asked, turning into the drive of The Village.
    “I’m sure I have.” Miriam shrugged.
    “Well, I just had one.”
    “Oh?”
    He waited until he had parked the wagon beside his house before answering. “Yeah. I don’t like it when things change from the way I thought they would be.”
    Miriam blinked at him, the fading, winter sunlight making her look as pale as a porcelain doll. She grinned, her cheeks flushing. “I can’t think of anyone who likes it when things don’t turn out the way they expect.”
    “No, but I really don’t like it.” She probably thought he was crazy for sounding so happy about it. “I think that’s why I turned on Wendy when I saw her at the train station, why I was so angry at—” He snapped his mouth shut before he could say anything he would regret.
    It was too late for that.
    “At me.” Miriam’s face fell. Without waiting for him, she slid to the end of the bench and helped herself down to the snow.
    Cody let out a frustrated breath, hopped out of the wagon, and ran around to meet her in back. “That’s not what I mean.” He paused when she crossed her arms. “Okay, so that is what I meant. But not like that.”
    She frowned at him for all of three seconds before her face and body softened into a doleful sigh. “It’s all right, Cody. I understand. I would have been angry too.