Read Online Linda Ford by The Cowboy's Surprise Bride - Free Book Online
Authors: The Cowboy's Surprise Bride
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didn’t mean to be selfish. What will happen to them?”
“The wind will drive them, hopefully, into a place of shelter. Then we’ll have to find them and push them out.”
“Why can’t you leave them there?”
“We can if the snow isn’t deep, but if it is, cattle can’t dig through it. They’ll starve. We’ve been moving them down, but this snow is earlier than expected.”
“Then I will pray you’ll be able to get your cows to a safe place.”
“I will pray the same.”
It made her feel as if he valued her offer. It made her feel as if they were partners in some small way. Linette wished she could see him better and gauge if he felt even a fraction of the same connection.
“It’s cold. We better go inside.”
His words were her answer. He obviously did not wish to prolong the moment.
* * *
Eddie rolled up in his buffalo robe and got comfortable on the floor. He’d slept on the ground many times, often out in the cold. In comparison, this was warm and pleasant. If the temperature dropped too low, he would put more wood on the fire during the night.
He lay on his back listening to the women murmur. He could make out enough to follow their conversation.
“Where did you go?” Cassie’s voice carried its perennial sharpness.
“Just outside the door.”
“What for? You two got secrets?”
Eddie groaned. Cassie seemed bent on seeing evil and inconvenience at every turn. He wondered if Linette would scold her.
But Linette laughed softly. “I wanted to see the snow.”
“You’re twenty years old. Surely you’ve seen snow before.”
“Not like this. It was so quiet you could hear each flake hit the ground. And the wind sighed as if carrying the snow had become too much of an effort.”
Eddie clasped his hands under his head and listened unashamedly. Linette made it sound magical. Perhaps it was. He hadn’t put it into words, but there was something about the country. Maybe its newness. How many times did he wonder if he was the first white man to set foot on a certain spot?
“I told Eddie I would pray his cows are safe.”
Eddie. She said his name as if it was as special as the new-falling snow. Yet face-to-face, he was Mr. Gardiner, all formal and stiff. But then, that was proper.
Somehow proper didn’t sound as pleasant as Eddie .
“Who cares about cows?” Cassie obviously didn’t. “I don’t know how I’m going to endure this for an entire winter.”
Linette chuckled again.
Eddie smiled just hearing her.
“Cassie, my friend, you don’t have to endure. You can enjoy.”
Cassie snorted so loud Grady whimpered. When she spoke again, Eddie couldn’t catch her whispered words. He strained to hear Linette’s response.
“God gives us each day to enjoy.”
Cassie made a sound so full of doubt that Eddie choked back a chuckle.
Linette spoke into the darkness. “I had a nurse who taught me many scripture verses. One in Psalm 118 says, ‘This is the day the Lord hath made... Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ She said it’s a choice. An act of our will to rejoice. And she would sing the verse.” Linette softly sang a song putting the words of the verse to music, repeating it several times.
She’d had a privileged upbringing. Despite Mr. Edwards’s dubious background, he’d expect his daughter to be treated as aristocracy. Eddie would have to be careful. He wouldn’t give her father a chance to ruin the Gardiner good name.
Cassie didn’t say anything. Perhaps she’d fallen asleep, comforted by the lullaby of the song.
Eddie turned to his side and listened to Linette sing. Even after the voices in the other room had grown quiet, the lyrics played over and over in his head. He fell asleep to the tune.
He woke next morning, started a fire and put the coffee to boil. It had settled in to snow seriously. He wanted to head out and look for his cows, but doing so would be foolhardy in this weather. He had good men, experienced cowboys. They knew enough to circle
“The wind will drive them, hopefully, into a place of shelter. Then we’ll have to find them and push them out.”
“Why can’t you leave them there?”
“We can if the snow isn’t deep, but if it is, cattle can’t dig through it. They’ll starve. We’ve been moving them down, but this snow is earlier than expected.”
“Then I will pray you’ll be able to get your cows to a safe place.”
“I will pray the same.”
It made her feel as if he valued her offer. It made her feel as if they were partners in some small way. Linette wished she could see him better and gauge if he felt even a fraction of the same connection.
“It’s cold. We better go inside.”
His words were her answer. He obviously did not wish to prolong the moment.
* * *
Eddie rolled up in his buffalo robe and got comfortable on the floor. He’d slept on the ground many times, often out in the cold. In comparison, this was warm and pleasant. If the temperature dropped too low, he would put more wood on the fire during the night.
He lay on his back listening to the women murmur. He could make out enough to follow their conversation.
“Where did you go?” Cassie’s voice carried its perennial sharpness.
“Just outside the door.”
“What for? You two got secrets?”
Eddie groaned. Cassie seemed bent on seeing evil and inconvenience at every turn. He wondered if Linette would scold her.
But Linette laughed softly. “I wanted to see the snow.”
“You’re twenty years old. Surely you’ve seen snow before.”
“Not like this. It was so quiet you could hear each flake hit the ground. And the wind sighed as if carrying the snow had become too much of an effort.”
Eddie clasped his hands under his head and listened unashamedly. Linette made it sound magical. Perhaps it was. He hadn’t put it into words, but there was something about the country. Maybe its newness. How many times did he wonder if he was the first white man to set foot on a certain spot?
“I told Eddie I would pray his cows are safe.”
Eddie. She said his name as if it was as special as the new-falling snow. Yet face-to-face, he was Mr. Gardiner, all formal and stiff. But then, that was proper.
Somehow proper didn’t sound as pleasant as Eddie .
“Who cares about cows?” Cassie obviously didn’t. “I don’t know how I’m going to endure this for an entire winter.”
Linette chuckled again.
Eddie smiled just hearing her.
“Cassie, my friend, you don’t have to endure. You can enjoy.”
Cassie snorted so loud Grady whimpered. When she spoke again, Eddie couldn’t catch her whispered words. He strained to hear Linette’s response.
“God gives us each day to enjoy.”
Cassie made a sound so full of doubt that Eddie choked back a chuckle.
Linette spoke into the darkness. “I had a nurse who taught me many scripture verses. One in Psalm 118 says, ‘This is the day the Lord hath made... Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ She said it’s a choice. An act of our will to rejoice. And she would sing the verse.” Linette softly sang a song putting the words of the verse to music, repeating it several times.
She’d had a privileged upbringing. Despite Mr. Edwards’s dubious background, he’d expect his daughter to be treated as aristocracy. Eddie would have to be careful. He wouldn’t give her father a chance to ruin the Gardiner good name.
Cassie didn’t say anything. Perhaps she’d fallen asleep, comforted by the lullaby of the song.
Eddie turned to his side and listened to Linette sing. Even after the voices in the other room had grown quiet, the lyrics played over and over in his head. He fell asleep to the tune.
He woke next morning, started a fire and put the coffee to boil. It had settled in to snow seriously. He wanted to head out and look for his cows, but doing so would be foolhardy in this weather. He had good men, experienced cowboys. They knew enough to circle
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