Rekindled by Tamera Alexander

Author:Tamera Alexander
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2006-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

“I’m sorry about your husband, Miss Kathryn.”

“So am I, Gabe.” Kathryn looked up at her former ranch hand as he loaded her single trunk into the back of the wagon behind the haberdashery. She was thankful he’d shown up on her doorstep when he did. The breeze ruffled his blond hair, and his muscular arms were already bronzed.

His blue eyes held hers. “Do you miss him?”

“Every day,” she whispered. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned.

Kathryn winced at the fresh bruises on Annabelle’s face and wished again that she could take both Annabelle and Sadie with her. But maybe she could do something even better.

She reached into her pocket for the envelope and pulled Annabelle aside. “I want you to reconsider and take this for—”

“I’m not takin’ your money, Kathryn.” Annabelle shook her head, but Kathryn detected a lessening in her determined response from the night before.

“You and Sadie could share a room somewhere in town, away from that place.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple to leave this place. And besides, it’s not right, me takin’ the money from you.” Annabelle pushed the money away. “You’ll need that for the child.”

“My child will be fine. You and Sadie could both get jobs and—”

Annabelle huffed a laugh. “Yeah, doing what? Quilting with the ladies at church? Or maybe Mrs. Hochstetler would give us jobs at the mercantile. I hear they have some openings.”

Kathryn smiled at Annabelle’s droll tone. Then she sighed and brushed a wayward red strand from her friend’s forehead. They’d had this conversation before. “God sees you so differently, Annabelle. He didn’t make you to live like this, to do the work you do.”

“Do you think I enjoy doing this?” Annabelle’s eyes hardened for an instant before she looked away. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Kathryn. I know you mean well.”

“And I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to imply that you . . .” She sighed. “What I’m trying to say is I’ve got room and board where I’ll be working. I’ll be making a good wage. I want to give you this. Please take it.”

Annabelle’s eyes filled. “Put it to that land you’re tryin’ to keep.”

In truth, Kathryn had considered doing just that. But she felt God prodding her to do this for Annabelle, and she couldn’t ignore His lead, no matter the cost to her and her dream. “If I lose the ranch, it won’t be because of this small amount. I am going to try and keep the land, or at least the homestead and the rights to the stream.” Kathryn laid a hand to her unborn child. “But even if that fails, I’ve got something far better, and I wouldn’t trade this gift for the finest ranch in the Colorado Territory.”

A single tear slipped down Annabelle’s cheek, but she made no move to wipe it away.

Kathryn warmed at the subtle softening. “You have no idea what you’ve given me, do you?” Swallowing, she noticed the quickening of her pulse. “I haven’t talked much about my late husband—not because I don’t love him and miss him terribly.

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