White Nights by Susan Edwards

Author:Susan Edwards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

The next day of rest came one day before the trail turned southwest toward Fort Bridger. Men took advantage of their free day to do maintenance on their wagons. During the night, they’d soaked the wagon wheels in water. With the wood swollen, the rims were replaced. This kept the wheel from drying out and the rims from falling off during the hot, dry days. While some men oversaw chores, others grabbed their rifles and shotguns and headed out to try their hand at hunting. Still others gathered together with greasy, well-thumbed packs of cards to settle in the shade of wagons or tents and played Pinochle, Euchre or Old Sledge.

After the morning meal, the women put pots of water on to boil and started in on the long, tedious process of doing laundry. Knowing the routine, the single men in Wolf’s party arrived early, bringing their dirty garments to Anne and Eirica to wash, each man eager to pay rather than do his own. No male wanted to be seen scrubbing his own clothing.

Jessie and Coralie split Wolf’s, Jordan’s, James’s and Jeremy’s soiled clothing between them. Sofia joined them with Catarina at her side. She had Rook’s in addition to her own family’s wash.

Eirica smiled at the dark-haired girl who held herself aloof. Her smile wasn’t returned and Eirica knew why; Catarina regarded Eirica as a rival for James. How could Eirica blame her? James was more than easy on the eyes and his deep baritone was enough to send shivers up her spine, especially when he sang. She swallowed a sigh of pure pleasure. Watching James had become her favorite pastime, especially when he played his guitar or mouth organ—and last night, she’d had ample opportunity to watch and listen to him.

For the first time, she’d been free to attend one of the impromptu dances held on the trail. In the past, Birk had refused to allow her to go. While everyone else went to have fun and meet fellow travelers, she’d had to stay in camp with the children. But last night, she’d taken the children and gone with Coralie and Sofia.

The dancing and music had lasted far into the night. What fun it had been to dance and feel carefree. She’d danced until her condition had forced her to sit and rest. A small grin hovered on her lips. Both Dante and Alberik had made sure they’d each gotten their share of dances, until James had claimed her, then ordered her to sit and rest. For once she hadn’t minded his bossiness. She’d been exhausted but hadn’t wanted to turn down any of the hopeful men looking for a dance partner and a break from the dreary days of travel. She’d sat the rest of the evening out, content to listen to the music and gossip with other women.

To her surprise, James and his siblings had provided the music with mouth organs. Several men had joined in on fiddles, including Lars. Then, to the surprise and

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