The Rancher Takes a Cook Read Free Page A

examine the already darkening
skin around Edward’s eye. “I’ll bring you a damp cloth and a
poultice for your eye.”
    Edward nodded and leaned back in his chair
with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to get in a fight with them, sis.
Honest. I just couldn’t stand them talkin’ about Pa like he was
some black-hearted murderer.”
    The earnest expression in Edward’s good eye
was more than Anna could take. “I know it, love. You relax now and
let Aunt Laura tend to you. I’ll be back in a little bit.” She rose
and grabbed her bonnet from the peg by the door.
    “Where are you going?”
    “Army headquarters.” Before he could
protest, she slipped out the door and held her breath as the latch
clicked into place. She had to get away before Aunt Laura returned
to the room and stopped her. The wisest thing would be to let Uncle
Walter handle the situation, but she was not about to sit back and
allow someone else to fight her battles, especially when Edward’s
safety was at stake.
    With a determined step, she strode through
the mercantile and out the front door. She was met by a steady rain
that drenched her hat and shoulders within seconds. No matter. A
little rain wouldn’t melt her. Hurrying through the streets while
dodging mud puddles proved challenging enough, but she had to
glance up periodically to make sure she was headed in the right
direction. Uncle Walter had said the soldiers were encamped on Live
Oak street, a few roads over.
    At last, the double row of tents came into
view, and Anna pushed forward. As she neared a larger tent with a
sign that read Headquarters , Anna began to have second
thoughts. What was she thinking, waltzing right in the middle of a
Yankee camp, unescorted, and looking like a muddy, wet dog?
Probably smelling like one, too. Would they throw her out? Or
worse, hold her prisoner?
    Taking a deep breath, she sent a prayer
heavenward. Lord, You promised You would never leave me or forsake
me. Right now, I really need Your help. Please protect me and help
me to protect Edward. With a weight lifted from her shoulders, she
marched toward the Headquarters sign and knocked on one of the
wooden posts holding up the canvas.
    “Come in,” called a deep voice from
inside.
    Come in? She had expected to be questioned
by a guard and searched, not invited in like an expected guest.
Peering inside, two uniformed men sat around a small table, a stack
of papers between them. Their eyes connected with her and widened.
They rose and removed their hats.
    “Please come in, madam.” The deep voice
boomed from the man on the right as he gestured to the dry ground
in front of him. His face looked a little older than middle-aged,
but the silver in his hair made him look a decade older than that.
The stripes on his blue wool jacket proclaimed him to be a
Major.
    She approached, eyeing both men as she gave
a quick curtsey. One glance at her water-logged and drooping attire
sent a pang of regret through Anna’s chest. Why hadn’t she stopped
to grab an umbrella?
    “It’s not often we receive the honor of a
visit from a lovely lady, especially on a dreary day like today. To
what do we owe such an honor?”
    Heat rose to Anna’s cheeks, and she dipped
her head, but then Edward’s blackened eye flashed through her mind
and she raised her chin. “Please pardon my intrusion, Major…” She
paused, waiting for him to provide a name.
    “Barnes. Major Barnes,” he supplied.
    “…Major Barnes,” she continued. “My name is
Miss Anna Stewart and I have an important matter that must be
addressed immediately.”
    “Indeed, Miss Stewart. I am pleased to make
your acquaintance,” the older man said with a slight bow. “May I
introduce you to Captain Randall?” He pointed to the slender man
next to him.
    The Captain also bowed, his heavy mustache
and somber manner giving him the appearance of an undertaker. “A
pleasure, Miss Stewart.”
    Major Barnes turned back to Anna and waved
toward a chair near the