Tracie Peterson - [Land of the Lone Star 03] Read Online Free PDF

of protocol, but had lost interest in the game.
    Carissa walked around the yard, keeping Gloria in sight. It truly was a lovely farm. Someone had mentioned that it belonged to a Confederate-supporting family prior to the war. She felt sad at the thought that her family had somehow displaced another; after all, that’s exactly what had happened to Tyler. She supposed it might be different if this family had left of their own free will. But if not, how grievous it would be to put a lifetime of hard work and dreams into a place, only to have it taken from you.
    The sound of Gloria’s laughter caught her attention. The little girl was crouched on the ground, looking at something. Carissa couldn’t see that there was anything for her daughter to be amused with, and after a moment, Gloria was off and running again.
    Carissa turned at the sound of an approaching horse. She put a hand to her forehead to block out the sun in an attempt to see who was coming. To her surprise it was Tyler. He gave a wave and Carissa found herself waving back without thinking.
    “I was hoping you might want to go riding with me today,” he said, bringing his mount to stop about ten feet away. He walked the horse the rest of the way to the hitching post and tied him off.
    “I can’t. Laura and Brandon are in town, and I wouldn’t have anyone to watch Gloria.” The little girl came running to join them.
    “I could hold her. She could ride in front of me.”
    “Tyer,” Gloria called. She was unable to manage the L in his name. “Tyer, I got cookies.”
    “Yum,” he said with a grin. “Wish I had cookies.”
    “Mama give Tyer cookies,” Gloria demanded.
    “Gloria, his name is Mr. Atherton.” Carissa saw the hopeful look on Tyler’s face and forgot her rebuke. She reached into her pocket. “I just so happen to have two right here. If you need more, we will have to return to the house.” She handed the cookies to Tyler and replaced the towel in her pocket.
    “Sugar cookies are one of my favorites. Did you make these?”
    Nodding, Carissa felt rather self-conscious. “Esther taught me a long time back. You remember her, don’t you?”
    “I do. She was one of your family’s slaves.”
    “Not a slave. Esther was paid to help. After I married, she taught me to cook.”
    “And iron,” he added.
    Carissa remembered him watching her iron and nodded. “Yes.”
    “Apparently you take instruction well. Hopefully you’ll be just as good at ridin’.” He gave her a wink and glanced to where Gloria was playing. “Well, since you don’t seem to be of a mind to go ridin’ just yet, what say we just sit and talk?”
    Carissa glanced at the porch. “We can sit up there. I have some crocheting to work on.”
    Tyler followed her, as did Gloria. “I want to play, Mama.”
    “Then go and play. We aren’t going in just yet.”
    Gloria clapped her hands and hurried away as if fearful that her mother might change her mind. Carissa settled into a chair on the porch and picked up the bag she’d left there earlier.
    “So what are you making?” Tyler asked. He leaned back on the porch rail.
    “A tablecloth,” she answered, holding up a square. “Of course it will have a great many of these pieces worked together eventually.”
    “Pretty,” he said before biting into the cookie.
    “I hope it will be. It’s a gift for Laura. Her birthday’s in August, and I wanted to give her something special, with her expecting the baby about the same time.”
    “When’s your birthday?” he asked with a grin.
    Carissa didn’t think much of it. “November thirtieth.”
    “Good, then I’ll have some time to figure out a present for you.”
    She looked up in surprise. “You can’t get me a gift, Mr. Atherton.”
    “You promised to call me Tyler.” He looked at her and shrugged. “And I can get a present for anyone I choose.”
    “But . . . well, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to accept a gift from you.” She lowered her face so that