Read Online Prairie Fire by Catherine Palmer - Free Book Online

soddy and tugged off his boots. Caitrin eyed him in silence. She had no desire to continue this ridiculous discussion. Good or bad, a man should have the chance to prove himself by his own actions … and not be judged by the entire history of his race.
    Jack Cornwall, of course, had shown himself a liar.
    In his letter he had called Caitrin mouthy and stubborn. But fancying himself at an advantage in the barn, he had tried to woo her with all manner of pretty words. And then he had touched her. Caitrin shut her eyes, willing away the memory of the man’s fingers against her skin. Every time she thought of that moment, a shiver ran straight down to the tips of her toes. But Jack Cornwall had promised his life to another woman, a creature who even now sat waiting for him to come and make her a wife. How cruel of him to use two innocents for his own pleasure.
    No, the man had proven himself unworthy—not because he was Cornish—but by his selfishness and troublemaking in both Missouri and Kansas. And why couldn’t Caitrin remember those things, instead of the tingling caress of his fingertips sliding down her neck … and the way his broad shoulders gleamed in the lamplight … and the look in his gray eyes when he spoke to her … ?
    “You left a lamp burning in the storage room, Caitrin,” Jimmy said, crossing in front of the stove. “I spied it when I was seeing to that horse.”
    “A lamp?” Caitrin swallowed and glanced out the window.
    “No fear. I went in and blew it out.” He settled down on a stool with his pipe. “You’d left the door unlocked.”
    “Caitie, that’s unlike you,” Sheena said. “You always lock the storeroom.”
    “She’s been working too hard on my wedding,” Rosie put in. “You must be exhausted, Caitie. I’ll go lock up for you. Where’s the key?”
    “No!” Caitrin stood quickly, almost knocking over her own stool. “I’ll do it. I … I want the fresh air.”
    Jimmy gave a chuckle. “Fresh air? Sure, it’s cold enough to freeze your lungs out there. I’m expecting snowfall any moment. Leave the storage door unlocked tonight, Caitie. Nobody’s going to steal your precious supplies.”
    “No, no. I’d better see to it.” Before the others could try to dissuade her, Caitrin grabbed her shawl, pushed open the soddy door, and hurried outside.
    As she raced across the open yard toward the barn, her heart beat out a frantic prayer. Oh, Father, what shall I do if Jack is still here? How can I make him go away? And why does the merest thought of him leap into my soul on wings of hope and joy? He’s not a good man. He’s caused so much trouble for everyone. Father, I pray … oh, I beg of you … don’t let my loneliness blind me! Show me the man as he truly is!
    The barn was pitch-black inside, but Caitrin flew across the dirt floor without a thought for roosting chickens or clumps of hay that might trip her feet. Gasping for breath in the frigid air, she forced her steps to slow as she approached the storage room. She could see the faint outline of the open door, and she pushed it open with one hand.
    “Mr. Cornwall?” she whispered. “Are you here?”
    The little room was cloaked in silence. As she calmed, a chill crept up her bare arms. She stepped inside and peered around, but it was too black to see. “Mr. Cornwall?” she said a little louder. “’Tis Caitrin Murphy. Where are you?”
    Again, nothing. Fumbling in the dark, she found the lamp on a shelf. She managed to light it and take it down. The faint yellow glow revealed an empty room. The pallet of quilts lay folded in one corner. The pickle barrel was shoved up against a wall. A stack of books sat beside it along with the crock of salve. The bandages lay in a heap on the ground.
    So he had gone away tonight, just a little before Jimmy came in to blow out the lamp. Or perhaps Jimmy’s near-discovery had caused him to flee. Perhaps even at this moment, he was riding his black horse toward Missouri and