Read Donovan's Bed: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 1 for Free Online Page A

imagine the rumors blowing through town.
    In refusing to apologize to Juliana Tremont, she taken control of her life. She only hoped she would not regret it.
     
     
    Late Thursday afternoon, Donovan rode into town, tired, dusty, and thirsty. As he passed the church, Mrs. Tillis stepped outside and rang the bell, dismissing the students from their makeshift classroom. Eight months big with child, it was obvious the blacksmith’s wife would not be able to teach for much longer.
    The clanging of the bell was drowned out by the excited shouts of the children as they flooded from the church. Shrieking and calling to one another, they raced in all directions, some in groups and some alone. Beneath him, Donovan felt the gelding tense. He pulled up on the reins and patted the horse’s neck as a stampede of youngsters galloped past. The animal shuddered, tossing its head and snorting, but all four hooves remained on the ground. Compared with the adventurous ride he had just had, Donovan considered this a huge improvement.
    Murmuring reassurances, he continued to stroke bay’s satiny neck. As the last of the children scurried past, the horse settled down, though his ears flicked back and forth as if on the alert for another invasion. Donovan set him to an easy walk down Main Street.
    It felt good to have his own mount again. His last horse, Seven, had been a bay, and the best damned horse he’d ever had. They’d been through a lot together. But Seven was gone now, the victim of a bullet from a madman’s gun. So when Matt had told him about a homesteader who wanted to sell a spirited bay, he’d ridden for a full day to meet with him. And he’d come back with Senseless.
    Senseless was exactly that. A beautiful animal, the gelding reminded him of Seven in a lot of ways, except for the fact that he was a lot more high-strung. The ride back had been an adventure, what with the darnedest things rattling the horse. But he was a fine animal for the most part, and Donovan was pleased with his purchase.
    He had intended to hitch up outside the saloon, but one glance at the crowded hitching post changed his mind. He saw a good place a couple of doors down, just outside the mercantile and across the street from the newspaper building. As he dismounted and looped the reins around the post, he couldn’t help but glance over at the office of the Chronicle . He wondered if Miss Sassy Calhoun was still put out with him. He grinned. The woman had a fire burning inside her. He just couldn’t help stoking it now and again.
    “Well, hello there, Mr. Donovan.”
    Senseless snorted and shifted at the unfamiliar voice. Donovan patted the bay reassuringly and turned to see the Turner twins, Minnie and Mabel, standing just outside the mercantile. As usual, they were dressed identically, today’s ensemble consisting of blue sprigged muslin dresses with matching flower-decked bonnets. The pretty blondes were barely sixteen, but since they were the daughters of Ross Turner, one of the wealthier cattle ranchers, they already had a flock of suitors around them. Even so, Donovan hadn’t bothered to add their names to his list. Out west many girls married at a young age, but he wanted a woman who could pull her weight, not a schoolgirl who would cry for her papa when the going got rough.
    Besides, the Turner sisters tended to do everything as a set. And he didn’t even want to think about what that might mean.
    “Well, hello to you, Miss Minnie, Miss Mabel.” He reached up and touched his hat brim. The two girls beamed at him with identical smiles that bordered on adoring. He slowly lowered his hand, puzzled by their behavior.
    “We were hoping to see you, Mr. Donovan.” The speaker—he thought it was Mabel— fluttered her eyelashes at him in an unmistakable attempt at flirtation.
    He blinked, unable to believe that had just happened, and glanced at the other twin. She fixed him with worshipful blue eyes and stated proudly, “That’s right. I