Free Deborah Camp by Primrose Page B

she had dearly loved a stray dog which she’d named Sugar. She’d been so afraid the dog would leave Primrose that she’d tied him to a stake and kept him there most of the time. The poor hound had cried and whined and dug holes as if he thought he could dig deep enough to reach someplace where there were no stakes or tethers.
    Zanna’s father had taken her aside and explained that she was mistreating the animal.
    “If you want the dog to stay with you, then be good to him. Feed him, love him, praise him, and let him loose.”
    “No, Papa!” Zanna had been frantic, so frightened that the dog would never stay if he were free.
    “Yes, Zanna. He’ll hate you if you keep him leashed to that peg in the ground. Don’t you hear him crying even this minute?”
    The hound’s pitiful wail had brought tears to young Zanna’s eyes. She had rushed to the animal she so loved and freed him. From that moment on, Sugar had never strayed any farther than the stock pond for a swim each morning. He had been a devoted companion to Zanna until his death only a few years back.
    “But I can’t set Grandville completely free,” Zannasaid aloud as she continued pacing. “He’s not as trustworthy as Sugar.”
    A sense of freedom, she thought with a bright smile. That’s what Grandy needed. The
sensation
of being free. She’d begin tomorrow by taking him into town and letting him select a modest wardrobe. Being out among other people would make him feel like a free man. The next morning they would go to church, giving him another opportunity to visit with others. But she would watch him and not let him get too far away from her, because he had to understand that it was by the grace of Zanna he was allowed such outings.
    In her mind’s eye, she saw him in his cast-off clothing and laughed softly. Poor man, she thought, but cautioned herself not to pity him too much. After all, he was a convicted horse thief and card cheat. He’d chosen to live on the wrong side of the law and he had finally been asked to pay for it.
    He’s no man of honor, she thought, but he isn’t really a hardened criminal either. He’s something in between, she decided as she looked out the window where spring had spread a blanket of green. Like the land before her, Grandville Adams was a man of many colors and subtle shadings.
    She recalled his gentleness with the mules, his burst of temper the previous night, and his cutting remark only minutes ago when he’d implied that Zanna was treating him like another plow mule.
    “You’re not an animal,” Zanna said, closing her eyes to let the sunshine warm her eyelids. “But neither are you a free man. I paid for you, Grandville Adams. I paid
dearly
for you.”

Chapter 5
     
    Zanna felt as if she were on display. Her imagination ran rampant, making her think that every living soul in Scyene was staring at her and her new husband. She sat straight as an arrow in the buggy, her color heightened, her gaze fixed on a spot between the horse’s ears. She heard snatches of laughter and knew it was directed at her.
    She’s gone around the bend now
, she imagined they were saying.
Fayne Hathaway’s turning over in his grave! Isn’t it a shame, a woman like her lowering herself to marry a common criminal? Poor thing. She must be crazy. Always was kind of strange acting, wasn’t she?
    “Where to first?” Grandy asked beside her.
    “Burnett’s General Store. Mr. Burnett has a selection of men’s and ladies’ clothing. We’ll find something there for you.”
    “Burnett’s …” He scanned the street ahead. “Across from the saloon, isn’t it?”
    “Yes.” She pursed her lips in disapproval. “Naturally, you’d know the precise location of every beer hall in town.”
    “Do you have a low opinion of every male, or is it just me?” He reined Milkmaid at the hitching post, tied off the lines, and pulled the brake, then hopped down and lifted a helping hand to Zanna. When she hesitated, he released a growl