Bound For Eden Read Online Free PDF Page A

mostly naked man standing in front of her sister. Her cheeks flamed. ‘What is going on here?’ she blustered, obviously half scared to death, but trying for Alex’s sake to be brave. ‘Adam!’
    Alex could hear Adam shuffling across the courtyard and she shook her head frantically. Adam hadn’t seen her dressed up like this yet, and she knew he’d give her away. ‘Go back to the room, Adam,’ she called quickly, glaring at Victoria. ‘We’ll join you in a minute.’
    â€˜Alex?’ Adam’s lazy voice drifted through the open door. ‘Vicky said you were gone.’
    â€˜I’m not gone. Go back to the room now.’
    â€˜I can see the moon.’
    â€˜Really? You can tell me about it when I come up.’
    â€˜Alrighty.’
    Alex heard him singing softly to himself as he went back inside. She darted a glance at Luke, and saw him watching them curiously, his towel loosely tied around his hips. Now that Victoria was here she felt ashamed of herself. Nice girls didn’t do such things. Victoria would certainly never get herself in this position.
    Alex cleared her throat guiltily. ‘Victoria, this is Mr . . .’ Alex paused, realising that she didn’t even know his last name.
    â€˜Slater.’
    â€˜Mr Slater. He’s captain of a wagon train.’
    Victoria had turned to face the courtyard, her back to Luke Slater’s indecent state and her gaze firmly fixed on the water pump. Even from across the room Alex could see that she was as red as a beet. ‘I don’t believe a reputable operator would do business in a bathhouse,’ she said primly.
    â€˜I paid your brother to help me with my bath,’ Luke said smoothly, thinking to placate her, but his words had the opposite effect.
    Alex had rarely seen Victoria lose her temper, but she certainly lost it now. ‘You get upstairs this minute,’ she ordered shrilly, crossing the room and seizing Alex by the arm. ‘What are you thinking? Ma and Pa would be ashamed of you!’
    Her words cut Alex to the bone. ‘I can explain—’
    â€˜And you will.’ Victoria almost dragged her sister from the steamy room, keeping well away from the indecent man in the towel.
    Luke watched in bemusement as they disappeared into the darkness of the courtyard. He could hear the poor boy being chastised all the way across the dusty yard, through the corridor and into the depths of the hotel.
    He looked back at the greasy bathwater and sighed. He’d have to clean it up himself, before he went Dolly’s for a drink and a hand of cards.

    â€˜Would you let go of me?’ Alex complained, wrenching her arm away from Victoria as they climbed the stairs. ‘There’s no need to get so upset.’
    â€˜There’s no need to . . .?’ Victoria trailed off, too angry for words. ‘Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but wasn’t that a naked man down there with you?’
    â€˜He thought I was a boy,’ Alex hissed, glancing around to make sure there was no-one to overhear.
    â€˜Well, you’re not, ’ Victoria hissed back.
    â€˜He can introduce us to a wagon maker.’
    â€˜I don’t care if he can introduce us to President Tyler, you were out of your tiny mind getting yourself in that position.’ Victoria slammed the door behind them as they entered their room. ‘Get out of those clothes this minute. Your little plan has gone far enough.’
    Alex rolled her eyes and flopped down on the bed. A cloud of dust puffed up from the saggy old mattress and she sneezed.
    â€˜Bless you,’ Adam said sleepily from where he lay on his bunk, staring out at the full moon. ‘I can see the man, Alex.’
    â€˜What man?’
    â€˜Don’t go changing the subject, I haven’t said my piece yet.’ Victoria snatched the hat off Alex’s head.
    â€˜The man in the moon.’
    â€˜Yeah? What’s he