The Unplowed Sky Read Online Free PDF

threaten her out of a job that would let her take care of her brother.
    Brother. She listened to the word inside her head. It sounded nice; balm on the ache of losing her father and the even crueler, earlier ache of being pushed out of her home by Felicity less than a year after her own mother’s death. Felicity got rid of Mother’s things and insisted on new furnishings as if Ellen Meredith’s memory were an infection. Felicity and thirteen-year-old Hallie clashed often in private, but around Father, his new wife was all tearful innocence. Mrs. MacReynolds had been mother’s friend. When she saw how things were, she had persuaded Mr. Meredith to let Hallie live with her and her husband and work as a daughter might to earn her keep. Hallie had seen her father often, but she had felt he wasn’t really her father anymore. He was Felicity’s husband and soon Jackie’s father.
    Now Jackie had only Hallie. She vowed to make that enough. Taking Jackie’s hand, she looked straight at Garth MacLeod. “I’ll be responsible for my brother.”
    The boy beside Shaft jumped up and confronted Garth, arousing an immense dog who rose from the wagon bed, stretched, and peered over the side at the strangers. He looked something like a Great Dane and something like a greyhound and was in between in size. His short hair was smooth and brindled gray except for a white breast, white paws, and white-tipped tail.
    â€œDoggie!” Jackie cried. “Look, a doggie!”
    â€œHis name is Laird,” said the bearded man.
    The dog wagged his long tail and thrust his long, slender muzzle toward the child. His friendliness was a marked contrast to the expression of some of his humans, especially the boy. As overalls tightened over a long-sleeved blue shirt, Hallie saw the rounding of young breasts and looked more closely. In spite of cropped light brown hair this was definitely a girl, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, with dark-lashed blue-gray eyes that veered away from Hallie with passionate dislike. “Do we have to have a woman around, Dad? I’ll bet I can make pies.”
    â€œYou’ve never tried, Meg.” Garth almost smiled, and his eyes softened. “You’ve got all you can do to hustle water for the engine. You ready to quit that and go to cooking?”
    â€œNo! But I—” The girl scowled at Hallie, who had no trouble putting herself in young Meg’s shoes. “I won’t have somebody bossing me around—trying to make me act like a lady.”
    â€œDon’t worry.” Hallie realized immediately that she shouldn’t have laughed. “I’ve got all I can do trying to be a lady myself.”
    Grudging approval showed in Garth’s eyes. “Let’s give each other a trial, then. Pay’s a dollar a day and your food, of course.”
    A cheer went up from the men who piled into the Model Ts. “You can meet everyone later,” Garth said. “I’m Garth MacLeod, that’s my brother Rory on the engine, and you can climb aboard the water wagon with Meg and Shaft.”
    â€œI’m Hallie Meredith, and this is Jackie.”
    â€œPleased to meet you.” He sounded as if he weren’t, but he did toss her suitcase and Jackie’s carpetbag into the wagon. “All right, lad,” he called to his brother. “Let’s see if that bridge will hold us up.”
    The whistle shrilled. Hallie settled on the plank next to Shaft, Jackie on her lap, and hoped she had done the right thing. The tractor labored onto the groaning boards. Hallie shut her eyes. If they were going to plunge through the bridge, she would rather not know it. She held her breath till they were safely across and the men hurried to load up the planks.
    â€œIt’ll be all right, Miss Hallie.” Shaft smiled at Jackie, who ventured to pet the kitten shyly. “Garth’s bark is a whole lot worse than his bite.”
    Hallie hoped