Compromised Hearts by Hannah Howell

Author:Hannah Howell
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Colorado, Westerns, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Love Stories
ISBN: 9781420120165
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 1989-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

Emily sighed and collapsed on the bed once she reached her room. Thornton did not want to stay, and she had been hard pressed to quiet his protests, especially since she could understand his reluctance. Dorothy had made her distaste for the child all too apparent. Thornton did not really believe her assurances that that would change once Dorothy got to know him. Neither, Emily admitted sadly, did she.

As the day dragged on, Emily’s spirits plunged. No more mention was made about what may or may not have happened between her and Cloud on the journey, but she knew that both Harper and Dorothy had not decided in favor of her innocence. For a moment she was sorely tempted to tell them the whole truth, but common sense intervened. It would do none of them any good and could even cause Cloud some difficulty, which was the last thing she wanted. She realized that Harper’s presence had been the only reason for Dorothy’s forbearance when the woman caught her alone on the stairs for a moment as they all retired for the night.

“You think you’ve managed to slip through all this with no trouble and no need for repentance, don’t you?”

“Perhaps, Dorothy, I have no need to be repentant.” Emily felt a strong urge to strike the woman, but that boded ill for the harmonious relationship she still hoped to establish.

“Nonsense. You spent weeks with that man. He is notorious.”

“So, of course, I must be as well.”

Dorothy ignored that. “Harper and I intend to help you overcome this scandal.”

“How kind of you.”

“You’ll hear the talk soon and see the looks. Don’t think that man will do anything to help you. You’ve seen the last of him.”

“You’re sure of that, are you?”

“Quite sure and you’re a foolish little girl if you think otherwise. Cloud Ryder has used and cast aside more women than anyone cares to count. Don’t get to thinking that some little naive miss from Boston can change that. You’d better look elsewhere and start soon.”

Emily tried very hard not to heed Dorothy’s words. She wanted to believe in Cloud. He had said he would come back and, although she did not want to put all of her hopes on that, she did not want to doubt him.

As the days began to add up, she found her faith in Cloud Ryder harder and harder to maintain. It did not really surprise her that there was no word from him, but she heartily wished he would send some. Even the briefest of messages would have helped. Instead she sat waiting without sight or word from him to bolster her wavering confidence in his return, a confidence Dorothy continually undermined with her seemingly endless reminders of Cloud’s notoriety and faithlessness concerning women.

Finding a friend helped her a little. Walking through town one evening, Emily came upon a man harassing a thin, redheaded girl who looked hardly old enough to be attracting male attention. Marching into the fray, Emily managed to extract the girl from her difficulty and they both fled.

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