Desert Angel by Pamela K Forrest Read Free Book Online

the back of his horse, you’ll hafta walk.”
    “You know I can’t ride a horse, Pa.”
    “Don’t make no never mind to me if’en you ride or walk.” Without a further comment, George turned and walked away, stuffing the money into his pants pocket.
    “Ma? He’s sending me away?”
    The woman looked sadly at her oldest daughter, then turned and followed her husband. One by one the children came and hugged her, but none shed a tear for this sister they would never see again.
    Wanting to be away from this strange family and afraid he had been foolish to offer this girl a job, Jim mounted his horse. He was already wondering what he would do with her if she didn’t work out. His desperation had caused him to overlook his better judgment, and he prayed he didn’t live to regret it.
    “Hand me your things, girl.” Jim held his hand out, then stuck her small roll at the front of the saddle.
    Her big gray eyes looked up — way up. And what she saw was far from reassuring. The man was big, easily twice her size. The sun was behind him, making it impossible for her to see him clearly, but he looked like many of the men who hung around the cabin with a layer of trail dust clinging to his clothes and the stubble of a beard darkening his face.
    His hat was pulled low over his forehead, making it difficult for her to see much of his face. She wished she could push it back, so that she could study his eyes. Mama had always claimed you could tell a good man from a bad one by studying his eyes.
    “I can’t sit a horse, Mr. Travis.”
    “Your pa explained that you were poorly.” Jim felt uncomfortable discussing such a personal matter with a stranger. “If you sit sideways and hold onto me, you should do all right.”
    With a lot of help, she was able to get onto the rump of the horse. It was a precarious position with her legs dangling freely and only her grasp on his waist to keep her on the horse, but the discomfort and weakness that plagued her far outweighed her concern about falling off.
    She didn’t dare turn to take a final look at her family, and tears clouded her eyes. What would Ma and the little ones do without her? Pa didn’t care if they starved or went without clothing. He wasn’t concerned if they were sick. During her mother’s many confinements, she was the one who made sure there was food on the table and a warm fire burning.
    “What’s your name, girl?” Jim asked as he slowly walked the horse back toward the house.
    “March,” she answered softly.
    “March? What kind of name is that?”
    “Mine.” Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she wondered what was in store for her now. She’d already suffered dearly, surely nothing could be worse than that.
    “How’d you end up with March?” he asked.
    “I’m the third.”
    “Like in a calendar; January, February, March, April?” He wondered why it surprised him that someone would name their children after the months of the year. After seeing the lack of concern George had shown this girl, nothing should have come as a surprise.
    “January and February are my two older brothers,” she clarified.
    “How many months are there?”
    Trying to ignore the gnawing pain low in her stomach, she decided that conversation was better than silence. “The baby is September, but I was starting to suspect that October is on the way.” Her voice grew softer. “I wonder if they’ll name the new baby March, now that I’m gone.”
    Jim didn’t know how to respond to her so he remained quiet. From what he had seen of the family, he thought that it would be a blessing to be free from them. They were white trash, pure and simple, and would never be anything else. But they were the girl’s family, and he guessed that she would have some kind of feelings for them.
    March was in so much pain by the time they reached the house, that at first she didn’t see it. Concentrating on staying on the back of the horse when Jim dismounted, she kept her eyes lowered until