Head in the Clouds Read Online Free PDF

daughter in the hours before her death, extracted a vow from a man she barely knew, having him claim Isabella as his own.
    He hadn’t regretted that vow for a single moment, for the tiny blond beauty had stolen his heart the day she’d braved the cold January air to trounce him in a game of tiddlywinks on the steamer’s deck. Recalling that day, he found it easier to smile in the face of her melancholia.
    “Good news, Bella.” Gideon injected as much cheer into his voice as he could manage. “Mr. Bevin is on his way. Soon you’ll have a new governess to teach you your lessons and play all sorts of games. Won’t that be fun?”
    The girl didn’t even meet his eye. She just shrugged her shoulders and picked at her food.
    Not easily deterred, however, Gideon plunged ahead. “We will have three ladies to choose from, and I’m depending on you to let me know which one you like best.”
    Her eyebrows lifted a touch, and she tilted her chin a shade to the right. Such a small change in most children wouldn’t signify a thing, but for Isabella, it was a rare indication of interest. Slowly she turned her gaze on him and brought her finger up to point at her chest.
    Gideon winked at her, hoping to uncover a hint of the jolly child he remembered from beneath the layers of apathy she’d insulated herself in. “I thought you should have some say in the process since you will be the one spending so much time with her. Do you think you can handle such an important decision?”
    She thought for a moment, then nodded.
    “Excellent.”
    Isabella lifted the edge of her dish off the table and sent him a questioning glance, her way of asking to be excused. Gideon hid his disappointment.
    “Yes, love. You can go play. I’ll be up to read you a story in a few minutes.”
    She glided out of the room without leaving a single ripple in her wake. Her golden curls didn’t bounce. Her shoes didn’t squeak.
    Nothing. Children weren’t supposed to glide. They were supposed to skip and run and frolic. He would give anything to see her smile again. Grief was supposed to fade over time, but with Isabella, it locked her away. And so far, he’d been helpless to find the key.
    When they’d first arrived at the ranch, his work had kept him close to the house, so he encouraged her to follow him around, hoping that once she became comfortable with her surroundings, she would open up, but she only withdrew further. Then lambing season hit and he’d been forced to leave her behind, trusting the staff to care for her. Mrs. Chalmers assured him she was no trouble.
    She always sat quietly in a corner, flipping through the pages of a picture book or playing with her doll. But that was the problem. She was easy to ignore. He needed someone looking after her who wasn’t distracted by other duties. Someone who would draw Isabella out of her silence and bring joy back into her life. He needed a miracle.

    Miracles had been in short supply in her life, but if she managed to land this job, all the credit would certainly go to the Almighty. Adelaide held on to the side of the wagon bed as the vehicle rocked over yet another rut. Traveling had been much easier the previous two days when she had ridden Sheba, but since this was the final leg of their journey, she had chosen propriety over practicality. The other two women applying for the position were refined ladies reared back east who had only recently come to Texas. They had looked at her askance the first day she’d appeared in her split skirt astride Sheba. Astride. Oh, the horror.
    True, most women in these parts still rode sidesaddle, if they even had a saddle, but being raised on a ranch full of accomplished horsemen, Adelaide had never seen the use in it. Her split skirt properly covered her ankles, yet she could tell the other women thought her scandalous. It wouldn’t do for her to make the same impression on the man who had the power to hire her.
    “Mr. Bevin, I thought you said we would