No Place for a Lady Read Online Free PDF

above the timberline. Crystal was panting as they reached the top of the ridge.
The altitude made it difficult for her to catch her breath. From
this vantage point she could see the mountains to her left, craggy
and purple with their snow-capped peaks. On the other side, tall
spruces and firs surrounded a wide, deep canyon. Water rushed
below, spilling over rocks worn flat and shiny by its never-ending
flow. It was so quiet with just the stirring wind lifting the pine
boughs with its gentle rustle. In the distance, a hawk soared with
ease and grace with the crystal blue sky as its backdrop.
    "It's so beautiful:" Crystal stood transfixed. Luke's face reflected
such peace as he looked out over the canyon that Crystal sensed
his true love of this beautiful land. Up here the wind was so strong
that she had to use one hand to hold her blowing hair out of
her line of vision and the other hand to hold her hat in place.
A small thrill pricked her soul. Ah ... God was so big, and His handiwork displayed His nature. Everything seemed well in the
world today.

    "This is where I'll have my own place someday. It has fertile
pasture land just perfect for raising cattle;' Luke said.
    "Who owns it now?"
    "Jim McBride, but I'm pretty sure he'll sell to me. I've been
saving for a long time ... Shoot! What's a few measly acres to
him when he owns hundreds? You'll meet his family at the party
Friday night." Luke stepped closer to the ridge and gazed out at
the grand landscape before him. His conscience pricked him
about the conversation he'd had with McBride concerning his
daughter's hand in marriage and the parcel of land.
    Luke propped one foot on a huge rock and placed an elbow
on his knee. "Yep, this time next year, I'll have me a snug cabin
nestled in those pines and a few head of cattle to boot." His jaw
was set with a determined angle as his heavy dark brows knitted
together in thought.
    "How about a wife and children? Do they figure in your ideal
picture?"
    "Yessiree, they do. But it will take a strong and determined
woman who would have to make sacrifices till we get on our feet.
What I need, Miss Clark, is a partner"
    "Sounds like you want a workhorse to me" Her eyes flashed.
    "Afraid of hard work? Listen, little missy, this part of the country was founded on hardworking men and women. They had big
dreams. Some didn't make it, but I intend to. It's pure struggle
against the elements and nature just to survive, but that's part of
the challenge, and I like a challenge."
    Luke thought of his parents, who had worked so hard to scrape out a meager living but never owned much before typhoid took them. How or why Luke had survived, he wasn't
sure.

    "Is that why you brought me up here? Proposing already?
And we don't even know each other," she teased with a lopsided
smile.
    Luke became flustered. "Why, heck no. I ... just wanted to
show you what I have in mind someday."
    She turned to face him but in her haste tripped over her large
shoes. She fell hard against Luke and sent them both sprawling
in the underbrush.
    "What-" Luke muttered under his breath while he stared into
Crystal's emerald eyes. Her weight atop him was light and soft.
She struggled to untangle her legs from his.
    "I'm so sorry." Crystal's face flamed red.
    Luke continued to hold her against him. He could feel the
outline of her legs through her britches. Luke knew he smelled of
leather and horses mixed with soap, and he wondered if Crystal
considered the smell offensive. She, on the other hand, smelled
fresh with a light fragrance he couldn't place.
    "It's all right, greenhorn. Guess Kate's shoes are real hard to
fill:" The corners of his moustache twitched as he chuckled, and
for one long moment they assessed one another. Her eyes were
large and sparkled such that Luke had a hard time dragging his
own eyes away. Crystal's nearness was somehow unsettling. He
released her and helped her to her feet. He retrieved her sombrero and