Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

Author:Colleen Coble [Coble, Colleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Suspense, Book, Western, ebook
ISBN: 9781410445841
Google: gSE9WitzYboC
Amazon: 1595542698
Barnesnoble: 1595542698
Goodreads: 10634525
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2010-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

All the girls had freshly washed hair and smelled like Eden’s lavender soap, which she’d brought with her. Every female liked fragrance. She’d dried five small heads, then tucked the girls into their beds with a book. Except for Madeline. She sat on the big bed against the wall, as far away from Eden as she could get.

Eden picked up a brush and went to join her. “Want me to brush your hair?” she asked. Madeline had loved having her hair brushed until the day Eden disciplined her. Maybe some cuddle time would end the tension. Eden longed to restore their good relationship. The pain in the child’s eyes tore at her.

Madeline didn’t look at her, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “If you want.” She presented her stiff back to Eden.

“Let’s sit at the dressing table.” Eden led her to the stool. She wanted to watch Madeline’s expressions in the mirror.

Eden released the braids and ran her fingers through to loosen the strands before she began to run the brush through the long blond tresses. “You have such pretty hair. Why do you like so much to have it brushed?”

“Brushing makes it stay pretty.”

“It’s lovely. Brushing is good for it?”

“My mother used to do it.”

Eden slowed the brush, then started again. “When did you see your mother last?”

“I don’t know.” Madeline closed her eyes, the expression of bliss on her face reflected in the mirror. “I guess I saw her for a minute the other day. She came when she wasn’t supposed to. Mr. Clay made her go away.”

“How old were you when she . . . went away?”

“I don’t remember. Maybe three? I was little.”

Eden nodded gravely, smothering her smile. “What do you remember about her?”

“She smelled good. Like flowers. And her hands were soft.”

“What color was her hair?”

“It was blond. Like mine.”

The blond hair on the woman who had visited the other day might have been dyed. And it wouldn’t do any good to ask Madeline how old her mother was. A child had no concept of a parent’s age. But Madeline had recognized her mother the other day—unless the person she thought was her mother really wasn’t. It was all a muddle.

“She had a little spot right here.” Madeline indicated a spot beside her mouth. “She said it was a beauty spot. I liked to touch it.”

Eden would have to ask Clay if the woman claiming to be Madeline’s mother had a mole by her mouth. “What else do you remember?”

“I had her eyes.”

“So, blue eyes?”

Madeline nodded. “She used to sing to me too. She used to sing in the choir in Mexico.”

“Mexico?”

Madeline nodded. “That’s what she said.”

The longer Eden brushed the little girl’s hair, the more relaxed she became. Maybe things would be back to normal tomorrow. “Want me to braid your hair for sleep?” she asked, putting down the brush. When Madeline shook her head, Eden smiled. “Time for bed, then. Scoot.”

Madeline slid from the chair and Eden patted her behind as she passed.

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.