Chase (Prairie Grooms, Book Four) Read Online Free Page A

everyone's names and who is with whom.”
    “We understand,” said Sadie as she threw more potatoes in the pot. “But Harrison and Colin’s mother has been gone for some time, years in fact. And during those years Jefferson had a hard time of it. We would appreciate if you thought of him and Edith as a whole.”
    Apple went the table and sat. “I would like to see Penelope, Constance, and Eloise soon,” she said, changing the subject.
    “ We can take you to see them tomorrow,” said Belle, as she sat next to her.
    “Yes,” agreed Sadie. “ I need to go to the mercantile and get a few things. I wasn't expecting you this early. I thought I'd have a few more weeks to prepare for your arrival.”
    “ What are our husbands like?” asked Fina out of the blue.
    Sadie and Belle looked at each of the three women as they stared back at them, waiting for an answer. Sadie spoke first. “I’m afraid your future husbands are out with the posse.”
    Apple’s shoulders slumped, then just as quickly, she perked up. ” What are their names?”
    Sadie smiled. “ You'll find out soon enough. Right now, we need to get supper finished and on the table. You must be half-starved.”
    “ Starvation is the least of our worries it seems,” muttered Lena. Belle and Sadie didn’t hear her, or surely they would have addressed the remark. She watched as the two women hurried to prepare dinner, and marveled at their efficiency in the kitchen. Lena and her sisters, on the other hand, had never so much as lifted a finger in a kitchen their entire lives. She shuddered at the thought and prayed she’d become as efficient as the two women working in front of her. Having been on the ship for most of their travels, they'd not witnessed the hard work women had to endure in this country. They'd stayed in a boarding house in Oregon City, and then took the stage across Oregon to reach Clear Creek. The stage stops were crude to be sure, but they'd been in their rooms and hadn’t watched meals prepared, only served. Lena looked at her hands and wondered how long it would take for their ruination. Months? Weeks? Days? She returned her attention to Sadie as she stirred the pot of potatoes, and cringed. It would be days to be sure.
    “Where is dear C ousin Imogene,” asked Fina, interrupting her thoughts.
    “I haven't the foggiest,” said Apple. “ Perhaps she's upstairs with the baby?”
    “Y our cousin Imogene is quite the lady,” said Belle.
    “She once bagged a tiger,” Apple informed her with pride.
    “ A tiger ?” Sadie said in surprise.
    “From the back of an elephant,” added Fina.
    Sadie and Belle glanced at one another, unsure of whether or not to believe their story.
    “It's quite true,” said Lena. “Our father told us about it often, even right up before he died.” She looked at her sisters, her face solemn. Unable to help themselves they copied the look. Stillness settled over the kitchen as Sadie and Belle watched the three sisters. It was obvious they missed their father very much. Belle and Sadie took advantage of the brief silence, and studied them.
    All three were slight in build, and like their cousins; Penelope, Constance, and Eloise, none of them shared the same hair color. Lena’s was a rich auburn, and darker than her cousin Penelope's. She also had beautiful, big brown eyes that looked deeply at everything she saw. She was also the tallest of the three and held herself the proudest. Fina on the other hand, had dark brown hair that was in sharp contrast to her creamy complexion. She also possessed the same dark eyes of her sister, yet hers had a gentle look, and one could easily see the kindness in them. Apple was another story with her golden hair that was very much like Belle’s, and also possessed the same brown eyes of her sister’s. But Apple’s eyes were full of mischief and a love of life that reminded Belle and Sadie of Constance. She was also the smallest of the three, and the one Sadie and Belle