Free Anna's Heart (Wilderness Brides Book 2) by Peggy L Henderson Page B

to find Trevor when he’d woken and stared up at her. Offering him some tea had been the first thing to come to her mind at that moment.
    Cora chuckled. “I thought Caroline and Trevor were in charge of Ethan’s recovery.”
    Anna blew air from her mouth. “I still feel responsible about what happened to him. After all, I gave him the wrong tea that made him sick. That had to be awful, especially after the accident with his hand.” She glanced at her lap to avoid eye contact with Cora. “I thought a lot about what you told me, about what happened to Ethan’s family. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but at least I can understand it a little better. I truly think he’s closed himself off from everyone for so long, he doesn’t know how to be any other way.” She ventured a glance at her friend.
    Cora smiled, staring at her as if she could read her mind.
    “What?” Heat crept up Anna’s neck and into her cheeks. The reaction to Cora’s knowing smile was unexpected. She hadn’t done anything improper. She’d simply wanted to ease her guilt and make sure that Ethan was all right. She couldn’t have known that he’d be asleep in his bunk, or that the curtain had been pulled back, letting her see him a second time without his shirt on.
    The heat in her cheeks grew in intensity. Anna sat straighter in her chair. Although Cora knew her well, she wasn’t a mind reader. She couldn’t have guessed at the images that lingered in her thoughts.
    Besides, over the last two days, she’d been in confrontation with Ethan more often than the entire time she’d been in the valley. It had also been during these last few days that a deeper understanding of the reclusive man had surfaced, at least in her mind, thanks to what Cora had told her about him. She’d known about what had happened to the brothers’ parents through Nathaniel, but it had never occurred to her that Ethan would harbor lingering guilt over what had happened.
    The way he’d looked at her when he’d offered his apology had been rather unsettling. More unsettling, in fact, than when he’d towered over her and yelled at her. His eyes had always seemed so cold, yet there had almost been a spark of tenderness in them this time, completely transforming his features. He had been so out of character from the hardened man he tried to portray around the rest of his family.
    “You’re acting more like the Anna I know – always trying to find good in people.” Cora reached a hand across the table to touch Anna’s arm. She glanced up to meet her friend’s smiling face, blinking away the memory of how Ethan had looked at her.
    “You gave me a lot to think about the other day,” Anna mumbled.
    Over the months, she’d learned to deal with Ethan’s impolite behavior by simply staying out of his way, avoiding him like most everyone else did. His apology had genuinely surprised her, and she’d been at a loss for words at how to respond. Quickly accepting his request for forgiveness, then walking away had seemed like the best thing to do. She’d lain awake last night, thinking about her misfortunate encounters with Ethan Wilder, and how his eyes had softened while he asked for her forgiveness.
    “Caroline said that Ethan and Nathaniel were talking when she stopped by to check on Ethan’s hand. Their conversation halted when she entered.”
    Anna finished her last stitch, then set the sock in her lap. There was nothing strange about that. Men didn’t like to have women listen in when they talked. “It isn’t unusual for them to talk, is it?”
    “No, I suppose not, but maybe Nathaniel was trying to persuade Ethan to escort you at least as far as Fort Hall.”
    Anna shook her head and laughed. “I can’t imagine Ethan Wilder taking me to Fort Hall. I think he’d rather cut off his other hand before he would make such an offer.” Not that she wanted him to take her in the first place.
    “Ethan’s probably the safest man you could be with alone. He