The Stranger's Secrets by Beth Williamson Page A

he carried them out. However, he found himself wanting to find out exactly what made Sarah tick. She was obviously crippled and needed assistance to travel. Yet she hired someone whom she assumed would leave her stranded.
    “What would you have done if I hadn’t been here to help you?”
    A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips. “Believe it or not, I’ve been able to take care of myself for quite a while without anyone’s help.” This time when she looked up, her silver eyes were hard. “I always expect the worst and I’m usually not disappointed.”
    Her words hit him like blows. He’d said them himself to his mother and his grandfather. Suddenly he knew why he was drawn to Sarah, why he found himself fascinated by her and desperate to know more about her.
    Sarah was a kindred spirit, a person with a hardened heart who viewed the world from behind a guarded wall.
    She was exactly like him.
    Whitman shook off the chill that crept up his spine at the revelation. There were many reasons he should keep his distance from her, not the least of which was his promise to Melissa. Yet he knew his fascination with Miss Sarah Spalding would only grow the more time they spent together.
    His journey toward a new life had just taken a hard left turn and all he could do was hold on for the ride.
     
    Sarah felt like squirming under Whitman’s gaze. He was staring at her as she attempted to read. The key word here was attempted— she couldn’t concentrate on the words. Having him watch her was an intense experience and she had to stop herself from yelling at him to stop. The man was obviously trying to puzzle out why she’d picked Mavis as a companion.
    And perhaps why she hadn’t trusted the woman for a minute. Sarah knew the other woman wouldn’t stay true to her promise and she didn’t disappoint. Whitman might be surprised Sarah would think that far ahead, but she always did. Well, at least for the last ten years anyway.
    Life seemed to enjoy kicking her in the teeth. She’d learned to avoid the blow by expecting the worst or hitting back first. What happened with Whitman was completely unexpected. She didn’t have time to duck.
    After she’d been nearly killed by the Yankee soldier, Sarah had clawed her way back to life. Despite her mother’s pitiful care, the lack of medicine and food, she’d survived what would have been fatal for most people.
    There were too many struggles since then to recount, not that she’d want to. Lean times were the standard for folks in the South following the war. For many, the war didn’t end after the surrender. They were the most dangerous of all.
    The very reason Sarah opened up her home as a boardinghouse was for protection in numbers. Women alone were easy pickings. It was how she found Vickie so long ago, at the mercy of some ex-soldier who found raping women more pleasurable than treating them like human beings.
    Sarah was as tough as nails, inside and out. Except, it seemed, when it came to one Yankee named Whitman Kendrick. He made her nervous, jittery, and aroused all at once. If she was smart, she’d find a way to get him out of her compartment.
    Yet she hadn’t, and somewhere deep inside, she knew she wouldn’t. And that bothered her more than anything.
    Whitman made her remember what it was like to be out of control, something she definitely didn’t want. She was helpless to stop it.
    He sat there watching her as the countryside flew past the windows. She tried to concentrate on the book but gave up when she read the same page eight times. Then she tried to take a nap, but even with her eyes closed, she could feel his gaze on her.
    She reached her breaking point after an hour.
    Sarah threw her arms up and gave up the battle trying to ignore him. “What is so interesting about me that you feel the urge to stare at me?”
    Whitman started as if her voice had jolted him out of a trance. At first he looked surprised and his mouth dropped open. He adjusted his jacket