Steadfast Heart Read Online Free

relationships. I thought you were mostly fond of the Chinese for their food,” Wade said with a chuckle.
    Abrianna fixed him with a glare. “While I did enjoy their food, I was also quite taken with their culture and traditions. I learned a great deal from our kitchen girl, Liang. She has told me many stories about her life in China. You do remember that her parents and sisters were some of those sent away. Liang thought she and her family would all be killed, but she managed to escape before her family was put on a ship. She was left destitute and betrayed by the very society that should have rallied to her protection.”
    â€œBut they did rally . . . well, some of them did. Besides, what can you do about it now? Your aunts took in Liang, and she’s now safe and well cared for. And her family was able to resettlein San Francisco with relatives. Liang chose to remain here in your aunt’s employ. That’s hardly destitute or without friends.”
    â€œThat’s true enough.” Abrianna shifted against the ladder-backed chair. “But I’m still deeply offended by what happened and by the prejudice that remains. Poor Liang was but twelve. How terrible to be taken from the people you love. And she wasn’t the only one, Wade, as you well know.
    â€œThis city should answer for what they did. Not only that, but one of the biggest supporters, that Mary Kenworthy—” Abrianna jumped to her feet and began to pace, all the while waving her arms to accentuate her speech in case Wade somehow missed her distress. “She continues her ugly disapproval of the presence of Chinese in Seattle. She believes them to be the cause of so many white men having no work, but you tell me what white man would be caught dead working at the jobs some of the Chinese are doing.” She stopped, arms akimbo. “Just tell me.”
    â€œWell, I didn’t mean to work you up into a lather.” He shook his head. “Now I can see why you’re preoccupied most of the time. Your mind must never stop churning.”
    Abrianna sighed. “You have no idea. It’s quite a labor to be me.”
    Wade’s face screwed up. “Is that smoke I smell?”
    Glancing around the kitchen, Abrianna saw the gray cloud rising from the oven. “Oh, fie. I forgot my cookies. I put the blame on your facial hair.” She hurried to the stove and opened the door. Thick smoke caused her to cough, and for a moment rendered her senseless. She reached into the hot oven, but Wade jumped toward her, pushing her aside.
    â€œMove back. Let me get it.” Wade took up a dish towel and doubled it twice before pulling the burning cookies from the oven. “You could have seriously burned your hands, Abrianna,reaching into the oven like that. What were you thinking?” He placed the smoldering discs atop the stove and stared at them. “Some of them aren’t too bad.” He cleared his throat.
    Abrianna frowned. With a spatula in hand she flipped one of the cookies over to reveal the burned bottom. “Aunt Miriam will never allow this.”
    He shrugged and gave her a smile. “She doesn’t have to know. I can help you scrape off the bottoms where they’re burned.”
    â€œShe’ll smell the smoke. I’m surprised she isn’t here already. If she wasn’t busy showing her students how to properly dye cloth, I’m sure she’d be wondering what catastrophe I had brought about this time.”
    Wade quickly went to the windows and opened first one and then another. “The room will air, and since the kitchen door is closed, I doubt the smell went further than right here.”
    â€œI suppose we can hope such a miracle will befall us.” Abrianna moved the cookies to a plate for cooling. “Goodness, I had such high expectations for this batch.” She poked at one of the cookies. “Aunt Miriam says I’m likely to be an old maid