Read Online New Frontier of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 2) by Dorothy Wiley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dorothy Wiley
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scared him away. Perhaps he’s just incapable of love for some reason. Jane’s right, he’ll never want a wife.
She kept walking toward the river, debating with herself.
Maybe he didn’t even find her appealing. Did he think her a pampered gentlewoman—too genteel, too much a lady? Well, she was learning more each day about how to take care of herself in the wilderness. It wasn’t her fault she’d grown up coddled and indulged. She was who she was and proud of it. If he wasn’t willing to look beneath the superficial part of her, then that was his loss.
Besides, it’s too soon to even be thinking about another man or marrying again. But she was. She couldn’t help it. She just couldn’t. She did feel something for Sam, but was it enough to risk staying here? “Oh Lord, what do you want me to do?” she asked, looking skyward.
She listened to the gurgle and rush of the river. Her emotions seemed to be rushing through her as swiftly as the river’s current. At least the river knew which way to flow. She didn’t know whether to go forward in Kentucky or backward to Boston. She peered down at the mud on the riverbank, feeling like she was stuck in it.
Kelly walked up behind her. “Catherine, please forgive me if I misspoke. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Kelly, what made you say that?”
Kelly gracefully stooped down to pick a red wildflower before she answered. “The way you look at him when he’s not looking. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is noticing. I look at William the same way when he’s not looking at me. It’s a look of admiration, of wanting—a look of hope. A hope that someday I’ll have the courage to look at him when he
is
looking at me. A hope that he’ll look back at me, feeling the same way I do.”
Dumbfounded, Catherine didn’t know what to say. She had to admit everything Kelly said made sense. “You’re very wise for such a young lady.”
“And you’re very foolish for such a smart woman.”
She had to laugh. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I think two men may be in love with you.”
Catherine felt her eyes widen, shocked by Kelly’s presumptuous and brash statement. “In love? Two? Oh good heavens, you can’t mean it.”
“Bear looks at you almost the same way.”
“What do you mean ‘almost’?”
“Bear, who is a fine man I’m sure, sees the outside of you—sees your considerable beauty and your charm. You have captured Bear’s mind. However, the Captain’s heart sees the inside of you. He admires who you are—your spirit—and the strength he senses beneath your beauty.”
Had she been wrong about Sam seeing only the superficial part of her?
Her head bowed, Kelly paused, thinking for a moment. Finally she said, “The Captain’s heart wants you but his mind is still fighting it for some reason.”
“What reason?”
“I don’t know—something hidden deep within him. Whatever it is, it’s important.”
Everything Kelly told her rang true to Catherine. “Kelly, you are remarkable. How did someone your age gain such insight into people, especially since you lived in the woods, alone for the most part?”
“My Ma was the same way. Ever since I was little, we’d talk for hours and hours about different characters in books and the stories in the Bible and about her relatives and people she had known. Ma taught me how to observe people by studying our animals. She showed me how little things they do will tell you a lot about how they’re feeling. Like when a horse pins back his ears, you know it’s time to watch out. He’s mad and likely to kick. She said observing and figuring out people is the same—a gift—the gift of understanding what people are going to do and why. For some reason, she wanted me to be able to do that too. So even after she died, I kept on observing my animals and sometimes my Pa. I could almost always tell when he was going to beat me. When that looked likely, I’d take a long walk in
She kept walking toward the river, debating with herself.
Maybe he didn’t even find her appealing. Did he think her a pampered gentlewoman—too genteel, too much a lady? Well, she was learning more each day about how to take care of herself in the wilderness. It wasn’t her fault she’d grown up coddled and indulged. She was who she was and proud of it. If he wasn’t willing to look beneath the superficial part of her, then that was his loss.
Besides, it’s too soon to even be thinking about another man or marrying again. But she was. She couldn’t help it. She just couldn’t. She did feel something for Sam, but was it enough to risk staying here? “Oh Lord, what do you want me to do?” she asked, looking skyward.
She listened to the gurgle and rush of the river. Her emotions seemed to be rushing through her as swiftly as the river’s current. At least the river knew which way to flow. She didn’t know whether to go forward in Kentucky or backward to Boston. She peered down at the mud on the riverbank, feeling like she was stuck in it.
Kelly walked up behind her. “Catherine, please forgive me if I misspoke. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Kelly, what made you say that?”
Kelly gracefully stooped down to pick a red wildflower before she answered. “The way you look at him when he’s not looking. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is noticing. I look at William the same way when he’s not looking at me. It’s a look of admiration, of wanting—a look of hope. A hope that someday I’ll have the courage to look at him when he
is
looking at me. A hope that he’ll look back at me, feeling the same way I do.”
Dumbfounded, Catherine didn’t know what to say. She had to admit everything Kelly said made sense. “You’re very wise for such a young lady.”
“And you’re very foolish for such a smart woman.”
She had to laugh. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I think two men may be in love with you.”
Catherine felt her eyes widen, shocked by Kelly’s presumptuous and brash statement. “In love? Two? Oh good heavens, you can’t mean it.”
“Bear looks at you almost the same way.”
“What do you mean ‘almost’?”
“Bear, who is a fine man I’m sure, sees the outside of you—sees your considerable beauty and your charm. You have captured Bear’s mind. However, the Captain’s heart sees the inside of you. He admires who you are—your spirit—and the strength he senses beneath your beauty.”
Had she been wrong about Sam seeing only the superficial part of her?
Her head bowed, Kelly paused, thinking for a moment. Finally she said, “The Captain’s heart wants you but his mind is still fighting it for some reason.”
“What reason?”
“I don’t know—something hidden deep within him. Whatever it is, it’s important.”
Everything Kelly told her rang true to Catherine. “Kelly, you are remarkable. How did someone your age gain such insight into people, especially since you lived in the woods, alone for the most part?”
“My Ma was the same way. Ever since I was little, we’d talk for hours and hours about different characters in books and the stories in the Bible and about her relatives and people she had known. Ma taught me how to observe people by studying our animals. She showed me how little things they do will tell you a lot about how they’re feeling. Like when a horse pins back his ears, you know it’s time to watch out. He’s mad and likely to kick. She said observing and figuring out people is the same—a gift—the gift of understanding what people are going to do and why. For some reason, she wanted me to be able to do that too. So even after she died, I kept on observing my animals and sometimes my Pa. I could almost always tell when he was going to beat me. When that looked likely, I’d take a long walk in
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