Surrendered on the Frontier Read Online Free PDF

you criticize my cooking and tell me what to do?” I replied, my voice rising.
    “Please!” Pearl begged from where she sat with the baby. Geraldine took her hands off her hips and stepped closer to me. Without thinking, I grabbed the cup of water I had next to the pot of chicken, as I’d splash a bit in if necessary, and tossed the whole cup right into her furious face.
    She screamed. I felt a thrill of victory run through me. Pearl gasped. Geraldine’s hair was dripping wet, and she looked fit to be tied. Would she hurt me? I was ready. But we never did know, for it was at that moment the men came in from the fields.
    I heard Phillip first. “Whoa! What’s goin’ on in here?” he asked, as he rushed to Geraldine, pulling her away from me and closer to where the table was.
    “She threw a glass of water in my face!” Geraldine shrieked, a shaky finger waving at me.
    “She deserved it!” I said angrily, turning, unrepentant, back to the stove. “Making fun of me. Started out calling me names and saying I was a heathen for reading books that were your father’s , which personally I think is a crying shame. Second, telling me I don’t know how to cook. She wouldn’t close her mouth, so I closed it—”
    “Ruth.”
    One word. Deep, laced with disapproval, I knew it well. I turned. Samuel stood in the doorway, and Aaron, the eldest of the Stanley brothers who looked remarkably like Samuel, not far behind him. I sighed. My conscience began to prick me. Ma wanted me to keep the peace, and I wasn’t welcome to cause discord. I didn’t want to. I loved this family.
    Still, I was not obedient to Samuel and he wasn’t going to make me obey.
    I quietly stirred the chicken. But he was not done.
    “You put that spoon down. Pearl? Hand the baby to Geraldine, please, and you continue with the dinner. Ruth and I need to step outside for a few minutes.”
    “I’m almost done,” I said. I didn’t like the idea of being corrected in front of a room full of people, and I wasn’t exactly sure what he would do with me when we were alone. But when the man put his mind to something, he would not be dissuaded.
    “ Now .”
    I did not want to obey, but I also didn’t want to cause another scene. With a sigh, I handed the spoon to Pearl. She gave me a sympathetic look and a peck on the cheek, leaning in and whispering to me, “She had that coming. He’s a gentle sort, Ruth. You know that. Just take a breath of fresh air outside.”
    I was trying to find a way to exit gracefully, but he had me by the elbow, marching in firm strides to the doorway. It angered me. I pulled my elbow out of his grasp and spun away. He was fast; one hand wrapped around my waist before I could get two steps away, his mouth by my ear. “You walk with me now, or I’ll carry you out. Your choice.”
    I swallowed, facing him angrily. I pulled away and marched to the door. Now I wanted to get away from all of them. Aaron stepped aside so I could storm past him. I could see Ma approaching us now. Guilt pricked my conscience.
    She didn’t like when I lost my temper. I was in her home. I’d been wrong.
    Samuel stood by my side, still holding my elbow. As Ma approached us, she glanced at his hand on me.
    “Don’t wait dinner for us, please,” Samuel said. Ma’s eyes grew concerned.
    “Everything all right?” she asked.
    “It will be.”
    Her eyes went from his to mine before she nodded. “Right, then. See you soon.”
    I was grateful that she kept her own counsel. After she left, Samuel walked with firm, deliberate steps to the barn. Now that we were alone, my mind teemed with questions. Why there? What would he do? My heart began to stutter in my chest, and I began to tremble. There was no escaping. I had misbehaved, and he was not going to tolerate it. But what would that entail? The memory of his stating I needed a spanking echoed in my mind.
    When we got to the barn, he took me to a large, private area and released my elbow. I stepped away