Emmy's Equal Read Online Free

her skillet sizzling.
    Melatha had no knowledge of the life Isi had lived during their five years apart, and she had never asked him. Her interest lay in his future, not his past.
    God’s Spirit had shown her this future while she prayed. Not a clear image—only hair as white as the vine tangled along the fence and eyes like a fair summer sky.
    A lively young filly would come to her brooding son from the north. Their hearts would meld in a whirlwind of fire, and their passion would restore Isi to life.

CHAPTER 3
    Emmy couldn’t open her hand fast enough ... or sling the hideous spider far enough. Chest aching, she realized it had been a matted web she’d seen all along. Mama’s hankie likely floated atop the foul pool below—forever lost.
    “Nash!” a shrill voice called from above her head.
    Emmy grew rigid.
Mama!
    She heard a muffled gasp from Nash then the rattle and whir of the crack as she plummeted wildly. Before she could think, scream, or pray—before she stood facing her Maker—she came to a jarring halt with a jerk and twang of the rope.
    The ancient bucket collapsed beneath her, parts of it scraping and pinging off the rocks before landing with a splash. She gasped and tightened her legs on the remaining slats, gripping the rope so tightly the rough hemp burned her palms. Bile rose in her throat, made worse by the rancid smell of the water, much closer now. Even more disturbing, the plunge had snuffed her light.
    Something cold sailed out of the darkness, landing on her bare skin then slithering up her leg. Not a snake, the thing had tiny grasping feet.
    Frantic, Emmy brushed it off before clinging to her lifeline with trembling fingers. She opened her mouth to cry out to Nash, but Mama got to him first.
    “Here you are. For corn’s sake, where’ve you been all morning? I’ve scoured the place for you.”
    The fact that Mama stood somewhere above, her deep, strident voice echoing in Emmy’s ears, scared her nearly as much as the fall.
    Get shed of her, Nash! And hurry!
    “You been huntin’ me, Miz Dane?” Nash’s strained words tumbled down the hole. “Why, I been right here all along.”
    “I’ve called and called. Why didn’t you answer?” Mama’s tone meant her hands had gone to her hips.
    “’Cause I ain’t heard nary a one of them calls until now. I ’spose you might’ve yelled louder.”
    “Oh, never mind. Have you seen Emmy?”
    After a tense silence, Nash began to sputter. “H–Have I seen Miss Emmy? Now, that’s a good question. I did see her right after breakfast, sure ’nough. ’Course I saw her yesterday, too, and—”
    “Just tell her this when you see her—Willem is on his way home. He’ll arrive by train tomorrow. He’s decided it ain’t safe for me and Bertha to go south alone, so he’s coming with us.”
    Emmy’s heart lurched. Papa going with Mama to South Texas? The new development made it infinitely more important that she avoid the trip. Emmy’s relationship with her papa wouldn’t exactly inspire sentimental sonnets. On the rare occasions when he happened to be home, he spent all of his time correcting her, perhaps to make up for lost time, or ignoring her completely as if she made him uneasy. If given a choice, she preferred the lectures to his silence.
    “Yes’m, I’ll tell Miss Emmy jus’ what you said. When I see her, that is.”
    Emmy prayed with renewed vigor for the strength to wait Mama out. Busting her skull or drowning in stinky water might definitely impede her plans to visit St. Louis. Dying in a well or emerging from it a raving lunatic covered in newts and spiders meant she’d never have the chance to see Charity’s baby. However, all of these possibilities were more enticing than an extended trip with her papa or facing her mama’s wrath. She tightened her grip and held on for all she was worth.
    “What are you doing out here anyway?” Mama said to Nash. “There’s no time today for lollygagging. You have work to