Steadfast Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

glory—if God would have him; although I’ve never been entirely assured God could forgive such grave misjudgments.”
    â€œIs anything too difficult for God, Mrs. Gibson?” Wade hadn’t meant to ask the question aloud. He certainly had no desire to offend the women.
    But rather than be offended, Mrs. Gibson nodded thoughtfully and put her index finger alongside her temple. “That, Mr. Ackerman, is a very good question. I shall endeavor to ponder it for some time to come.”
    Wade smiled. “I’m glad to have shared your company, ladies, but I really must get back to my work. I’ll try to come on Saturday to fix those windows for you.” He stood and bowed to each woman.
    â€œWe shall look forward to your coming.” Mrs. Madison rose from her seat. The other ladies did likewise. “We pray you have an easy labor today.”
    He nodded, remembering the pile of work that waited. “I pray so, too.”
    Just then Mrs. Madison turned and sniffed the air. “Do you smell something burning?”
    Wade blanched and moved toward the door in a hurry. “Good day, ladies.” He hurried down the hall to where he’d left his hat. He chided himself for being a coward, but he had no desire to try to once again distract Mrs. Madison. For all he knew, Abrianna had just burned down the kitchen.

3

    K olbein Booth looked at the address he’d written down. He seemed to be at the right place, but he couldn’t imagine that a brothel could reside in this stately looking office building. He entered the main doors and found a small lobby. A sign pointed straight ahead to the freight brokerage firm of one Josiah Fulcher. Another sign to his left pointed up the highly polished wooden stairs. Under this was a small placard reading The Madison Bridal School .
    These were a brave lot to advertise so freely. Bridal school indeed. He stuffed the slip of paper into his vest pocket and took the stairs two at a time. He reached the second-floor landing to find a single point of entry. The door was closed, but a beveled glass window revealed a tidy entryway and what appeared to be a small sitting room.
    He hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to knock or just barge in. After all, if this establishment was really what he figured it to be, surprise might well be his best weapon. With that in mind, Kolbein turned the handle and opened the door. He heard girlish laughter and wondered if it might be his sister Greta.
    â€œSo Mr. Rybus didn’t come for dinner?”
    â€œNo. Something important came up at the last minute. I was relieved, but then Father rescheduled the dinner for next week.”
    The second one sounded somewhat like Greta, and Kolbein steeled himself to confront her. However, when two young women rounded the corner, he could see that neither was his sister.
    The girl with red curls flying in all directions startled, while the young lady with the fashionably coiffed hair and elegant gown offered him a smile. She was beautiful—the most beautiful woman he’d ever set eyes upon.
    â€œGood morning. Welcome to the Madison Bridal School.”
    He turned to the redhead, who fixed him with a stare as she studied his face. “Uh, good morning.” He pulled his hat from his head and reminded himself he wasn’t there for small talk. “No, it’s not a good morning. In fact, it’s probably one of the most unpleasant I’ve had to deal with.”
    â€œOh my,” the young woman replied. She pushed red curls over her shoulder. “Are you ill? Have you suffered a financial loss? Or perhaps you are as disturbed by the Anti-Chinese League as I am? Goodness, but there are hundreds of problems to lay a person low.”
    Kolbein hadn’t expected such a barrage of questions. “I . . . uh . . . I’m a lawyer from Chicago.”
    â€œOh dear,” the redhead replied again. “I’ve heard nothing