Catherine's Awakening Read Online Free PDF

for a dress.”
    “I don’t have any money,” she said flatly, raising an eyebrow at him. “Remember? I
    work for free around here.”
    “That’s an oversight,” he said. “You’re a family member. You can buy whatever
    you need. Just put it on our tab at the store.”
    She shook her head, wishing she could make him understand. Putting something
    on the ranch tab was not the same as having her own money.

    25

    Joanna Wylde
    “Oh, and here’s this,” he said, sliding a handful of gold coins across the table. She
    scooped them up, and then gave him an incredulous look.
    “That’s fifty dollars!” she said. “You’re crazy. I didn’t know you had this kind of
    money lying around.”
    “We didn’t trade our gold for Confederate script during the war,” John said,
    looking a little sheepish. “The family actually came through all right, although we don’t
    advertise that. No reason to give thieves any reason to come poking around here. I
    buried it myself out on the range, and only the boys knew where to find it. But you’ve
    earned your share, and that’s enough to give you some spending money. Or save it for
    something special, girl. You’ve taken good care of us, and we appreciate it.”
    “Thank you,” she said, meaning it. She’d never had that much cash of her own in
    her life. Neither had her parents, at least not that she knew of. Her father had been a
    hardworking cowboy, and while they always had enough to eat, there was never any
    extra.
    “I’m sorry we didn’t give it to you earlier,” Wade said. “But you need to
    understand, as long as you’re part of our family, what we have is yours, Catherine. You
    don’t have to worry about money. I just assumed you knew that. Now are you up for a
    trip to town?”
    She nodded her head, still feeling a bit stunned. Back in the kitchen she wrapped
    the gold eagles in a bit of cloth, then stuck them in her pocket. She wasn’t quite sure
    what to do with them, but she figured she should put them away for now. No reason to
    make any decisions just yet.
    She had their lunch packed and ready by the time Wade pulled around to the
    kitchen in the platform wagon. She thought of the chores she should be doing today,
    but shrugged her shoulders. They’d still be there tomorrow, and a trip to town in the
    middle of the week was a treat. She often made it in on Sundays, but not always.
    Everything depended on the weather and the needs of the stock. Wade gave her a hand
    up and they set off.

    26

    Catherine’s Awakening
    In the wrong direction.
    “What’s going on?” she demanded. “Is this some kind of trick?”
    He gave her a hurt expression, patently false.
    “Of course not,” he said. “But I promised George Watson I’d stop by his place and
    look at a horse.”
    “That’s six miles out of the way,” she snapped. “Wouldn’t it be faster and easier to
    ride over some other time?”
    “I’m already losing a day to go after supplies,” he said. “Makes sense to combine
    the trips.”
    “We won’t get to town until this afternoon,” she replied. “I think you planned this.”
    He shot her an unrepentant grin.
    “Of course I did,” he replied. “I don’t get a lot of time just with you. Figured this
    was as good a day as any to grab some more.”
    She snorted, and turned her head away from him. He’d gotten her, no question of
    that. A trip to town was too good to pass up, and he’d been so nice this morning she’d
    figured he was feeling guilty about last night. Stupid thing, to imagine Wade Masters
    capable of shame…
    But after twenty minutes her foul mood dissolved. The sun was shining, and while
    the spring air was still a little brisk, all around her birds sang and tiny flowers bloomed.
    She loved springtime—especially since the end of the war. They’d all lived in fear for so
    long, and now it lay behind them. She wasn’t happy that Texas had been defeated, but
    she was glad to be finished with the bloodshed. Let