Cora's Pride (Wilderness Brides Book 1) Read Online Free

smiled at her companion. Cora’s lips tightened in disapproval. Slowly, she lowered her weapon, then eased her finger off the hammer.
    “Fine, you can stay and help fix the wagon in exchange for a meal,” she conceded. “But you can’t go with us, and I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” Judging from the suspicious look on her face, she’d made her offer begrudgingly.
    Nathaniel’s smile widened. “Much obliged, ma’am.”
    He lowered his hands and strode toward the wagon. He chuckled softly. Damned if he hadn’t escaped a snake pit just to fall into a hornet’s nest. The woman standing next to Cora came up to him. She squared her shoulders and held out her hand.
    “Anna Porter,” she said with a hesitant smile, her eyes shooting to the woman with the rifle.
    Cora simply glared at him suspiciously. Nathaniel grinned and shook Anna Porter’s hand, then stuck his hand out to the hostile one.
    “Nathaniel Wilder. Pleasure to meet you all.”
    Cora whatever-her-last-name was didn’t shake his hand, but turned away from him and moved toward the wagon, pushing the young boy in front of her.
    “Is she always this friendly?” Nathaniel stared after her.
    Miss Porter eyed him with a slight disapproving look. “Her name is Cora Miller, and the girls in the wagon are her sisters, Caroline and Josephine. The boy is Patrick.”
    Nathaniel studied Anna Porter. Her features were soft and delicate, matching her quiet demeanor. She clutched at the scarf covering her own head and pushed some strands of her dark hair out of her face.
    “Where are your men?” Nathaniel couldn’t hold back the question.
    Anna’s lips tightened. She seemed to hesitate with an answer.
    “That’s none of your concern, mister.” Cora had spun around to stare at him again. “Now if you’re really here to help, I suggest you get to work. The quicker the wagon wheel gets fixed, the faster we can be on our way. You can eat supper with us for your trouble, but we’ll part ways right after.”
    Nathaniel held her stare in silence, meeting the challenge in her eyes. He’d much rather tell her what a foolhardy woman she was for thinking she could get through this wilderness on her own. Hell, they were already lost, and would have gotten even more lost, had he not come along.
    He glanced over his shoulder toward the trees. He was running out of time. The Crow were not going to simply give up when they realized he had tricked them. He eyed the horse again.
    “I’ll go take a look at that broken wheel,” he said.
    With a quick nod to Anna Porter, he moved to the wagon. Nathaniel passed Cora, and offered her his best smile. She didn’t return it. Her face remained as icy as before. Once she lowered her weapon fully and turned her attention to the other woman, he knelt to inspect the broken wheel. It would take at least a few hours to fix. Time he didn’t have at the moment.
    What if he’d led his pursuers straight to this camp? If the Crow had found his trail, these women were defenseless. He glanced toward Cora. That woman seemed too disagreeable for a sensible conversation. Better to act now and explain later.
    He straightened and moved around the wagon to the horse. Giving the animal a pat on the neck, he glanced over his shoulder, then slowly untied the reins from the tree.
    He eyed the women again and shook his head. They were foolish if they thought they’d get to Fort Hall alive. Anna busied herself with the fire, while Cora spoke to the two girls inside the wagon. No one paid him any mind when he swung up onto the horse’s bare back and kicked it into a run. With any luck, he’d put some distance between himself and that wagon before the Crow found his trail.
    The boy yelled at the same moment a shot reverberated through the air. Nathaniel cursed and kicked the horse into a faster run, steering it into the trees. Damn stupid fool of a woman! A gunshot could be heard for miles. At least she wasn’t a very good shot. He urged the horse