Joline's Redemption by Vickie; McDonough

felt the same. Lara always was a good cook.
    Before Jo’s bowl was empty, she heard the front door open and hard steps approaching the kitchen. Gabe was home.

Chapter 5
    J o tiptoed from the bedroom that she and Sarah were sharing. She glanced back at the girl who had crawled in her bed, flashing a nervous smile. Sarah wasn’t comfortable enough in the unfamiliar house to stay in a room alone, even though she was used to doing so at the bordello. Jo wondered if Sarah thought she might sneak out and leave her. She had hardly uttered a word since they arrived and seemed more withdrawn than she’d been on the trail. Perhaps it was just the newness of the house and the people.
    She started for the back stairs to make one last trip to the privy, but the murmur of voices pulled her to the stairs that led to the foyer. Pausing where the wall ended and the railing started, she peered down. Gabe and Lara stood just inside the parlor, talking.
    She couldn’t make out Lara’s soft voice, but she caught most of what Gabe said. “Wasn’t with Mark … Lied to you … Don’t want … hurt again … Hillborne in town …”
    Jo sucked in a sharp breath. Mark was back in Guthrie? Why would he return now—just when she did? What would he do if he learned she was nearby? She crossed her arms to keep them from trembling. When thinking of returning to the area, she’d never once considered that Mark also might have decided to come back. But it made sense if the store was still there and stocked as it had been when he closed it. Perhaps he was only in town to sell it.
    The voices had quieted. Her sister and Gabe must have gone to the kitchen. She slunk back the way she came and hurried to the rear stairway and went down to the privy. What should she do now? If she only had herself to think about, she’d get Badger’s horse and ride off again, but she had Jamie—and Sarah. Both children needed good food and a roof over their heads, and this was the only place she knew where they could get that.
    She would have to steer clear of Mark. She’d nearly lost Jamie once. She couldn’t risk Mark finding out about him and deciding he liked the idea of being a father.
    Back in her room, she huddled under the covers, shivering. With the threat of Mark in town, she wondered if they shouldn’t pack up and leave. But where could they go with no money? How would they survive? She had to find a way to make some money. She’d never been one to sew much and didn’t like cooking, but perhaps it was time she learned. Her sister would be more than happy to teach her, and one day, if things went the way she planned, she and the children would have their own place, and she’d need to know how to cook for Jamie and Sarah. She sighed, wishing now that she hadn’t been such a tomboy. Fishing or trapping had always held more interest than cooking and cleaning. And besides, she always imagined she’d marry a wealthy man and have servants to do those things for her.
    But nothing had gone as planned. She’d been so sure she knew what was best for her life, running away from her family when she was sixteen, albeit almost seventeen. And look where it had gotten her. Jamie was the only good thing to come from all the horrible things she’d endured. She supposed she should give herself some credit for helping Sarah escape the awful future she faced.
    â€œYour sister is nice,” Sarah said behind Jo’s back.
    Flipping over, Jo faced her in the bed they shared. “Yes, Lara has always been nice.” Except when she was pushing Jo to do her chores or help more. Still … in all fairness, now that she’d been married—sort of—and had become a mother, she’d learned how much was involved in keeping a home and raising a child.
    â€œWhy did you leave, then?”
    â€œWell, for one thing, she lived in a dugout at the time.”
    â€œWhat