Wolf Creek Wife

“Please don’t worry about me, Mr. Slade,” she told him. “I know my brother and half the town expects you to marry me to save my reputation, but I see no reason why you should pay the piper for a choice I made. I’m a grown woman, and I weighed the pros and cons before I made my decision.”

That revelation was a surprise and more than a little humbling. “You decided to stay, knowing there was the possibility it would put you in a bad light again?”

She nodded. “It seemed to me that it was the Christian thing to do,” she told him. “And, besides, I really didn’t have much choice. It was clear that you needed help, and just as clear that I couldn’t get back to town.” She gave a slight lift of her narrow shoulders. “Word gets out and people talk. It’s the way things are.”

“I guess I’m wondering why you made that choice, especially since you came here trying to escape similar circumstances.”

“That’s why.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, frowning. “I’m afraid I’m confused.”

The jaded smile on her lips was out of place on her innocent-looking face. “Since I was already the talk of the town, I didn’t see how things could get any worse. Besides,” she added, “I hate storms and the dark. I couldn’t imagine riding to town for help in the middle of a thunderstorm in the dead of night. I’m not familiar with the area and I was afraid I’d get lost. And there was the small problem of you being far too ill for me to leave, even for a couple of hours.”