Free One True Love by Lori Copeland Page B

“Sister?”
    Copper shrugged, wishing she’d never mentioned the subject. She only did so to comfort Sadie but the woman looked anything but relieved about the speculation. “Sadie? Have you and Mr. Redlin courted?” Copper asked.
    One or two women snickered and Copper shot them a stern look. Sadie might be a little rough around the edges, and she was anything but feminine by nature, but she was a hard worker and loyal to a fault. One man had found her worthy of marriage, and another would too. If not Redlin—Well, granted, she had to admit as much as the man annoyed her, he was a striking male with a smidgen of appeal and a good deal of empathy. She supposed that came from all the Bible reading he did. The man knew Scripture. He asked grace over the evening meals andtalked to the Maker with such ease and familiarity that Copper could vow that somewhere in his past he had a history of religious service.
    â€œI only mentioned the letter for all of our benefits.” She nearly choked, but she continued. “It would be difficult for any woman to deny that the wagon master has certain…undeniable appeal.” She glanced at Sadie. “So no one should feel badly if the man has a private life that he’s chosen not to reveal. And that life might well include a woman—a fiancée—a…” She wanted to say donkey with a similar personality but she refrained. She only wanted to dampen Sadie’s hopes, not to dash her dreams. “A Susan.”
    â€œCopper’s right, you know.” Adele reached for a dishcloth. “Redlin keeps his private life to himself. His job is to get us to Colorado Springs, but otherwise I guess the man has a right to a personal life.”
    Others agreed. Even Sadie nodded, and Copper sagged with relief. She had no idea about Josh Redlin’s personal life—and she didn’t want to know. But she hoped she had somewhat dashed Sadie’s unrealistic expectations for the man. Truthfully, as much as she liked Sadie, she couldn’t, in her wildest dreams, imagine Josh and her together. She had a feeling Josh was wanting a nice, submissive woman, and Sadie didn’t fit that description. Sadie was more like…her. Spirited. Able to hold her own with the opposite sex.
    Â 
    Shortly after noon, with the school lesson finished and laundry flapping on the line, Copper stretched out on a blanket to read a copy of A Fairy Tale by Louisa M. Alcott. Reading took her to new worlds, and today she felt in need of distraction.
    A commotion caught her attention and she glanced up to see four braves ride into camp. Pulse quickening, she thought of the children.
    Please God, let them remember our lesson on fear, and please let this be an “irrational one.”
    Men with rifles in hands stood well back as Josh and Frank Richardson approached the small party. Copper figured the braves couldn’t be looking for trouble with the relay station and soldiers close by.
    The men engaged in conversation. From her vantage point, Copper couldn’t hear the exchange but it appeared to be expressed in nonthreatening tones. Suddenly her heart hammered so forcefully she thought it would break through the chest wall. What if the redskins decided to turn on the two men?
    In a second they could be dead with an arrow through the heart before others could fire.
    She eased closer to the edge of the pallet, wishing for a gun. She could shoot. She was not an expert, but if one of those savages decided to go after Redlin she felt sure she could put a round within a few inches of the intended target.
    The small party conversed another few minutes, and then the braves turned their ponies and rode toward the chuck wagon.
    The camp guards dispersed, their concerns apparently eased.
    Reaching for her crutches, Copper awkwardly got to her feet and approached Josh, who was coming back to camp with Frank Richardson.
    Redlin acknowledged her with a nod of the head