Read Online Teton Splendor by Peggy L Henderson - Free Book Online

firmly in front of her. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked tiny and fragile all of a sudden.
    “I didn’t apologize to him.” She barely whispered the words. The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. Joseph fought the urge to reach his hand out and touch her arm. Abruptly, she raised her chin and her back straightened again. She looked directly at him, her brown eyes reaching out to him.
    “Tell me about my parents. My real parents.”
    Joseph concealed his astonishment at her words. She’d successfully surprised him a third time in less than a few minutes. He drew his eyebrows together.
    “Why the change of heart?” he asked. There had to be a reason that she suddenly wanted to know about her family. He reached for her arm and pulled her to the side when a man rushed past them. He tipped his bowler hat in thanks and kept going. Sophie’s arm tensed beneath his touch, and he loosened his grip. The silk fabric of her dress did little to curb the sudden jolt of adrenaline that raced through him, and he dropped his hand. The subtle floral fragrance he’d come to associate with her filled his senses. A tingling sensation remained in his fingers, and he clenched his hand to dispel the feeling.
    “I told you. I’m sorry for the way I acted this afternoon. Perhaps I’m curious.” She spoke slowly, obviously choosing her words carefully, and averted her eyes. If only he could decipher what she wasn’t saying. For now, he’d play along.
    “I have faint memories of your ma and pa, and most of what I know are things my father told me.”
    “You knew my parents?” she asked, and raised her head. “When was I taken from them?”
    Joseph hesitated. “Sophie, your parents were murdered by a man who wanted revenge. Your pa was a French fur trapper named Laurent Berard. Your mother’s name was Whispering Waters. She was the daughter of a Bannock chief.” He paused to let his words sink in. She didn’t respond, so he continued. “Your pa asked Yan . . . your father to take you to safety so Sabin couldn’t kill you, too. Raising you as his own daughter and giving you his name was his way of keeping his promise to Laurent.”
    Joseph gauged her for a reaction. Tears shimmered in her eyes. Real tears, not the ones a woman turned on and off at will. She pulled a lace handkerchief from the satchel hanging from her wrist, and dabbed at her eyes. She sniffled, then raised her chin.
    “I would like to take you up on your offer, Mr. Walker,” she said firmly.
    A renewed wave of adrenaline hit him at the meaning of her words. Joseph laughed uneasily. “You’re saying you want to come with me and meet your grandfather?”
    “Yes, that’s what I want.” Her response was immediate.
    Joseph shook his head and ran a hand over his face. A wave of dread washed over him. This was a bad idea. He’d already determined that earlier. “I don’t think you realize what you’d be getting yourself into.”
    Sophie took a step back. Her forehead wrinkled, and a spark of anger shot from her eyes. “This morning you were adamant that I should go with you. You said this is why you came here.”
    “I know a whole lot more about you now than I did this morning,” Joseph said slowly. “And I’ve come to think that you wouldn’t last a day away from the city, out in open country.”
    Sophie’s eyes widened, her gaze flicking up at him. Her face tightened, and her hands balled into fists in front of her. “That is a harsh conclusion to draw. You know nothing about me,” she argued, her voice raised. “Why would you travel all this way only to change your mind now?”
    Joseph had no intention of lying to her. “Quite honestly, I wasn’t expecting to find a pampered and spoiled white girl.”
    Sophie’s jaw dropped. Her eyes narrowed, and her cheeks reddened. Joseph suppressed a grin. She looked ready to explode. Clearly, no one had ever spoken to her this directly before, and she was at a loss for words.
    “Let me make this