Chapter 3Mal was careful not to stare, or at least careful enough nobody would notice him staring, but he couldn’t stop looking at Christian. She wore a clean dress long enough to cover her legs. She also wore a pair of shoes and the tips peeked out from beneath her long skirt, looking oddly out of place on Christian’s body. She was obviously allowed to bathe on Saturday nights because the soot and grease had been washed from her skin and her hair shone. She had it pulled back from her face in a severe braid, and Mal longed to run his fingers through it until her hair was free again.
She rode in the back of the wagon with Mercy tucked under one arm, and the youngest Rose daughter tucked under the other. Mal kept his horse just behind the wagon, affording him the perfect view of her. At fi
