His Heart's Revenge (The Marshall Brothers Series, Book 2) by Jo Goodman Read Free Book Online Page A

had no reason not to trust her. Still, she was cold toward him and he couldn't understand it. It was hard to think clearly any more. The cold seemed to numb his brain. Finally he decided to follow, loping after her with an uneven stride and keeping the horse blanket close as a shield against the icy wind.
    The breeze that wafted across the pasture and followed their tree-lined trail along King's Creek was warm to Mary Catherine. Tendrils of honey-colored hair, picked up by the wind, tickled her cheeks and temples. Behind her she heard Logan tramping on fallen leaves and moving noisily through the underbrush. Sunlight dotted their path. Occasionally she raised her face to feel the kiss of its heat.
    At the point where the creek widened, she stopped. The rush of water over a dam of stones was a pleasant roar in her ears. In front of her was a half-moon clearing ringed by four holly trees. It was shady here, protected from the sun by the evergreen holly leaves. The ground was dotted with bright red berries. Some fell in the creek and were carried away on the white water. She heard Logan come up behind her. She had to force herself not to cringe when he placed his hand on her shoulder for support. His breathing was heavy, rasping. Looking at the graves of her mother and sister, Mary Catherine felt the familiar wash of hate and anger return. She took strength from it. Pity for Logan had made her feel helpless and she was glad that emotion was gone.
    "What is this place?" asked Logan. But he knew. He knew. He stared at the twin mounds of stones stacked like a pyramid of cannonballs and made out the faint outline of the graves they marked. Brutus padded to the headstones and circled them several times. He sniffed at ground and finally lay down, whimpering.
    "Mama's grave is the one on the left," Mary Catherine said. Her voice was calm, detached. The tone was so unemotional she could have been talking about someone she had never met. "She died last June."
    "Last June? You mean a year ago?"
    She nodded faintly. "Just a little over a month after we left Washington."
    Logan was stunned. "Oh, God. I'm sorry."
    "Why are you sorry?" It was your fault, she accused silently.
    Her question confused him. Why shouldn't he be sorry? He liked Rose. She was a fine, brave woman. "I was honored to know your mother. Why shouldn't I regret her passing?"
    Just as Mary Catherine expected, he wasn't apologizing for his part in her mother's death. She shrugged off his question and reined in her accusing glance. "It was consumption," she told him. "She was ill before we left and she knew it. The traveling wasn't good for her. She caught a cold on the journey and never really recovered. It all happened very swiftly."
    "If only she had said something," Logan said, more to himself than to Mary Catherine. "I could have arranged for all of you to stay in Washington. I would have seen to it that you weren't bothered." He didn't have to mention by whom.
    "Oh, but you had already done so much for us," she replied, skirting the edge of sarcasm with a voice that dripped honey.
    Logan's hand had been resting on Mary Catherine's shoulder. It wasn't enough to keep him upright. He moved so that his forearm lay over her. Almost immediately there was a shiver from her. "You're cold," he said. "Here, take the blanket."
    "No, I'm fine." The bodice of her gingham dress was lined with canvas for extra warmth. "Really. Keep it for yourself." A Yankee firing squad could not have forced her to tell him the real reason she had shivered. She wouldn't let him have that much power over her.
    "And Megan?" he asked. "It doesn't seem possible." Even staring at the grave he couldn't believe redheaded, green-eyed Megan was gone. He remembered the kiss in the garden and Megan's off balance, sweet response. Would things have been any different if he had taken the colonel's suggestion and married her? "What happened to her?"
    "She died in childbirth."
    Logan blinked, surprised again. "She