The Beloved Woman by Deborah Smith Read Free Book Online

stopped behind her, his mouth open in dismay. She was worse off than he’d figured.
    She stood in the doorway and surveyed the dark, cool interior, where the farm’s butter and eggs had been stored. A stone well stood at the center, unharmed.
    “I’ll sleep in the springhouse on a cot,” she said.
    Sorrow and determination boiled up inside Justis. He took her by the arm, slammed the door, and swung her to face him. Be merciful, he told himself. Make the cut clean and quick.
    “You’re not gonna live here, Katie. It’s not your home anymore.”
    “I was born here,” she explained patiently. “My mother was born here. Her father was a half-breed fur trapper. He settled on this land in 1797. The date’s carved on an old walnut tree over there.” She pointed. “See? The tree with the bench under it …”
    “The land’s been given away!” Justis yelled. He shook her hard, trying to break through her heart-wrenching blindness.
    Finally agony and panic showed in her eyes. Her voice rose. “I can buy it back!”
    “No, you don’t even have the right to do that! If you had all the money in the world you couldn’t buy it, or even lease it. The law says so!”
    “It’s mine. My family’s here.” She shook her head as she talked, breathing heavily, her hands clenched. “Who stole it and killed them?”
    “Nobody
stole
it,” he said between gritted teeth. “I don’t have an answer about the other. Gangs roam all over these hills, doing whatever they want to the Cherokees, and the state lets ’em. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m not armed well enough to protect you if a gang was to wander up.”
    She looked as if she might bolt into the woods, and Justis suddenly wondered how he would ever get her back to town. He pulled her to him gently and wrapped his arms around her. She trembled and balled her fists against the center of his chest.
    “It’s because of this,” she said in fierce anguish, raising the gold nugget that hung there. “This poison is responsible for bringing every worthless white soul in the country here to murder innocent people.” She slung the nugget aside and dug her hands into his shirt. “
Who stole this land
?”
    “Let’s go back to town,” he said. He’d have to take her back by force if she didn’t cooperate. “I’ll tell you once we get there. Only when we get there. If you want to know who owns the land, you have to come with me.”
    The horror was taking its toll now, and she swayed against him. Finally she hung her head and said hoarsely, “
Swear it.
”
    “I swear.”
    Released by that vow, she fainted in his arms.

CHAPTER 3
     
    K ATHERINE woke with bright sunshine stinging her eyes. A hazy sense of despair and half-formed thoughts swam in her mind. It was easier to gaze around the room than to remember why she felt so hopeless.
    Starched white curtains swayed stiffly at an open window. The walls were papered rather than painted. The rich floral print made her dizzy, and she looked away. The room contained a tall dresser and a marble-topped washstand complete with a bowl, a pitcher, and colorful cotton towels. Rugs dotted the wooden floor.
    She lifted her covers and squinted at them groggily. Clean sheets and a pretty patchwork quilt. No bedbugs. The Gallatin-Kirkland Hotel provided lodgings that were far superior to most on the frontier.
    They’re dead. Papa, Mama, Anna, Elizabeth, even little Sallie
.
    Katherine let the covers fall, and her hands dropped limply on top of them. Memories nearly smothered her—her mother’s walnut-brown eyes, warm with affection;her father’s way of laughing; her sisters’ merry pranks. The sound of footsteps made her jump. Feeling too weary to move, she managed to push herself into a sitting position against the ornately carved headboard.
    Her door opened and Justis Gallatin stepped into the room carrying a breakfast tray. Startled to find her staring at him, he halted. His sudden appearance jolted her senses. Like