upward into a loft. The place, devoid of furniture, mocked her dreams of a new life in America.
“Ma’am? Where do we start?” Maddy’s quavering voice penetrated Rachel’s stunned mind.
She rotated toward her maid and gave her Faith. “First, I shall check the rest of this place, then we shall unload our possessions and start cleaning. Take Faith and find a place for her to sleep peacefully and safely.”
Maddy nodded, her eyes still round as they skimmed over the dirt on the wooden-planked floor.
While her maid backed toward the entrance, Rachel swung around, refusing to see the grime. But nothing she did could block the smell of death emanating from the room with the door cracked open a few inches. Light poured into the house from where the windows were at one time. She crossed the large main room to see what was causing the vile odor. No doubt an animal had wandered in here and died. The prospects didn’t set well with her, but she had better get used to being in the middle of nowhere with nature at her doorstep. She couldn’t allow dead animals to make her squeamish. She needed to prove to Nathan she could do this.
She gripped the door and pushed it wide open then entered.
And screamed.
The bloodcurdling shriek rent the air, and Nathan nearly dropped the crate he had taken from the cart. He shoved it back in place and raced toward the house. His heartbeat galloped as though it were a runaway horse. He barely saw Maddy standing off to the side outside the entrance with Faith in her arms. All he could focus on was Rachel’s scream and then dead quiet.
Bursting into the house, he saw her standing as though she were preserved in a block of ice brought down from the mountains. Then suddenly she whirled about and flew out of the bedchamber and straight into his embrace. Her body quaked against his.
“Rachel, what’s wrong?”
She shook even harder, wrapping her arms around him while she buried her face against his chest.
The aroma of death invaded the house. “Rachel? Is there a dead animal in there?” He wanted to go look, but she clutched him with such fierceness he was reluctant to leave her.
Finally she leaned back to look up at him. Fright glazed her eyes. All color was faded from her features, her bonnet askew from pressing herself into him. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.
“Let me go look.” Nathan tried to step away, but her fingers dug into his upper arms.
“No. Don’t leave me. Dead”—she waved her hand toward the room—“man.”
“Dead man?”
She nodded. “He is…” She squeezed her eyes closed and shuddered.
“Stay here. I will take care of it.” At the doorway, he glanced back at her. “Better yet, go outside with Maddy.”
After she hastened out of the house, he went into the room. No matter how many times he smelled a dead body, the odor nauseated him. He covered his nose and mouth and stepped closer to the man lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest and his face badly beaten. He lifted the arm nearest him and estimated by the condition of the body the man had died a day or so before. Studying the craggy face, weathered by the hot South Carolina sun, Nathan didn’t know who the person was, but he had seen him before in Charleston. The fact he was found on Rachel’s land did not bode well for them, especially since it was obvious the man had been murdered.
“A dead man, Mrs. Gordon!” Maddy rocked back on her heels then forward. “ ’Tis not good, not good at all.”
Rachel sat on a log and clutched her daughter to her in case whoever killed that man came back. She scouted the area for a place she could hide with Faith. Perhaps the barn. It wasn’t too far away. Then she spied its roof with big holes in it and boards missing on the sides.
“What are we going to do?” Maddy wailed, startling Rachel and interrupting her plans to hide.
“I don’t know. He looked mean. He looked…” A picture of the dead man
“Ma’am? Where do we start?” Maddy’s quavering voice penetrated Rachel’s stunned mind.
She rotated toward her maid and gave her Faith. “First, I shall check the rest of this place, then we shall unload our possessions and start cleaning. Take Faith and find a place for her to sleep peacefully and safely.”
Maddy nodded, her eyes still round as they skimmed over the dirt on the wooden-planked floor.
While her maid backed toward the entrance, Rachel swung around, refusing to see the grime. But nothing she did could block the smell of death emanating from the room with the door cracked open a few inches. Light poured into the house from where the windows were at one time. She crossed the large main room to see what was causing the vile odor. No doubt an animal had wandered in here and died. The prospects didn’t set well with her, but she had better get used to being in the middle of nowhere with nature at her doorstep. She couldn’t allow dead animals to make her squeamish. She needed to prove to Nathan she could do this.
She gripped the door and pushed it wide open then entered.
And screamed.
The bloodcurdling shriek rent the air, and Nathan nearly dropped the crate he had taken from the cart. He shoved it back in place and raced toward the house. His heartbeat galloped as though it were a runaway horse. He barely saw Maddy standing off to the side outside the entrance with Faith in her arms. All he could focus on was Rachel’s scream and then dead quiet.
Bursting into the house, he saw her standing as though she were preserved in a block of ice brought down from the mountains. Then suddenly she whirled about and flew out of the bedchamber and straight into his embrace. Her body quaked against his.
“Rachel, what’s wrong?”
She shook even harder, wrapping her arms around him while she buried her face against his chest.
The aroma of death invaded the house. “Rachel? Is there a dead animal in there?” He wanted to go look, but she clutched him with such fierceness he was reluctant to leave her.
Finally she leaned back to look up at him. Fright glazed her eyes. All color was faded from her features, her bonnet askew from pressing herself into him. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.
“Let me go look.” Nathan tried to step away, but her fingers dug into his upper arms.
“No. Don’t leave me. Dead”—she waved her hand toward the room—“man.”
“Dead man?”
She nodded. “He is…” She squeezed her eyes closed and shuddered.
“Stay here. I will take care of it.” At the doorway, he glanced back at her. “Better yet, go outside with Maddy.”
After she hastened out of the house, he went into the room. No matter how many times he smelled a dead body, the odor nauseated him. He covered his nose and mouth and stepped closer to the man lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest and his face badly beaten. He lifted the arm nearest him and estimated by the condition of the body the man had died a day or so before. Studying the craggy face, weathered by the hot South Carolina sun, Nathan didn’t know who the person was, but he had seen him before in Charleston. The fact he was found on Rachel’s land did not bode well for them, especially since it was obvious the man had been murdered.
“A dead man, Mrs. Gordon!” Maddy rocked back on her heels then forward. “ ’Tis not good, not good at all.”
Rachel sat on a log and clutched her daughter to her in case whoever killed that man came back. She scouted the area for a place she could hide with Faith. Perhaps the barn. It wasn’t too far away. Then she spied its roof with big holes in it and boards missing on the sides.
“What are we going to do?” Maddy wailed, startling Rachel and interrupting her plans to hide.
“I don’t know. He looked mean. He looked…” A picture of the dead man
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