The Road to Love by Linda Ford

Author:Linda Ford
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Limited
Published: 2008-08-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

The coulee with its constantly changing array of flowers was Kate’s favorite place away from the farm site. Yet she hadn’t been there since Jeremiah died. She hadn’t had time. The farm took every minute of her life and all her attention, demanding even more than her children received. But today she intended to make up for all the times she’d been too harsh, too hurried, too distracted. Today they were going to enjoy themselves. Hatcher included.

She shuddered as she recalled the way Doyle’s announcement speared through her like a well-aimed pitchfork. Her quick defense of Hatcher had been automatic, the accusations against him as unbelievable as someone naming Dougie a gunfighter. Not that Hatcher denied it. Something had happened, and Kate, curious, wished Hatcher would tell her. But whether or not he chose to wouldn’t change her conviction, her unquestioning knowledge of his innocence.

Once her initial shock died away, her throat practically pinched shut. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it felt like to be accused of such a crime. How had he been involved enough to receive such a terrible charge? But whatever happened had to have been an accident or a mistake.

How she ached for the pain and shame he’d faced, continued to face. She’d seen his resigned look when Doyle delivered his information. The wary guardedness in his eyes. Knew he’d experienced rejection because of the murder charge. It explained his hobo lifestyle.

She wanted nothing more than to ease that pain, erase the guardedness, comfort his sorrow. She longed to hold him close but the best she could do was include him in this outing, prove to him she didn’t believe he’d done wrong. Remind him of all the good things life offered.

She laughed from the pure joy of an afternoon free of the demands of work. She wanted to run and jump and holler like Dougie did. And laugh and dance like Mary. Instead she held her excitement at bay. But it swelled until her heart and lungs and stomach couldn’t take any more. For a moment she thought it might erupt uncontrolled, unfettered, unmanaged. But she metered it out in little laughs and wild waves of her hand as she pointed out the nearby farms to Hatcher.

“Listen,” she said, and they all ground to a halt and turned toward the sound of the train whistle as it passed through town five miles away. She and the children laughed and Hatcher looked amused, whether at hearing the train in the distance or their exuberance, she couldn’t say. Nor did it matter. For the first time in months she felt young and full of life. Today was for enjoying with her children and Hatcher.

She stole a quick glance his direction, confused at all the things his presence made her feel. She knew if he’d stayed at his work this afternoon he’d be close to finished. She’d purposely taken him away to delay the inevitable—he’d be gone once the crop was seeded.

She stopped the direction of her thoughts.

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.