Captive Eden by Brenda Billock

Author:Brenda Billock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, love story, historical, western, sensual, halfbreed, first love, old west, secret baby, native american indian
Publisher: Billock Books

Chapter Four

Brant jumped in the canoe as he pushed off from the muddy shore.

“Its too bad Sully had chores to do.” Charlie looked over his shoulder at him. “Will you make me do chores too?”

“You will do your share.” Brant felt awkward with the boy.

“Mother always made me do chores at home. She’s strict that way. Sometimes I don’t think she likes me to have fun.” He dipped his hand in the water and splashed it.

“Maybe she has forgotten what it was like to be young and enjoy life.”

“I think she’s too sad to think about fun stuff.”

“Why would she be sad? Did someone do something to her?” Brant asked, wondering just how much a four-year-old could understand about such things.

He hated that he was never able to stop Eden’s father from hurting her. Whenever she had a bruise or a cut on her face, which was too often, she always had a ready story explaining it away as clumsiness. When she confessed her father hit her, he swore he’d kill the man. She convinced him it would be wrong and that she didn’t want her father dead.

“She said it was because she missed someone very much,” Charlie answered.

“Her father?” Brant didn’t want to believe it was possible.

“I don’t know. But I heard her tell Uncles Charles her father wasn’t the kind of person anybody missed. I don’t think she liked him.” Charlie jumped up and pointed to shore. “Look, is that a bear?”

“Sit down,” Brant yelled.

Startled, Charlie toppled over the side of the canoe into the river. Brant tried to reach for him but the current moved swift and erratic. Charlie bobbed to the surface.

“Do not fight the water, Charlie, dig deep just as if you were a dog.” He paddled harder until he had the boat alongside the boy. Snatching him up by the collar of his shirt, he dragged Charlie out of the river.

Charlie flopped over on Brant’s lap, choking. Steering the boat to the bank, Brant carried him to dry ground.

“Cough it up, boy.” He held him over his forearm and rubbed his back. “Enough?”

Charlie nodded and Brant lifted him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I forgot—” He coughed. “I forgot you told me not to stand up in the boat.”

Brant pulled him forward and hugged him tight. “You will learn.”

“Please don’t tell Mother, sir. She won’t let me go again.”

Brant held Charlie at arm’s length. His first impulse was to tell his son his mother didn’t make the rules.

“We will not be able to keep this from her, but I will take all the blame.”

“I never do anything right.”

“Just being here is right, Charlie.” He hugged him again. “Just being my son makes everything you do right.”

“Sir?”

“You do not have to call me sir all the time either.” He rose up and took Charlie’s hand. “My name is Brant.”

The village wasn’t far and they talked as they walked.

“We’re named almost the same,” Charlie commented. “When Mother’s angry, she calls me all my names. Charles Brant Sullette. Then I know I’m in big trouble.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.