Emma by Peggy McKenzie

Author:Peggy McKenzie [McKenzie, Peggy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbine Publishing Company
Published: 2019-11-22T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Colin sat in the parlor after his brother and Sarah left for dinner. He chose a big leather chair across from the fireplace and stared at the flames flickering in the grate. The heat of the fire and the pop and crackle of the wood burning soon lulled him into relaxing. It had been a long day full of drama and he had to admit he was physically and emotionally exhausted with all the changes in his life.

First, had been his arrival to Angel Creek after spending who knew how long on that riverboat. His remembrance of the rocking of the ship made his stomach roll. At least now, he didn’t have whiskey on his empty belly and he could admit, if only to himself, he was glad of it. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. Not since he had decided he didn’t deserve to live.

Pushing past the ghosts that haunted him when he thought too much, he focused on this afternoon’s arrival when he and his brother had scared the hell out of Emma. He grinned at the memory. The little southern belle wasn’t like the usual pampered princesses he had run across during the war. No, this one had a bite and a stinger even if they were in the form of a heavy glass paperweight and a letter opener.

He recognized her determination and knew without a doubt if she had really been in danger, she would have made her aggressor pay a steep price.

Colin also thought about this evening’s visit to the saloon. His sole purpose in going was to get mind-numbingly drunk. He was hoping to be well on his way before someone found him, when again the unpredictable southern miss waltzed into the saloon, sat down with him and proceeded to drink him under the table. He wasn’t convinced she could have for she didn’t seem to be comfortable with the place, or the booze, but he admired her for wading into the trenches with him and taking the blame for his actions.

And then there was the race home and the tussle in the yard. Thoughts of Emma falling on top of him…the way she felt when she touched him, made him think of things he hadn’t even considered since that day. He shook his head. He had no business thinking things like that. He was a poor excuse for a human being, and he wasn’t staying around. She deserved better than someone like him, and yet…the thought of her marrying someone else bothered him. “Damn.”

“Is there something you want to talk about? I’m a good listener, you know.”

Emma’s voice startled him. “Where did you come from? I thought the house was empty.” He saw her standing near the fireplace. He had been so deep in his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed when she had come into the room.

He watched her put another log on the fire. She stood with her back to him watching the flames catch hold of the new log.

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.