Cowboy to the Rescue by Louise M. Gouge

Author:Louise M. Gouge [Gouge, Louise M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780373282791
Google: es9UBAAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 21489587
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Nate stood in a row with a dozen other men, each of them gripping a rope. At George Eberly’s shout, they all pulled, and the wall frame of the barn slowly rose to an upright position. Other men scrambled to pound in nails to join this section to the adjacent raised wall, while more workers removed the ropes and attached them to the opposite frame. With each successful part of the work done, a cheer went up from the crew.

The needs of the Eberlys’ livestock had outgrown the original barn, so George had torn it down to build the new one. The barn raising had begun before first light, with George’s cook, Joe, providing breakfast to everyone who came early. By midmorning, close to fifty men, all of them the Colonel’s handpicked settlers of the community, had joined in the work. The air was filled with the aroma of Joe’s side of beef and a whole pig roasting over open pits, so everyone labored with enthusiasm as they looked forward to their reward at the end of the day.

Nate never felt more content than when he was working with his friends on a community project, whether it was a barn, the church, a home for a newcomer or a building to house a business. Each success inspired the next one and fostered a sense of community among the settlers. He had to admit the Colonel had a gift for gathering his troops, so to speak, and motivating them to do great things. Nate would be foolish to leave all of this, even though his father’s constant criticism was hard to deal with, not to mention his groundless disapproval of Susanna and Mr. Anders.

Thoughts of Susanna drew his attention across the barnyard to where she and the other ladies were preparing the noon meal in the shade of several elm trees. To his surprise, she was looking his way, so he gave her a little wave. She was by far the prettiest girl there, even prettier than the five Eberly sisters, all of them too young for him. Rosamond wasn’t bad-looking, but as his sister, she didn’t count. Nor did any of the married ladies. No, Susanna had them all beat. For the past four days, she’d been holed up in the kitchen with Angela, and they’d refused to let him in. Since she’d accepted his challenge, he couldn’t wait to see what she’d concocted for today. In fact, he’d better be close to the front of the line, or her dessert might be all gone by the time he reached it. Even if it didn’t measure up to Angela’s desserts, he would say it was the best he’d ever eaten.

“Watch out, Nate.” Wes caught a board that had fallen from the frame and nearly hit Nate on the head. “What are you thinking about?” He glanced toward the ladies. “Never mind. It’s obvious.”

“Thanks, pal.” Nate gave him a friendly shove. “But mind your own business.”

And he’d better mind this business of building, or the next loose board might just knock him senseless.

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.