The Unlikely Wife. Debra Ullrick

again.

       As she continued to enjoy her cookie Michael used the opportunity to study her. Dark-brown eyelashes, long and full, almost touched the top of her high cheekbones. Her nose had a slight bump in the middle, and her lips were pink, with a few cookie crumbs sprinkled on them.

       He reached over to wipe them off. The moment his thumb made contact with her lips, her eyes flew open and she jumped back. “What ya doin’?”

       “You had crumbs on your lips.” He flashed her a sheepish smile. “I was just wiping them off for you.”

       She swiped her mouth with her hands and then with her sleeve. With one eye slit, she tilted to the side. “Much obliged, I’m sure.” She sat as far back into her kitchen chair as possible as if to get away from him. “What kind a cookies are them anyways? They sure are good.”

       “They’re syltkakors.”

       “Silt a whats?”

       “Swedish sandwich cookies.”

       “Oh.” That was all she said before taking another bite.

       Watching her enjoy every morsel made him realize just how much he had taken for granted. He had always had plenty to eat, a roof over his head and an abundance of clothes. Never had he lacked for anything. But Selina had. And yet she didn’t seem bitter, nor did she complain about her lack. He wondered just how many times in her life she had gone without so another would not. Knowing how poor she was, he was surprised by her generosity. And if he was willing to admit it even to himself, that generosity endeared her to him. Just how he felt about that, he wasn’t sure. But he was sure about one thing. He would definitely find out. That thought both frightened and intrigued him.

      Chapter Four

      Five cookies later, Selina laid her hand against her gut. This was the first time she’d had a belly full of anything and it felt mighty nice. And scary. Her fears of running out of food stuck to her like caked-on mud. Would she ever get over that fear even after all Michael had said about having plenty?

       Michael’s eyes trailed to her mouth. Last time he’d touched her lips her belly and heart fluttered as if someone had released a thousand fireflies into them. So before he could brush the crumbs from off her lips again, she hurried up and did it herself.

       “Well, I’d better go.” He stood. “Thank you for breakfast, Selina.” He headed to the front door and put on his jacket and hat.

       Knowing he was heading out to do chores, she swigged down the last of her coffee and rushed to where he stood. She pushed her arms into her jacket and shoved her hat onto her head.

       With his hand on the doorknob, Michael asked, “Where are you going?” He glanced at the breakfast mess on the table and stove.

       “I’m goin’ to help you with chores.”

       “Selina, we’ve been over this already. I know you want to help and I appreciate it, but it would help me a great deal for you to keep the house clean and have meals ready for me when I come in.”

       “I can do both. After I help you with the chores, I’ll come back here and clean up this mess and get lunch ready for ya, too.”

       Michael rolled his eyes, swung the door open and stepped outside. His boots clunked on the steps as he tromped down them. That noise was meant to discourage her, but it wasn’t going to work. Regardless of what he’d said about her being his wife and not having to earn her keep, she didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, especially a man who didn’t want her. She’d feel differently if Michael did want her, if he loved her, but he didn’t. So, to her way of thinking that meant she was nothing more than a hired hand and a maid.

       Selina struggled to stay alongside Michael, even though he paid her no mind. They rounded the bend that hid their house from the rest of the houses, into the main yard where the party had been the night before, and ended up at the barn.

       Horses whinnied when they stepped inside. She breathed deeply the scent of horse and fresh-cut hay. Dust twirled in the sunlight and danced its way up her nose, tickling it. She sneezed loud and hard, not once but twice.

       The horses snorted.

       Michael whirled toward her.

       “You sure you didn’t blow your insides out, woman? Those are the loudest sneezes I’ve ever heard. Who would have thought something that noisy could come from someone as tiny as you.”

       She giggled. “Pa always told me I had the loudest sneezes ever. Said he never had to worry about my whereabouts ’cause my sneezes could be heard all over the mountain. And as long as he heard them, he knew right where I was at.”

       “I believe it.” Michael chuckled.

       She looked over at him. That was the first time she’d heard him laugh and she found it mighty pleasant. Something she could get used to.

       She even got a glimpse of a little dip near one side of his mouth. Something she’d always been a sucker for.

       Michael turned his back to her. He grabbed a pitchfork off of a nearby hook, rammed the fork into a mound of hay under the loft and tossed it into the first stall.

       “I’m glad I caught you.”

       Selina twisted toward the voice and saw Abby.

       “Mother saw you heading into the barn, Selina. She asked me to see if you would like to stop by this morning.” Abby was a beautiful girl with her blond hair and blue eyes. She looked a lot like her handsome brother.

       “That’s mighty nice of her, but will you tell her I’m gonna help Michael with chores first, and that I’ll stop by sometime today?”

       “Sure will.” Abby skittered off.

       “You don’t have to do chores. You can go visit with my mother.”

       “We done had this discussion. After chores I will.” Selina searched for another hay fork and saw one hanging on a peg near the haystack. She filled it with hay and carried it to one of the stalls. The pretty chestnut mare with the white forehead and spotted rump dipped her head and swung it back and forth before diving into the pile.

       “That’s Macy’s way of saying thanks,” Michael spoke over Selina’s shoulder.

       “She sure is purty. Is she yours?” She tilted her head back so she could see his face.

       He looked down at her and she forgot all about breathing.

       He stared into Selina’s eyes. He couldn’t pull his attention away from them and the long lashes that framed them. Her irises were large, surrounded by a black ring. Their color was nothing like the solid brown he’d thought they were when he’d first met her. Instead they resembled a reddish-brown sorrel horse he once had.

       All of a sudden she ripped her gaze away from him and onto something behind him.

       “Why, hello there.” Selina scurried over to Miss Piggy and scooped the gray-and-white barn cat into her arms. “Aren’t you the purtiest little thing ever?” She stroked the feline’s fur and stopped, then examined her hand. “Oh, no. You’re bleedin’. You poor baby. Selina’ll take care of you and make it all better.”

       Her words were long and drawn out in the same type of Southern drawl Rainee had. He had loved listening to Rainee talk and he had to admit, he enjoyed the Southern accent in Selina, too. And that surprised him.

       Selina helped Michael feed and water the animals then gathered up Miss Piggy and headed for home. Did she really think of the Idaho Territory as her home? Not yet, but hopefully someday she would. Inside the house, she searched everywhere until she found what she needed. When she finished doctoring the cat, she placed the exhausted critter on Michael’s bed and headed back into the kitchen.

       With one glance at the breakfast mess, she rolled up her sleeves and washed the dishes and set things to right. Michael would