Free The Promised Land (Destiny's Dreamers Book 2) by Kathleen Karr

people~the Donner Party?~they’ve got a fresh widow with them. Young. Pretty. And she’s not mourning too hard.’’
    “So?’’
    “Use your head, Maggie! Need I spell it out for you? She’s making a play for every man in sight. Especially your Johnny. He’s danced with her thrice already!’’
    Maggie pricked herself with the needle. “If she’s that dangerous, you’d best be heading back to Sam, hadn’t you?’’
    Gwen flounced up. “I’m sure I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately! I will be getting back to Sam. But if it were my man out there dancing with that Annabelle thing I surely wouldn’t be sitting all alone here.’’
    Maggie waited till Gwen had disappeared toward the other end of the campground. The music she’d been trying to ignore came more clearly than ever to her ears. She lifted the pricked finger to her lips and sucked on it. She was being as stubborn as a mule, and she knew it. Finally, she got up and peeked in at the safely sleeping children. Bacon was on watch and gave her a silent wag of his tail, as if to say, `Don’t be silly. I’ll take care of my charges. Go where you’re needed.’
    She went at last. But she did not immediately penetrate to the light of the fires around the musicians and dancers. She stood instead in the shadows of a wagon, picking out the new faces before her, searching for the woman who was after her husband.
    It didn’t take long for her eyes to find the two. They were dancing again. For the fourth time? Or was it the fifth? Where was Johnny’s sense? Didn’t he know that a man danced only once~and perfunctorily at that~with any woman but his own? There would be talk starting already.
    She couldn’t tear her eyes from their figures. The woman was, indeed, attractive. She was tiny, with darkly flowing hair that swirled around her petite, but evident charms. Johnny was entranced. The new party must have brought more whiskey with them. There were jugs sitting around on the ground. Johnny had obviously helped himself. He was more animated than she could ever remember seeing him.
    She and Johnny had never danced like that together. They’d never danced at all. It was not something in the frame of Maggie’s experience. Her father had forbade such expressions, and their travelling ways had never brought them to such a social before. She wasn’t even sure she could dance. Not like that woman out there.
    Maggie continued to stare while newborn emotions sprang up in her breast. If she’d stop to figure them out she’d know that chief among these emotions was jealousy. But she did not stop to work it out. Instead, she pulled at the pins remaining in her hair and shook it all out. Before she could change her mind she emerged from the shadows and strode into the midst of the merrymakers. She was about to create a scene, and felt just fine about it.
    Her eyes flashed as she walked by Johnny and the woman . But she didn’t interrupt them. Instead, she moved to where a handsome man was standing, cheroot in hand. He was dressed like a gambler, his cherry vest and string tie flashy in the glints of light, his whole person impeccable, as if he’d just stepped off a flourishing river boat. Dark eyes drank in Maggie’s form with interest. The cheroot was dropped and he bowed low.
    “Would you favor me with a dance, Mademoiselle?’’
    “It is Madam , but it would be my pleasure, indeed.’’
    And they were off, swinging into the melee, Maggie’s eyes catching the frowns of disbelief on the faces of Irish and Sue standing nearby. She had made a good choice. The man could dance. He led her feet carefully, smoothly in pursuit of his own. For a moment Maggie forgot her purpose and actually began to enjoy herself. Then his hands enclosed her waist more tightly, his lips whispered close to her ear.
    “Who are you? You came from out of the night like some mysterious, beautiful wraith. I think you’ve enchanted me.’’
    Before Maggie could answer, the