Only 05 - Autumn Lover

come to a point whenever you walk by. You know it, but you keep on walking by .
    Elyssa refused to stay locked in the house like a haremgirl, but she could do her best to disguise everything feminine about herself.
    Sharply she tugged at the flannel shirt, trying to give her breasts more room. It was futile. There simply wasn’t enough space beneath the flannel.
    But if she wore her silks and satins, Hunter would give her a look with his bleak, knowing eyes.
    If you want a fast roll, I’m ready, willing, and by-God able to oblige. But that’s all it will be, Sassy. Fast sex .
    Hunter was a man of his word. Fast sex was just what it had been.
    Tears of shame and anger pricked behind Elyssa’s eyes, an echo of the sad, savage moment when she had learned just how little Hunter thought of her.
    With God as my witness, Elyssa Sutton, if you don’t grow up and be a good mother to my children, you will rue the day you teased me into marrying you .
    Hunter’s words hurt Elyssa far more than the tearing of her maidenhead had. His words told her that she had given her love to a man who had neither respect nor affection for her.
    Just lust.
    Damn him .
    And damn me for being a fool .
    Dry-eyed, Elyssa rummaged around in dusty chests until she found one of her father’s buckskin shirts carefully wrapped up and laid away. The shirt was still soft and pliable.
    She pulled it over her head, rolled up the sleeves, and let the straight-cut hem cover her hips. The fringe hung and swayed from her breasts in an annoying fashion, but otherwise hid her curves quite well.
    A quick check in the mirror told Elyssa that her cream-colored chemise showed through the laces of the buckskin shirt. Impatiently she pulled the laces tighter. Then she found one of her father’s large bandannas andknotted it at the back of her neck. The faded red cloth hung down over the laces, concealing everything.
    Though Elyssa hated wearing her hair braided and knotted up and skewered against her skull, she braided the long, silky mass, wound it up tight, pinned it harshly against her head, and pulled her hat down until not one pale bit of hair showed.
    Another check in the mirror satisfied Elyssa that even the most narrow-minded, mean-spirited, thick-skulled ex-rebel colonel couldn’t accuse her of trying to catch a man’s eye with a flashy way of dressing.
    Elyssa went down the stairs to the kitchen, certain that she wouldn’t have to confront Hunter right away. She had heard him leave the house earlier.
    Not early, mind you. He had gone downstairs nearly a full hour later than usual.
    Exhausted by all that lust, no doubt , Elyssa thought bitterly.
    There was a grim set to her mouth when she walked into the kitchen.
    “Good heavens,” Penny said. “What happened to you?”
    “I beg your pardon?” Elyssa said, wondering if Penny somehow knew about last night.
    “Your, er, clothes.”
    “Oh.” Elyssa shrugged. “I’m tired of the English clothes.”
    “Sassy, you can’t—”
    “Don’t call me Sassy.”
    The anger buried in Elyssa’s voice startled Penny.
    “I’m sorry,” Penny said. “I didn’t realize you disliked Bill’s nickname for you.”
    Elyssa shrugged and gathered her fraying self-control.
    “You can’t wear those clothes out of the house,” Penny said.
    “Why not?”
    “They’re men’s clothes!”
    “I’m doing a man’s work. Why should I be trussed up in silk and satin?”
    “You sound just like your mother,” Penny muttered.
    Saying nothing, Elyssa pulled on rough leather work gloves and lifted the shotgun from its pegs over the kitchen door.
    “Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” Penny asked.
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Let me pack a lunch for you.”
    “If I want something, I’ll come back and get it.”
    “You and Hunter,” Penny said, exasperated. “Must be some kind of autumn fever going around.”
    Elyssa spun back to the other woman.
    “What’s this about Hunter?” Elyssa demanded.
    “He wasn’t hungry either.”
    Good , Elyssa thought. I hope his conscience grinds on him until he’s a shadow .
    The worried look on Penny’s face told Elyssa she should get a better grip on her feelings.
    Again.
    “What about you?” Elyssa asked calmly. “Are you feeling better?”
    “Yes. I guess I’m about through the morning sickness.”
    A shock wave went through Elyssa.
    I might be pregnant .
    “Don’t worry about anything,” Elyssa said to Penny. “We’ll do just fine without