Code of Honor (Australian Destiny Book #1) Read Online Free

most of what remained of the roof framing away in one grand chunk. That helped. Much of the stall divider came up in one piece. Samantha struggled with her share and nearly fell.
    A shoulder far stronger than hers braced against her, supporting her, and arms far stronger than hers took over lifting the divider. She glanced aside to see who this was as Mr. Sloan’s voice barked.
    “Vinson! She’s not here, so get out of here. Go preach to somebody else’s horses.”
    The stall divider tipped aside and fell away. Other hands dragged it off into the darkness.
    The man beside her stood his ground. “You can use me for a few hours yet, Sloan, and I’m happy to help. I saw your lights up here, knew it was the stable area and figured you must have a problem. No other reason to pour light on a stable in this storm.”
    Samantha knew Luke Vinson only as the preacher in the little church at the crossroads a half mile away, and as Meg’s newest love interest. He was almost as good-looking as Mr. Sloan, and almost as tall—but not quite. He lacked, though, the rich darkness of her employer’s coloring. He was light-haired, and so fair that no amount of tropical sun would ever darken him up.
    No thanks, no appreciation for what was obviously a quite thoughtful gesture—Mr. Sloan glared at him up and down and then, without another word, again bent his back to the task of freeing Linnet and Gypsy.
    And the Rev. Vinson (it was Reverend , wasn’t it? Not Father . She was pretty sure of that) worked just as eagerly and earnestly. The little horse squealed when a timber broke loose and fell. Linnet’s soft soprano purred in the darkness. Samantha could hear the horse thrashing.
    “Linnet!” Mr. Sloan called. “Keep the horse quiet. Sit on her neck or something.”
    “I cannae.” The small voice sounded even weaker than usual. “I’m stuck. I cannae move.”
    Samantha’s heart thumped. She was afraid, now, and it wasn’t a fear to be ashamed of. She was afraid for Linnet, for her gentle, fragile little sister buried in this dark chaos.
    Mr. Sloan let fly another expletive, Reverend present or not, and put two strong backs to the wrecking bars. With a crack and the groans of spikes in wet wood, they tore aside the shattered manger. Gypsy convulsed and lurched to her feet. Mr. Sloan and Fat Dog grabbed her head to hold her in place. Two cutters joined Samantha and Rev. Vinson, and together they freed up a path to safety. Rev. Vinson pulled his belt from his waist and looped it around Gypsy’s head and nose. Fat Dog led her carefully out of her splintered home to open ground.
    Instantly Mr. Sloan dived into the wreckage until only his back showed. Here came Linnet, pallid in the sallow lamplight, and Mr. Sloan was holding her steady. Blood and tears streaked her face. She twisted around to face her master.
    “I was so afraid ye’d shoot her. I heard them say ‘here’s Glowworm’ and the gun went off, and then ye were working yer way toward us and I knew … I was afraid ye’d …” She sucked in air, a dry and shuddering sob.
    “What in blazes were you doing here?”
    She shrugged and studied her hands. “Sure’n ye know how nervous Gypsy can be. When the storm got bad I was afraid she’d panic and perhaps hurt herself, so I came up to try and keep her calm.” The liquid gray-green eyes rose to meet Mr. Sloan’s. “I dinnae finish stretching the strings for the peas like ye told me to, but the surf was coming up into the garden, so I dinnae think ’twas mattering too much anymore.”
    Mr. Sloan stood there in the seething, thundering rain, his face tight with rage, for a long tense moment. “Sam, take her down to the house, then return immediately. We still have three horses buried in this mess.”
    “Aye, Mr. Sloan.” Samantha wrapped an arm around Linnet’s shoulders and led her out the same cleared path Gypsy had followed. As they left the circle of light, Samantha glanced behind her. Rev. Vinson and Mr.