Free Guardian Bride by Lauri Robinson Page B

her eyes, and
    listening to the crickets singing outside the open windows,
    she willed Jonas to offer assistance.
    The next thing she knew, morning light had crept into the
    house, and the scent of coffee filled her nose. She threw the
    sheet aside and jumped to her feet.
    "Whoa, slow down there, girl," Stephanie said from her
    stance near the stove.
    Snatching her dress and rushing for the water closet,
    Summer apologized, "I'm sorry, I must have overslept."
    "There's no rush." Stephanie kept her voice low. "The
    thrashing is done."
    Summer ducked into the wash room. Minutes later, her
    nightgown in the basket and the pillow and blankets folded
    and put away, she walked to the table where Stephanie sat
    with two steaming cups.
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    "Have a seat, it's early yet," Stephanie offered. "I just
    couldn't sleep."
    Summer sat and accepted the cup Stephanie slid across
    the table. "Are you ill?"
    "No," Stephanie said thoughtfully. Her gaze was on the
    steam swirling out of her cup and both hands were wrapped
    around the thick white mug. "You know, for years after my
    husband died I wished I could have him back for just one
    night. I wanted to feel his arms around me one more time,
    sleep one last time with my head on his chest."
    A single tear rolled down Stephanie's cheek. Summer
    reached over and placed a hand on one stooped, thin
    shoulder, wishing she knew what to say.
    Stephanie gazed across the room. "He was here," she
    whispered. "Last night—" a tiny, raspy sob slipped out. "He
    came to me."
    Summer's hand grasped on tighter, and she held her
    breath.
    Stephanie wiped at her face with one hand and lifted the
    coffee mug to her lips with the other. After swallowing, she
    said, "You probably think I'm crazy."
    "No," Summer admitted. "I don't think you're crazy." She
    eased her hold on Stephanie's shoulder and rubbed the spot
    consolingly. "Jonas loved you very much."
    Stephanie's head snapped up, and her eyes narrowed into
    a serious squint. "How do you know his name?"
    Locked air in Summer's lungs made her cough. "I-I-
    someone must have mentioned it," she lied.
    "No, no one would have mentioned Jonas."
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    Summer bit her tongue.
    "If anyone around mentioned him, they would have called
    him Jay. That's what he was known as in these parts. Jay, not
    Jonas." Stephanie stared as if she could see right into
    Summer's head. "Even his headstone says Jay."
    Summer swallowed, shuffling her feet under the table.
    Stephanie's gaze didn't falter, just kept going in deeper and
    deeper. Summer lowered her eyes and drew her hand away.
    Picking up her coffee cup, she took a tiny sip. "Why? Why
    didn't anyone around here call him Jonas?"
    Stephanie turned around and stared at her bedroom door
    for a few moments before she turned back to Summer. Her
    gaze was softer, and a tiny frown had settled between her
    brows. "Because," she started hesitantly, "he was known as
    Jonas in Missouri." She took a breath and continued, "After
    his first wife died, he left there to lead a wagon train west. My
    family was a part of that train. We were on the gold rush. The
    first one. The big one in California. Jay Quinter was the wagon
    master."
    She took a swig of coffee and seemed to be more settled
    in telling her tale because she'd barely swallowed before
    continuing, "From the moment I saw him, I was head over
    heels in love. I was sixteen, and he was twenty-six." A wide
    smile flashed on her lips. "I tried everything I could to get his
    attention." The grin disappeared. "But he was crushed over
    the death of his wife and baby. He didn't let it rule his life
    though. He led that train through Indian attacks, hail storms,
    and blizzards that would have killed us all if not for him. He
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    stayed on with my family that winter, and by spring, I knew I
    couldn't let him leave California without me."
    Jonas hadn't told Summer any of this. She was in awe