Carolyn Davidson - A Convenient Wife

For the first time in months, Winston Gray went to bed with a full stomach and the sure knowledge that a good breakfast would be awaiting him in the morning. He grinned to himself as he lay in the center of the big bed, his hands stacked beneath his head. Ellie was working out well. His house was clean, his pantry organized, and she was planning on using a scrub board to do his clothes, first thing tomorrow.

She’d washed her hair in the new bucket after supper, out on the back porch where she couldn’t be seen by those who might pass the house, and he’d watched from the doorway as she dried it with his newest towel. Her hands had been adept, brushing the length of soft, brown silken strands, then braiding them in a simple plait that hung down her back.

The sight bothered him, setting up a yearning he tried his best to dismiss. A woman was the last thing he needed in his life right now, what with his practice taking up all his time.

But, Ellie was proving to be a complication. She felt grateful to him, trying her best to make his life an easier path, and his very masculine self could not help but wallow in the attention she gave.

That her soft eyes rested on him often was a fact he tried diligently to ignore. That his own gaze focused on her at times was to be expected. She was a lovely woman, a girl really, he decided. Pregnant though she was, she projected an aura of innocence that brought forth his male urge to protect and cherish.

And those thoughts needed to be banished, he decided abruptly, rising from the bed to stalk to the window. Ellie Mitchum was his housekeeper, and he’d do well to look upon her as a servant. His snort of laughter was swallowed as amusement followed that thought. She was like no servant he’d ever come in contact with, and there’d been plenty of them in his life.

None of them had followed him to bed at night, as had the woman who slept overhead. Not in physical form, certainly, but in his mind. And she’d only been here for two days. He shifted restlessly, stretching one long arm to rest against the window frame.

Taking Ellie Mitchum into his home had been a hasty decision. Taking her into his life would surely follow. Already, she was keeping him awake and on the edge of arousal.

His mind spun as he considered the state of his body. Damn. Having a woman in his bed was the last thing he needed to be thinking of.

Visiting the saloon today had given him access to several women, any of whom would welcome him into their presence. All but poor Cilla, that victim of a cowhand whose idea of persuasion involved brutality.

Ellie was another victim. Not as was Cilla, but certainly worthy of his care. And for all of her innocence and eagerness to please, she was a woman. A warm, needy female, sleeping in his house. And if Dr. Winston Gray knew what was good for himself, he’d get her youthful beauty out of his mind.

Otherwise, he was going to spend a sleepless night.

“You think you’ve fallen into a soft bed, don’t you, girl?”

George Mitchum’s words were harsh and accusing, piercing Ellie’s thoughts. Startled, she dropped the shirt she held into the dirt; then, gathering her courage to face the man behind her, she bent to pick it up.

“Drat,” she whispered, aggravated at the mud that stained both the shirtfront and one sleeve. Carefully, she placed it beside the wash basket, then turned to look at her father.

“I’m working for my keep,” she said quietly. “Same as I did at home.”

“Does he know you’ve got a bastard under your skirts?”

Scornfully, he tossed the query in her direction, his eyes raking her figure with a scalding look, then seeking her face. With every speck of courage she possessed, Ellie met the gaze he turned on her.

“Doc Gray knows I’m going to have a baby, yes.” Pain swept through her, that her own father could be so cruel. Yet, what had she expected? That he would come to visit, seeking her out to ask forgiveness for his brutal actions?

Not likely, she thought, her lips tight as she fought the trembling that seized her. “I didn’t get this way all by myself,” she said curtly, wary of the clenched fists hanging against George’s thighs.

“You flaunted yourself, just like all women, looking for—”

“Is there a problem here?” Win’s voice was stiffly polite, his words reeking of a courteous inquiry as he spoke from the back door. Long strides brought him to Ellie’s side and she straightened her spine, lest she be tempted to lean against his stalwart strength.

“This is my daughter,” George said sharply. “I don’t need you interfering. Seems like you’ve already stuck your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

“All I’ve done is hire Ellie to be my housekeeper and tend to my kitchen,” Win said quietly. “You’re trespassing, Mr. Mitchum, and causing Ellie to be upset. I don’t think you need to say any more to her.”

“Well, well,” George drawled, rocking back on his heels. “Looks like you got yourself a champion, girl. At least he won’t have to worry about getting you in the family way, will he? Since you’ve managed to do that already.”

Ellie shot a look at Win, noting the crimson streaks that lined his cheekbones. “He’s my employer, Pa. Nothing else.”

“You just keep tellin’ folks that, girl. Not that anybody’s gonna believe you.”

“They’ll believe her, Mr. Mitchum,” Win said forcefully. “The truth always manages to win out in the end. And Ellie is being honest with you.”

“I doubt you’ll have much of a practice left when folks realize you’re harboring a woman like Ellie under your roof,” George sneered. “And I’ll see to it that they know what’s goin’ on here.”

“Why’d you come here, Pa?” Ellie asked in a small voice. “Haven’t you already done enough damage?”

He shook his head, his eyes sweeping over her face. “Not near as much as you deserve, shaming me the way you have.”

From the other side of the yard, near the sheriff’s back door, a woman spoke. “Good morning, Doc. Does James need to walk on over there?”

Ellie gasped. It wasn’t bad enough that Pa was giving Win a rough going over. Now the neighbor had to be privy to the shame of it all.

“I think Mr. Mitchum is leaving, Mrs. Kincaid. Thanks just the same.”

“Good morning, Ellie,” Kate Kincaid called cheerfully. “I heard at the mercantile that you were going to be my new neighbor. Why don’t you step over, and I’ll pour us each a cup of coffee.”

Ellie turned slowly to face the neighbor. That the invitation was an escape route was all too obvious, and yet she hesitated leaving Win to face Pa alone.

It seemed Dr. Gray had other thoughts on the matter. His hand touched Ellie’s shoulder. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Ellie. Go on across and visit with Kate for a while. You can finish the wash later.” More than a suggestion, his firm tone implied an order, and Ellie cast one quick glance at his stern profile.

“Yes, all right,” she said breathlessly, and lifting her skirts, she turned and hastened across the yard to where the neighbor watched, a determined smile curving her lips. Kate Kincaid was definitely the woman in the window, Ellie decided, except that by daylight, she wore small spectacles. Her body heavy with advanced pregnancy, she was nonetheless a beautiful woman, her dark hair and delicate features only enhanced by the sunlight.

And with a soft word of welcome, she cast Ellie a lifeline she felt sadly in need of this morning. Behind Ellie, her father muttered a profanity and Win murmured an answering phrase, one Ellie could not decipher. It mattered little. If Win was willing to face George on his own, and obviously he was, Ellie was more than willing to let him. She stepped onto the low stoop as Kate opened the screen door wide.