Big Sky Cowboy by Linda Ford

Author:Linda Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Cora accompanied her sisters to their shared bedroom to prepare for church.

Pa had informed Wyatt that the Bells attended church every Sunday. He hadn’t come right out and said the words, but his meaning was clear—Wyatt and Lonnie were expected to attend, as well. Poor Wyatt had looked as if he wanted to sprout wings and fly away. Lonnie had shrunk back into the shadows, so Cora hadn’t seen his expression, but his actions had said it all. They’d both acted as though church attendance threatened their safety.

Cora could think of no reason why anyone would think such a thing unless they were afraid of someone or something. But what could they possibility be afraid of? It wasn’t as if they were evil men with their likenesses on a wanted poster. She’d seen enough of them to be certain of that.

Their father was dead. They couldn’t be expecting him to turn up at any moment.

So who or what did they fear?

If only he would answer the question should she pose it to him. There were so many things she didn’t know about him. Reason enough to cling to her guardedness, she told herself.

She turned her attention to selecting a dress.

Every other day of the week she wore cotton dresses, some stained and mended. Normally, she didn’t give much thought to what she put on, so long as it was practical and allowed her freedom to work. She had two dresses saved for Sundays. She’d always thought the dark red one looked rather nice on her. But it was heavy satin with a high collar that would suffocate her in the summer heat. The other one, a cotton in blue-and-white stripes, would be cooler. She had worn it every Sunday for the past month without giving it a thought, but now she stared at it. The simple style seemed a little childish.

She realized Rose was watching her and brushed her hand over the skirt as if removing specks of dust.

“Something wrong with your dress?” Rose asked.

Cora shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Lilly and Rose moved closer and studied the gown.

“You could wear that lacy white shawl Anna gave you last Christmas. That would make it look nice,” Rose said.

“And why not pin that lovely brooch Ma gave you to the neck?” Lilly added.

“Why in heaven’s name would I do that?” Yet she already pictured how those two additions would make the outfit more grown-up.

“To look nice,” Lilly said.

Rose nodded. “After all, you know Mary Ann and Nancy and half the young women in Bar Crossing will be flocking to Wyatt likes bees around Ma’s flowers.”

“And why would I care about that?” Cora couldn’t decide if she should be cross or amused.

“I like Wyatt,” Rose said. “I wish he would stay here.”

Cora gave Rose a look of disbelief. “You are begging for pain and sorrow if you grow too fond of him. That man has deep, dark secrets. Who knows how they might threaten our family?” She hadn’t meant to blurt out her own concerns.

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.