Homespun Bride

86 Homespun Bridepain on Noelle’s beautiful face, it had been the wrongthing, too. He’d been caught between a rock and a hardplace, and he still was.“I guess I’ll look farther out in the county. Maybethe prices will be better there. Something close enoughto ride in and help you with the wheat—and ourbrother, but far enough away from bad memories.” Thatand the fact that he could see the county road from here,the road the Worthingtons also used to go to and fromtheir spread. A lone horse and rider cantered along thelane.“Sounds sensible.” Aiden mounted up and swung hishorse toward the driveway.Some days reality was a tough thing. Thad gave onelast look at the property. His hopes had been higher thanhe’d thought. He eased his boot into the stirrup andgrabbed hold of the saddle horn.“Would you look at that fool?” Aiden sounded concerned.“He’s gonna get himself killed.”Thad slid into the saddle and looked up. Sureenough, it did look as though that horse and rider werein serious disagreement. They’d come to a stop in theroad. The black was head down, tail up, bucking like awild bronco. The man clung to the saddle. There wassomething familiar about that man. Thad reined Sunnytoward the driveway, fighting a bad feeling in his gut.Robert Worthington had a brown wool coat like that,and he was not in control of his horse.Aiden had already pressed his mount into a fasttrot. “That man needs help. Is it—that looks like Mr.Worthington. He’s a banker, not a horseman. What’she thinking?”Thad couldn’t answer, as he pressed Sunny into a