Cora's Deception (9781476398280) Read Online Free Page B

out of my sight.
Make sure you can always see me.”
    She waved and continued through the thick
bed of dried leaves until she was several yards from her brother.
At the sharp report of his rifle, she turned quickly. Had he
already shot something? Surely not. They’d have to go back to camp
if he had, and she hadn’t seen anything interesting yet.
    Ben stood several yards away. He turned
toward her and shook his head. He must have missed. She laughed and
clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the sound. Freedom from duty
and work lifted the burden she’d carried since they’d started this
horrible move. Eliza wouldn’t be calling her to do something for
Mother. Not in the woods. An exciting afternoon of adventure lay
ahead.
    If only George were here with her. Most of
their outings in the last year had been to the courthouse. Every
trial or hearing open to the public found George there, an absorbed
spectator. Just weeks before they left St. Louis, he’d become a
junior clerk with Gosset and Smith, two of the best attorneys in
Missouri, according to George.
    A low branch brought Cora up short. She
dodged it, then looked for her brother. He stood beside a large
tree some distance away. With a sigh of relief, she checked out her
surroundings. Nothing but trees as far as she could see. If she
didn’t move, the silence became a living thing, heavy and pressing
against her ears. Then a bird chirped. Something scratched in the
underbrush to her right. Sounds of the forest crept in with birds
singing and rustling noises. How had she thought the forest was
quiet?
    A puff of air winding its way through the
trees circled her before moving on. She shivered, tucking her bare
hands into her coat pockets, letting the basket handle slide up her
arm. She stomped her feet to warm her toes as she looked around. It
hadn’t been so cold before. Satisfied there were no pecan trees in
sight, she moved on.
    Cora began zigzagging around trees with
leaves and broken sticks crunching under her feet. So she wasn’t as
quiet as she’d promised. But she was cold. She tugged her coat
closer around her and kept moving. When it seemed she’d walked
forever, with only an occasional shot from Ben’s gun, she spotted a
small grove of pecan trees by the edge of the creek. She ran the
last few steps and sank to the ground to fill her basket. She
picked up every pecan within reach, scooted over, and started
again. Father would be glad to see her full basket. Even if Ben
didn’t get any meat, they would have pecans.
    Pecans reached almost to the top of her
basket when a twig snapped. Her heart jumped, and she turned.
    “It’s only me.” Ben squatted beside her.
“Looks like you’re doing better than I am.”
    “You didn’t get anything?”
    He shook his head. “I shot at several, but
nothing stood still long enough. I’m slow reloading. The animals
watch me and disappear about the time I’m ready for them.”
    Cora giggled. “Smart animals.”
    He nodded and tossed some pecans into the
basket. “I think we ought to start back. It’s beginning to
snow.”
    A large snowflake fell on her dark woolen
skirt. It slowly melted, but was followed by others landing several
inches apart. Cora looked up at her brother. “I think you’re right.
Mother will be worried. I hope you know the way.”
    He shrugged. “I think we came in a fairly
straight line. If we go back the same way, we should come out of
the woods about where we came in.”
    Cora scrambled to her feet, brushing leaves
from her skirt and coat. She clutched the full basket. “You lead
the way.”
    Each snowflake that fell seemed to be
followed by two more until the air danced with the cold, white
crystals. Cora tried to shield her face from their sting. She kept
up with Ben as he trudged ahead of her, his gun slung over his
shoulder. Fluffs of white gathered on tree limbs, and the ground
looked like a white-patched carpet.
    Cora envisioned the log shelter the men were
building. It wasn’t