The Bride Price Read Online Free

should sit down,” Richard said.
    “And cover your ankles,” Nona whispered.
    Suddenly embarrassed, Sophie nodded and sat back onto
the sofa.
    “Michael, is she all right?” Concern marred
the woman’s otherwise flawless features.
    Doctor Wade turned to Sophie. “Young lady,
what’s your name?”
    “My name is Sophie—Sophie Ford. Where am
I?”
    “My wife found you lying out by the stables.
I’m Dr. Wade, and of course, Nona, whom you’ve met, and the
gentleman there is Richard Madden, our neighbor.” His eyes grew
serious. “Where is your family, and why are you unattended? A young
lady should not be unattended.”
    “I don’t know. I think I…died.” Even as the
words left her mouth, she realized how crazy she sounded. “At
least, I was supposed to be dying, but then I had this strange
vision...”
    Oh, yeah, vision makes you sound so
much saner.
    The tall man in the corner raised his
eyebrows at the doctor, and Sophie felt Michael’s fingers squeeze
her wrist slightly as he took her pulse. He raised his eyes in
concern and then repeated what he’d previously said, enunciating
each word a little more forcefully. “My wife found you out by the
stables. I am Dr. Michael Wade, this is my wife Norine, whom we all
call Nona, and the gentleman over there is Richard Madden.”
    “Yes, you said that, I just don’t understand
why…” Her words fell away as she stopped a sob with the back of her
palm. Sophie tried to breathe in an effort not to
hyperventilate.
    Where is Jamie?
    “Where is your family?”
    “My family?” She narrowed her gaze. “I
…uh…well, see, I was at home, and then everything got sort of
fuzzy, right after Jamie fell asleep. I know he gave me a dose
of….where is Jamie? Did I die? This just can’t be real. Jamie would
never let me go. He promised me forever.”
    “No, ma’am, you are alive, I assure you.” He
patted her hand kindly and then checked for broken bones. “Where
are you from? Is there somewhere we can take you? You have family
in these parts?”
    Nona frowned. “Michael, does it look like she
hit her head? She seems very confused.”
    When the doctor probed Sophie’s head at his
wife’s urgency, she swatted his hand away. She’d had enough
invasive examinations during her life, and no way would she accept
probing in her afterlife. Sophie screamed on the inside.
    “No bumps. No physical injuries.”
    Sophie shivered, unsure if it was from the
cold or the confusion, as she began to recognize this wasn’t
heaven. Where was Jamie?
    “Look at the poor dear, she’s shaking,” Nona
murmured. “Michael, the blankets.”
    The doctor gently laid blankets over Sophie,
and she fingered the delicate fabric of the top cover.
    “Do you live nearby? Is there somewhere we
can take you?” Michael asked.
    “I live in Portland, but I don’t know how I
got here.” Frustrated, Sophie sat up. Nausea hit her with force.
She remembered she hadn’t eaten more than the oranges Jamie had
insisted on earlier.
    Earlier…or a lifetime ago…or in my subconscious.
What the heck is going on?
    Nona bustled over, sat down next to Sophie,
and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Don’t worry about anything. You
must have lost your memory. Just lie back and relax. You’re safe
here with us. You couldn’t have shown up at a better, safer place.
You are welcome to stay as long as you have need. With a little
rest, perhaps your memories will return.”
    Sophie rolled her eyes. “I haven’t lost my
memory. I’m Sophie Ford. I’m married to James Ford, and I’m
supposed to be dead.” Then under her breath, “Or, not,
apparently.”
    She had to admit, she felt relieved that she
wasn’t dead. But still— where is Jamie?
    “You’re married? Where is your husband? Is he
one of the soldiers working with Richard?” Nona frowned. “Michael,
why would her husband leave her in the snow?”
    “My husband isn’t a soldier, he’s an artist
and musician, and he would never leave me