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

forward. Hopefully her next shot wouldn’t find its mark, either. It never came. Her yell grew faint as he put some distance between the wagon and himself.
    Backtracking the way he’d come, there was no sign of his Crow pursuers. If they had given up the chase, they must have found his horses and supplies. Perhaps they didn’t think he was worth pursuing anymore. By the time he came to the creek where he’d laid the false trail, it became apparent that the warriors had followed it. Thankfully, it would have led them in the opposite direction from where the women were camped.
    Nathaniel dismounted and allowed the horse to drink. He stepped into the water and splashed some of the cold liquid on his face. He straightened to stare off at the mountains. Uncertainty gripped him. He had a horse to ride, but his supplies were lost. He shook his head. He couldn’t return home until he found his own horses.
    Then there was the matter of the women who were lost in the wilderness. He’d succeeded in keeping the Crow away from their camp, but for how long? Nathaniel gathered up the reins and was about to swing onto the horse’s back, when twigs snapped behind him and hooves clacked against the rocky riverbank.

Chapter Three
    “ I knew he was a snake the moment I set eyes on him,” Cora shouted, reloading her rifle. She aimed at the man galloping away on her horse, but she didn’t pull the trigger. She’d missed her one shot already and the distance was too great. She might hit Gray.
    Spinning on her heels, she ran back toward camp. She was not going to lose her only horse to another swindler.
    “Patrick, fetch the saddle.” She didn’t wait for her little brother to carry out the order as she rushed to the picket line. Grabbing the halter to one of the mules, she dragged the animal along behind her closer to the wagon.
    “What are you going to do?” Anna rushed up, her eyes wide as saucers.
    Cora glared at her. Her body trembled. How did she allow yet another man to mislead her? “Going after that horse thief.”
    “You’ll never catch up to him.”
    Cora sucked in a deep breath. Her heart pounded as anger boiled the blood in her veins. Weren’t there any decent men left in this world? Her eyes darted to the back of the wagon, where Josie’s head was barely visible from inside. Her sister had scrambled for the wagon the moment that stranger had walked into camp. Caroline, always supportive, had gone with her sister. Josie had reason to be afraid of men, and as long as there was a breath in her, Cora would not let anyone harm her youngest sister again.
    Why had she been so stupid and not listened to her inner voice when Nathaniel Wilder – if that was even his name – had swaggered into camp? She should have put a bullet in him right then and there, if for no other reason than to wipe that silly grin off his face.
    His very handsome face.
    Cora shook her head. Ted had been handsome, too, and had managed to convince her that the only way she was going to get to Oregon was to marry him. He’d turned out to be a liar and a cheat. Because of him, they were now stranded out in the wilderness, lost and with a broken wagon. When he’d told her two weeks ago at Fort Laramie that he was leaving, she’d sworn she would never trust or depend on another man again. Enough was enough.
    First, her father had walked out on her mother. Remaining faithful to her had suddenly become too difficult for him, after almost twenty years of marriage. Mama had busted her back trying to keep their farm going, and bore four children for that ungrateful man, without ever complaining. Even after Papa left, Mama had kept the family together, and now it was up to Cora to keep her siblings safe.
    She smiled when her little brother struggled to lift the heavy saddle onto the mule’s back.
    “Let me help.” She propped her rifle against the wagon.
    “Wish I was bigger,” Patrick said, hanging his head. “Then I could go after that man for