Redeeming-Love-By-Francine-Rivers

F R A N C I N E R I V E R S
She passed doctors’ and dentists’ offices, attorneys’ and business offices,
surveying and engineering offices. She saw several new banks and a large
brokerage firm. There was even a public schoolhouse with children playing
tag in the yard. Angel stood watching them for a while, thinking of little
Ruth and Leah and the boys. She missed them so much.
At Clay Street, men were queued up at the post office, waiting news of
mail. On the corner of Washington and Grant was a new Chinese laundry.
Workers scrubbed clothing in big washtubs while others stacked fresh linens
into baskets. Balancing these on bamboo poles, they set off at a run to make
deliveries.
By midday, Angel was famished, weary. And no closer to knowing what
she was going to do to make a living. The only thing that came to mind was
going back to what she knew. Every time she passed a brothel, she knew she
could walk in the door and have food and shelter. She could have physical
comfort. All she had to do was sell her body again—and betray Michael.
He’ll never know, Angel.
“I’ll know.” A man gave her a curious look as he passed. Would she turn
into a mad woman who talked to herself?
A miner stopped her and asked her to marry him. She pulled her arm
free and told him to leave her alone. He said he had a cabin in the Sierras
and he needed a wife. She told him to look elsewhere and hurried on.
The crush of people made her more and more nervous. Where were they
all going? What did they do for a living? Her head was throbbing. Maybe it
was the hunger. Maybe it was worrying about what she was going to do
when her gold ran out. Maybe it was knowing she was weak and would
probably go right back to being a harlot just so she could keep body and
soul together.
What am I going to do? God, I don’t know what to do!
Go into that cafe and rest.
Angel looked up the street and saw a small cafe. Sighing, she walked
toward it and went in. She chose a table in the back corner and pushed her
carpetbag behind her feet. Rubbing her temples, she wondered where she
was going to spend the night.
Someone banged on the table a few feet away from her, making her
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