This Loving Land by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Frontier and Pioneer Life, General, Romance, Western, historical, Fiction, Texas
ISBN: 9780446365253
Publisher: Hachette Digital, Inc.
Published: 1981-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Ten

Summer was disappointed but not surprised the next morning, to discover that Slater had left without stopping by the house.

Sadie saw her bewilderment and sought to ease whatever disappointment she might be feeling and at the same time satisfy her own curiosity as to why the master of the ranch would choose to sleep in the shed.

“Jack said they have a few more days of rousting steers out of the brush. Slater works as hard as anyone, Jack says. Guess he’s got his own reasons for stayin’ the night out there, if’n he did,” she added carefully.

“He did. He was angry about Travis being here.”

“Angry?”

“Angry wasn’t the right word. He was furious. We are to fire the gun if he comes back.” She waited until she could control the slight quaver in her voice. “Oh, Sadie, Slater will kill him! Travis is bad with women, he says, and he doesn’t trust him near us. I can’t believe

Travis would hurt us, but Slater is so sure, he’s going to sleep in the shed until he can build a bunkhouse.”

“Let him kill him!” Sadie’s face and voice betrayed her desperation.

“Sadie! Why do you say that? Has he . . . ?”

“He’s bad, Summer. Rotten! Let Slater kill him. He’s just a piece of . . . nothin’.”

“You’re afraid of him! What did he say to you out there in the yard? You’re trembling. Is it because of him, or are you getting sick?”

Sadie fought the conflict raging within her. Travis would surely kill her and Mary if she told Summer of his threats. All night long, she had wrestled with the problem of what to do. Now, if Slater should kill him, her troubles would be over.

“Why should I be scared of him? I was just thinkin’ that if’n he’s like that, he should be shot. I guess what’s wrong with me is I miss town!” Spots of color showed vividly on her cheeks as she tilted her head rakishly. “I ain’t never been away from town for a long time, so how’s I to know I’d miss it?” Her pert nose elevated to a saucy angle.

Staring at her, Summer tasted a draught of disappointment.

“You want to go back to town?” Her disbelief betrayed itself in a voice trembling with concern. “You said you liked it here.”

Sadie whirled away, unable to bear the bafflement on Summer’s face.

“I ain’t said I want to go back to town,” she flung over her shoulder. “I like it here. I was just a wonderin’ how it would be when you and John Austin go over to live with Slater. There wouldn’t be no need for me stayin’.” She laughed scoffingly. “‘Sides, I wouldn’t stay down here by myself if Slater’d let me.t’ A flush burned her cheeks. “I’d have to find me a man, and there ain’t many to choose from here.”

At twenty, Sadie had evolved something of a philosophy to assist her through difficulties: hide your feelings, smile over a hurt, pretend, pretend . . .

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