Free Blessing in Disguise by Lauraine Snelling Page B

and this country is yours just like my homeland is. And I know you know where I am and what is going to happen, but could you please, in your mercy, share a bit of this information with me?
    She stared out at the hail-covered ground, anywhere to keep her gaze from wandering back to the man beside her. Was it getting lighter? Surely it must be. Surely if one of those balls of ice touched her cheek, it would melt in a flash.
    Kane’s thoughts turned to prayer as he in turn watched her. Oh, Lord above, she, this wife of mine, is so lovely, far beyond what I dreamed of or deserve. Your mercy is indeed higher and wider than I can comprehend. Now, if you could, please give me a hint as to how to talk with her. See, she looks at me and then away. She is not only lovely, but modest too. And I have a feeling that while she is dressed so fashionably now, she isn’t afraid of hard work, and on the ranch there will be plenty of that. See how she takes this hailstorm in her stride? She is not cowering or crying. She followed my swift instructions without a qualm, even though she didn’t understand what I said. Oh, God, my God, how gracious thou art to me a sinner, albeit right now a very happy one .
    He followed her gaze at the world beyond the wagon wheels and smiled reassuringly when she glanced at him. “Yes, the storm is passing. We’ll be on our way soon.” He hoped they would get another hour or two of travel in before it grew too dark.
    Within a few minutes he began to hitch the team back up, then turned around to see her striding off to the west, kicking up drifts of hail as she strode so purposefully. He started to call her back and then stopped. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought? And there weren’t even very many bushes for her to hide behind. He finished hooking the traces back to the hooks on the ends of the singletrees and, whistling under his breath, scraped hailstones out of the back of the wagon so they wouldn’t melt and ruin the supplies.
    When she returned he touched a finger to the brim of his hat and helped her back up on the wagon seat. When I was learning Mandan, how did we do it? He thought back. One word at a time, that’s what, so I guess we start now. That’ll be one way to pass the hours .
    He turned to her and pointed to his chest. “I am Kane.”
    She smiled back at him.
    He pointed to her. “Now say your name.”
    Her eyes clouded like the sky bowl above when the wind blew up from the west. She shrugged.
    “I am Kane.” He spoke more slowly and louder.
    Her brows straightened into a flat line, then she nodded and pointed to him. “I am Kane.”
    He resisted the urge to laugh and pointed to his chest again. “Kane.”
    She nodded. “Kane.” So what did the other words mean? Oh, of course . She pointed to herself. “I am Augusta.”
    “Augusta?” Now it was his turn to look confused. But I thought your name was Asta. At least that’s the way I read your signature on the letter. Perhaps she is like me and not using her given name but just a part of it. After all, Thomas was my father’s name also, and who wants to be called Elkanah when my Mandan friends couldn’t pronounce it anyway?
    Much to her relief, he smiled again and repeated their names, pointing to each as he said them. So she did the same. When she looked back at him, his smile had warmed by twenty degrees, just like the sun that was peeking out to turn the hail into slush and trickling water.
    She quickly looked out over the horses’ broad rumps, then down to her hands clenched in her lap. Why did the sight of his warm, gold-flecked eyes make her want to fan her face?
    “Augusta?”
    She turned back to look at him.
    He lifted his hat. “Hat.”
    Ah, he was trying to teach her his language . “Hat.” She pointed to her own, the soft velvet somewhat worse for having been pummeled by the hail.
    The cloud flitted over his face this time before he smiled and nodded. “Hat.” He touched his and then hers.
    Now it was her