How Miss West Was Won Read Online Free Page A

dry. But Mr. Bannister was not her husband. How were they going to explain the lack of blood on the bed sheets in the morning? Mrs. Dunlap might seem sweet, but something told Cordelia she would be watching the marriage bed with great interest.
    It was the first big problem they would have to overcome. Cordelia went in search of her ‘husband,’ hoping he would have the answer.
    * * *
    “Find those calves,” Eli said to Stuart. “There are three of them missing, and that’s three we can’t afford to have gone.”
    “Yes Sir,” Stuart said with a salute. “I’m on my way now.” But before Stuart could leave the barn, he said, “Oh, look who’s coming. Your wife .”
    Eli looked up to see Cordelia hurrying toward the barn. She had her hands on her skirts, lifting them off the ground to keep them clean. His insides stirred as she drew closer. She was definitely a beautiful woman. He would have to work hard to keep from trying to seduce her.
    She entered the barn and came to a halt in front of him. “Mr. Bannister,” she greeted, and then she looked at Stuart and said the same thing.
    “Eli,” Eli said to her. When she looked confused, he repeated his first name. “You can’t call me Mr. Bannister. You have to call me Eli. That’s the way it was with my parents, and it would seem strange if you didn’t call me Eli.” He’d made a fuss about repeating his first name several times, so he could drub it into her brain.
    “Oh.” She fanned her face with her hand. Her chest rose and fell in obvious exertion, and Eli couldn’t help but wonder what her breasts would look like when they were bare. There was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, and some of her hair had come loose from where she’d piled it on top of her head. Eli’s cock started to pulse. “I need to speak with you, Eli.”
    “Better,” he said. He flicked his hand at Stuart. “Out.”
    “Yes Sir,” Stuart saluted him once again, and Eli wanted to reach out and backhand him. His cousin needed a lesson in manners.
    When he was gone, Eli turned his attention to Cordelia. “What’s wrong?”
    “Mrs. Dunlap,” she managed to get out.
    “Was she mean to you?” he asked.
    “No,” she said, her voice rising. “But she expects us to share the same bed tonight. She told me so. She even gave me advice that it does not hurt that much to lose your maidenhead.”
    Now his cock was at full attention. This hadn’t been in today’s plan. He’d expected to see her at dinner, and then have her retire to her room while he got used to the idea of having a woman around the house. But she looked so perfect standing there, so sweet, so beautiful, so… dare he say it… delicious. “Tell me, Cordelia, are you a virgin?”
    She took a step away from him. “How dare you!”
    Eli couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips. “It’s a simple question.”
    “You, sir, are out of line.”
    The anger in her eyes only fueled his desire. “Am I? I think that it’s a fair question.” He held up a hand to ward off her reply. “Do you know what it’s like to have a man inside you?”
    “Certainly not!” She took another step away. “William was a perfect gentleman, obviously unlike you.”
    Eli considered it for a few moments. “So he never touched you?”
    The blush that crept up her face provided him with his answer. “From the look on your face, I would say you were not a virgin, Cordelia.”
    “I am,” she said, through clenched teeth.
    “But you’ve been touched, caressed, on top of your clothing or under it? He touched your bare skin, did he not?”
    Her face turned redder. “I am leaving.” She took yet another step, but she didn’t bolt for the door. “I am going back to New York. Fight your battle on your own, Mr. Bannister.”
    She turned to leave, and Eli called out her name. “I want to remind you, Cordelia, that we have a contract. You have a thousand dollars of my money, and you are, for all intents and