Paper Roses Read Online Free PDF Page B

is.”
    Sarah touched Thea’s shoulder again. Though the child protested, she drew her into her arms. Clay was surprised at how empty his own felt. Perhaps that was why his words were harsher than he’d intended.
    “She came to no harm, but that’s not to say that she couldn’t have. You should never let a child go outside with bare feet,” he continued. “We have rattlesnakes and the occasional cottonmouth.” Clay tried not to picture Thea’s leg swollen with venom. “Texas is far more dangerous than Philadelphia.” Not just because of the snakes. Texas also harbored murderers. Sarah’s face paled and she tightened her grip on her sister. “It won’t happen again, I assure you.”
    After a quick glance at the sky, Clay pulled out his watch. “Martina should have breakfast ready in a few minutes.” That was Sarah’s cue to return to the house and leave him to more pleasant thoughts than small children being bitten by poisonous snakes and brothers being shot by friends.
    She must have missed the cue, because instead of hurrying back, Sarah turned to Clay. “Will you be joining us?”
    He shook his head. “I already ate.” For some reason, she seemed disappointed. That surprised Clay as much as the question itself. “Was there a reason why you wanted me to join you, other than the dubious pleasure of my company?”
    Sarah nodded. “I wanted to talk to you.” She gave her attire a rueful glance. “This isn’t quite the time or place I would have chosen.”
    “All right. A second helping of Martina’s flapjacks sounds good.”
    As he watched Sarah return to the small house Austin had built for her, Clay considered the possible reasons she wanted to talk to him. If he was lucky, it would be because she had come to her senses and realized that the best option—the only reasonable option—was for her and Thea to return to Philadelphia on the next stagecoach.
    Less than half an hour later, Clay realized that luck was not with him. As Sarah cut Thea’s food into small pieces, she asked, “Is there a general store in town?”
    Clay nodded. Though it wasn’t the question he had expected, perhaps there was still hope. Perhaps she required supplies for the return trip.
    “I need some thread and a few other things,” Sarah said as she passed the plate to Thea. “I wondered if there was anything I could get for you while I was there.”
    It was a thoughtful offer. Going to the mercantile was not Clay’s favorite activity. “I can’t think of anything,” he said, “but Martina may need some staples. You might ask her. As soon as we’re finished here, I’ll have Miguel saddle a horse for you.” Judging from the way she had reacted yesterday, Clay was confident that, whatever other skills Sarah possessed, driving a wagon wasn’t one of them.
    Though her eyes widened slightly with something that, had he not known better, Clay would have called alarm, Sarah’s voice was even as she said, “That won’t be necessary.”
    Perhaps he’d been wrong. Perhaps she could handle a team of horses. “Then you’d prefer the wagon.”
    Sarah paused, a piece of pancake halfway to her mouth, and shook her head. “Thea and I will walk.”
    “I beg your pardon.” His ears must have deceived him. Surely she wasn’t proposing what he thought he’d heard.
    “A walk,” she said, her lips curving into a sweet smile. “It’s a fairly basic concept. You put one foot in front of the other.”
    “I’m familiar with the concept. It’s just that . . .” He tried not to look in the direction of Sarah’s feet. How did a man refer to an obvious physical impairment without seeming callous?
    Sarah’s brown eyes met his, the amusement in them startling Clay more than her request. What kind of woman would laugh at her own infirmity? Patience certainly would not have. “You mean because I limp?” Sarah shrugged. “I know I lurch when I walk, but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, exercise is good for me.” She helped Thea