Glory and the Rawhide Preacher by Linda Ford

Author:Linda Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Eight

For two days Glory watched Levi ride through town with the children. If she thought it would make him change his mind, she would track him down and insist he move into the little room adjoining her shop. It galled her to think of the children camping out, though they no doubt considered it an adventure.

Joanna had learned they had a rough camp up the hill. “That’s no place to have children. Glory, you should persuade Levi to move into your room.”

“You heard him. He doesn’t want to.” She managed to keep the bitterness from her voice. He made it clear he regretted stealing a kiss, saying he cared. Even living in a room she owned was too much. As if he couldn’t abide a hint of her presence.

“Did you two argue about something? Did he say something when he stopped your horses?”

Joanna could be so dense sometimes.

“Of course he said something. Told me I was foolish.”

Joanna chuckled. “You’re certainly foolhardy. Even you can’t deny that.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“Exactly. And Levi is a preacher. I expect he does care what people think. He must be circumspect.”

“Or real good at fooling people.”

Joanna jerked about to face her. “Glory, you don’t believe that.” Her eyes narrowed. “I suppose you accused Levi of being false. No wonder he avoids you.”

“Does he? I hadn’t noticed.” She stomped away to take care of her chores. Not for anything would she let Joanna guess how much it stung to realize even her sister was aware of Levi’s attempt to stay as far away from her as possible. “I don’t care.” She said the words time and again but couldn’t force herself to believe them.

Truth was, the dining room table seemed empty without him. The breakfast table lacked something.

She sat beside Toby now to peel potatoes and turnips.

“Levi said he’s trying to find the children’s father,” Toby said. “Sent a message up north. Hopes he’ll hear something soon.”

Glory grunted acknowledgment of his statement.

“He says the children keep asking after their pa. They’re afraid he won’t know where to find them.”

“Any father who cares wouldn’t have left them in the first place.”

“Levi says they had been traveling with some others and parted ways. Then their father realized his friend had left behind a sack of things. He had to ride hard to catch up and told the kids to wait for him. Said he’d only be half an hour or so.”

“Long half hour.”

“Levi says something must have happened.”

Levi said. She didn’t want to hear it again. Why did everyone else champion him while she felt dismissed, invisible? She hated the feeling. Hated that she couldn’t control it.

“I’ve got something to do.” She hurried to her shop, saddled Pal, and headed for the pen where her other horses looked up, anxious for their oats.

She had noticed the No Trespassing sign on Widow Kish’s shack. No doubt put there by the same man who threatened to kick her and the horses off his land. Sure he had the right.

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