Read Online The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander - Free Book Online Page B

understand.” And she did. She was a stranger to the girl.
    But understanding didn’t remove the sting of rejection, and she wondered again if Janie had made the right choice. And if she’d made the right choice in coming West to begin with. Maybe if she hadn’t been here, Janie would have struggled harder to live. McKenna felt a sinking inside. Maybe her own arrival to Copper Creek had been the deciding factor, and she hadn’t realized it. Until now.
    Following a dinner of beans and cornbread, McKenna enlisted Robert’s help in watching Emma, already bracing herself for his refusal. Judging from the scowl on his face, his mood hadn’t improved much since earlier that day. “I only need you to watch her for an hour. So I can help Dr. Foster with”—she lowered her voice—“preparing Janie’s body for the funeral tomorrow.”
    Frowning, Robert glanced behind him where Emma sat at the table, her head bowed. “What do you want me to do with her?”
    “Take her for a walk. Ask her to show you the barn. Anything to occupy her for a little while, so I can help Dr. Foster. Please, Robert. I would really appreciate it.”
    He sighed and turned away, running a hand through his hair. Then he looked back. “Hey . . . Emma!”
    Cringing at the casualness of his tone, McKenna saw Emma’s head come up.
    “I’m wondering if you’ve got any cows around here.” Robert peered out the kitchen window, as though not seeing the cattle in the adjacent field. “Sure would like to see me some. If you know where any are.”
    Emma’s tear-rimmed eyes widened. She nodded, shyly.
    The unlikely pair went outside and walked down the road together. As she watched them, McKenna prayed for them both, then joined Dr. Foster back inside. They worked in silence, a late summer sun casting a golden glow over the room. She washed and arranged Janie’s hair and chose Janie’s best dress from the chiffarobe, all while memories of better days long past pressed especially close.
    Later, after Dr. Foster had gone and Emma was finally asleep, McKenna sat on the front porch steps as darkness swiftly approached, sifting through the decisions facing her now. Faint light from the barn told her of Robert’s whereabouts, as did the sound of crates being moved. He was unpacking the wagon as she’d asked him to do—and without having to be told twice. She sighed. Maybe this change of scenery would be good for him after all.
    She leaned forward, arms clasped around her knees, mindful of the tender sutures in her left hand. The poultice Dr. Foster had made was helping with the pain and swelling.
    Going back to St. Joseph wasn’t an option, for reasons she’d given Robert earlier. She’d come to Colorado to make a new life for her and Robert, though it would be a far different life than she’d imagined. And more challenging. She had an additional person to provide for now, but at least here they had a place to live, and Mr. Trenton at the livery had already agreed in a letter to hire both her and Robert. She simply had to be strong. To persevere.
    She would not allow herself to be broken by this. God
would give her the strength she needed—she kept telling herself that.
    She was planning on calling on Mr. Trenton the day after tomorrow and would be certain to take the letter he’d written that outlined her and Robert’s responsibilities at the livery. She’d written, notifying him of the week of their arrival, but not the exact date. Which, as it turned out, was a good thing.
    She spotted Robert walking toward her from the barn. From the set of his shoulders, he looked tired.
    He paused at the bottom of the porch stairs. “She okay?”
    Understanding who he was referring to, she nodded. “Emma’s asleep. Thank you for watching her earlier.”
    He shrugged, a familiar gesture for him.
    McKenna loosened the leather tie from her braid and began unraveling the strands of hair. “She knows her mama is in heaven, but she doesn’t understand