Path of Freedom Read Free Page A

entrance. Flora collided with a moving object and gasped, straightening her bonnet.
    “Oh, dear, please excuse me,” a woman said.
    Flora glanced up. Concerned green eyes met her gaze. Wisps of auburn hair framed the young woman's face beneath a white bonnet. Recognition gripped Flora's muddled brain as she took a moment to sort through her childhood memories for a name.
    “Kimberly Coltrane?” Flora tilted her head and gulped, hoping she'd remembered correctly.
    “Yes.” She blinked, and after a moment her eyes widened. “Flora and Irene Saferight?” Her mouth dropped open, and she covered it with a delicate hand. “How long has it been?”
    “It seems like thee moved from Centre to New Garden four or five years ago,” Irene said. “Thee has turned into a beauty.”
    Her rosy glow deepened and she looked down. While she wore a simple gray skirt and white blouse, Flora agreed that Kimberly could never be considered plain.
    “What brings thee to Greensboro?” She glanced from Irene to Flora, arching an eyebrow.
    “Shopping,” Irene said, holding out her new cloak.
    “It's lovely,” Kimberly ran a gentle hand over the purple garment. “I wish I was in town to shop. I came with my father. He's inside buying a ticket for a business trip to Raleigh. Earlier I had to wait on him in the hardware store.” Her eyes brightened, almost like sparkling emeralds. “Guess who we ran into?”
    Irene and Flora exchanged knowing glances.
    “Would it happen to be Bruce Millikan?” Flora asked, trying not to show disdain in her expression or tone.
    “Exactly!” She grinned, blinking in surprise. “He's changed so much. He's as tall as my father now. They discussed farming methods in the hardware store.”
    “Indeed, we saw him in the general store.” Flora shifted in discomfort as Kimberly's expression transformed to a dreamy daze.
    “Who would have ever guessed that Bruce Millikan would turn out to be so handsome?” Kimberly touched her hand to her chest. “He's such a gentleman and so attentive. I hope he meant it when he said I've grown into a sophisticated woman and he'd stop by and call on us when he's in town again.”
    “He called thee sophisticated?” The question tumbled from Flora's tongue before she could hold it back. Disappointment stabbed her anew, twisting her heart.
    “Yes.” Kimberly folded her arms as if hugging herself and her smile widened. “Father seems to be impressed by him as well. He's talked of nothing else since.”
    Rare jealousy sparked a flame in Flora's wounded heart. She had always wondered if Bruce Millikan was incapable of tenderness and pleasant gallantry. Now she had proof. He was more than capable—just not with her. The realization brought anger and then a fresh wave of bitterness.

    Bruce rode past fields of tobacco and rows of tall corn until, by early afternoon, the two-story gray house came into view.
    His mother came out onto the porch, shielding her brown eyes from the sun. Her plump form was a welcome sight as she pulled her tan shawl tight around her and patted the silver bun on the crown of her head.
    “Looks like thee brought the whole store back from town,” her soft voice teased. She hurried down the porch steps toward the wagon and peered over the side.
    “Just half of it.” Bruce winked, giving her a grin as he jumped down. When she smiled back, a ring of wrinkles encased her loving eyes, reminding him of how much she had aged in the last two years.
    With two older sons and a daughter grown and married, his parents were now sixty. Only Bruce and Silas, his younger brother, remained on the farm.
    “I ran into Pastor John while I was in town. He asked me over for supper. Said he needed to discuss something with me.” Bruce laid a hand on his mother's shoulder. “So don't make a plate for me this evening.” He kissed her cheek.
    “I hope he doesn't have another mission for thee so soon. Son, I believe in the work thee does for the Underground Railroad,