Heart of Summer (The Brides of Courage, Kansas, Book 4) by Lenny Davis

Author:Lenny Davis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mail order bride, clean historical romance, clean cowboy romance, christian mail order brides romance, mail order brides of the west, christian inspirational western frontier romance, clean sweet western romance, mail order husband groom romance
Publisher: Sharaya Lee

Chapter 16

When Timmy got up early the next morning, he had completely forgotten about the glistening pebbles that he'd found in Vicki Smith's creek the day before. After a good breakfast of eggs and vegetables she'd treated him to a couple of cookies and a red-and-white candy cane, on which he sucked and sucked, sitting next to her on the buckboard, until Vicki had arrived at the McLuhan homestead. Then the candy was gone and all that was left were sticky fingers.

His mother looked out the window and saw them roll into the yard. She burst through the front door and met them outside, where the chickens flapped their wings and fled from her, cackling loudly.

"Timmy," she exclaimed as she lifted him from the wagon, "where have you been?"

Without waiting for an answer Martha McLuhan turned to Vicki. "I've been so worried. I hardly slept all night. Where'd you find him, Vicki?"

"Actually, I didn't," Vicki replied. "Some lone ranger riding through deposited him with me right before the storm came and so I kept him for the night. Hope you don't mind, but getting out here last night would have been a real struggle. The road is mud even now," which the dirt-caked wheels of her wagon clearly showed.

"I don't mind at all," Martha said. "I'm so glad you brought him. Yesterday in the afternoon he was suddenly gone. We've been looking for him all over, but he wasn't in the hay and he wasn't in the chicken coop. Usually when he wanders off, I find him pretty quick. This time I didn't. He was just gone. I was afraid the country ate him. You know how it can be."

She hugged and squeezed her child, which Timmy patiently endured.

Martha was a tall woman in her thirties, but the gauntness brought on by poverty took a good deal away from her natural attractiveness. At least she was no longer going barefoot, Vicki noticed. She wore moccasins this year and was thus one step closer to wearing regular shoes. Obviously spring had been good to her and she'd made some money, Vicki was glad to see.

Martha's other children had come out. They stood on the veranda and were eyeing their visitor. All three were as big-eyed and hollow-cheeked as their mother.

Annie, at ten years the oldest daughter, came and took Timmy by the hand. She led him to the house, away from the adults, who might want to have a word by themselves.

"Watch it," Martha said to Annie, "he has sticky fingers. You'll want to wash them."

"Yes, Mom," Annie replied somberly. She was very grown-up for her age.

The children walked into the house and Martha turned to Vicki. "Did you give him candy?" Candy was expensive and sometimes hard to come by, at least out here in Courage.

Vicki nodded. "I don't want anything for it, if that's what's on your mind."

She thought of the gold that Timmy had found and felt a twinge of bad conscience. She decided that once she knew

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