Dakota Father Read Online Free PDF

help Meggie settle in. Help me be wise and cautious.
    â€œPaquette, show her the room.” He headed for the door then paused. “Miss Archibald, I will say it again. This is no place for a woman. You might do well to heed my warning.”
    Before he could escape, Jenny spoke. “I’ll leave when I deem it’s appropriate but I won’t be run off. I won’t be scared off. So don’t even try.”
    He turned slowly, his expression full of pity. “Don’t flatter yourself that I’d bother. You’ll find plenty of challenges without my interference.”
    What on earth did he mean? A trembling worm ofwarning skittered across her neck. Was there some sort of danger she should be aware of? But he was gone before she could ask. That left Paquette as her only source of information. “What was he talking about? Is there something I should know?”
    Paquette grinned, her black eyes snapping. “Boss be…” She fluttered her hands as if to indicate the man was unstable.
    The trembling in Jenny’s neck developed talons. Was the man dangerous? She’d heard tales of men losing their minds out in the vast empty prairie. Why, Pa had saved a newspaper story just to show her, warn her. “You need to be on your guard, Pepper. Strange things happen out there and you’ll be on your own.” For proof he’d allowed her to read the story of a bachelor who had gone out of his head from the loneliness and ran out into the cold clad only in his union suit, firing his rifle into the air. The report said it was a miracle no one had been shot.
    â€œHe’s not given to doing strange things, is he?” She needed answers, needed to know what to expect so she could be ready.
    Paquette looked surprised then chortled. “He not the crazy one.”
    Somehow Jenny found that less than assuring. “Who is?”
    The older woman shook her head. “Lots peoplecrazy. Lots people. Now come. I show you de room.”
    Jenny wanted more information. Who was crazy? Were they a threat to her? Or more importantly, Meggie? Then she followed Paquette into a room and her questions were forgotten.
    â€œNeed cleaning, it.”
    Jenny almost laughed at Paquette’s understated words. From what she could see the room served as a catchall for both farm and home. Bits of wood were scattered on one side along with hammer, saw and nails. As if a building project had come to a halt at that very spot. As obviously it had. The walls were unfinished uprights. The window only roughly framed. It looked like the abandoned building materials had served as a magnet to other forgotten items—an overcoat, foot warmers, a bundle of canvas….
    She shuddered. She and Meggie were expected to sleep here?
    â€œBoss man sleep bunkhouse. Wit de men, him. For long time now. Since—” She didn’t finish.
    Another secret. “Since when, Paquette?”
    Paquette shook her head and backed from the room. “You be fixing room, no?”
    Jenny understood she would be getting no answers from Paquette. All she could do was keep her eyes open and be alert to anything out of the ordinary. In the meantime…
    She stared at the room. Only one way to get it ready for habitation…start hauling out stuff. She cleared a spot for Meggie in the center of the bed, retrieved her bags and found a little blanket for the baby to sit on. She pulled out the little rag doll Lena had so lovingly stitched and settled Meggie to play.
    As she worked, words raced through her head—crazy, warning, mistake. There were far too many unanswered questions for her to feel safe. She heard the sound of horse hooves and picked her way across the room to the window in time to see Burke ride away, his well-worn cowboy hat pushed low on his head, leaning forward as if anxious to be away from this place. She shivered. Should she be afraid of him?
    He turned, saw her at the window. His gaze drilled