Cora's Pride (Wilderness Brides Book 1) by Peggy L Henderson Page A

demand it.”
    Nathaniel stared at the faint features of Anna Porter in front of him. He couldn’t earn Cora’s trust if she chased him away at every opportunity, even before he had a chance to prove himself. “And how do I do that?”
    “Anna?” Cora’s loud whisper came from the direction of the campfire.
    “Thank you again for looking out for us, Mr. Wilder,” Anna said hastily. She hurried back toward the wagon. “I’m right here, Cora. I’m ready to get some sleep.”
    Nathaniel stood, staring toward the woman by the fire. The flickering of the flames distorted her outline. Her light hair looked as if it was on fire in places. Fire, like what he'd seen in her eyes, and like the flame that steadily grew inside him.
    He shook his head. What kind of crazy notion was that? He tore his eyes away from the woman and headed back to his own camp. With each step that took him further away from the women’s camp, determination built stronger inside him. Something was happening to him, and it was more than wanting to help a bunch of women who were lost in the wilderness. He’d do that for anyone. Somehow it made up for not helping his folks when they’d needed him.
    No. Cora had gotten under his skin but good in a different way, and images of her standing at the edge of a creek, bravely pointing a rifle at him, hadn’t left his mind.
    She had drawn his attention from the moment he first set eyes on her when he’d walked into her camp the first time, but that image of her, when she’d boldly told him to drop his belt, would be etched into his mind forever. Her feistiness and tough exterior had appealed to him right away. Now that he’d seen a glimpse of her vulnerable, feminine side, the draw to her was even stronger. Maybe in the morning, something would come to him about how to earn just a smidge of Cora Miller’s trust.

Chapter Eight
    H ot air blew on his face. Nathaniel woke with a start and scrambled to the side. His hand reached for the rifle that lay next to him even before his eyes flew open. He stared up at the dark muzzle of one of his horses and relaxed. Touching a hand to the animal’s nose, he pushed the large head away and sat up with a groan.
    He blinked to clear the fog from his head. Sunlight streamed in thin ribbons through the forest canopy, ending in circular patterns on the ground.
    “You could have woken me sooner,” Nathaniel grumbled to the horse and stood. Two, no, three restless nights were taking their toll on him.
    He’d come back to his camp last night, his head full of thoughts about Cora and the things he’d overheard at her camp, and it had kept him awake well into the night. When he’d set out on his journey from Harley’s Hole to Fort Hall several weeks ago, the notion that his path would cross with a woman who completely consumed his thoughts would have been laughable.
    Even more amusing was the fact that she wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps he’d simply lived in the wilderness too long with his brothers and Harley, and it didn’t take much for a woman to catch his eye.
    Nathaniel shook his head. He’d seen plenty of women on the wagon trains that passed through Fort Hall and Fort Laramie over the years. He’d never wasted a second thinking about any of them. Besides, there were three other women in Cora’s company. Anna Porter was polite and appreciated him, yet she didn’t catch his eye the way her friend did. He hadn’t seen or heard much from the two younger girls to make a judgment about them, other than the one named Josie wanted to learn how to shoot. What was it about Cora Miller that held him captivated? She hated him.
    He scoffed while gathering some twigs and branches for a fire. Stopping in front of his horse, he patted the animal’s neck and looked the gelding in the eye. “It’s because she dislikes me.”
    The horse stared back at him, his ears pitched forward.
    “I’m just trying to set her straight about me, that’s all.” Nathaniel bent