Redeeming-Love-By-Francine-Rivers

F R A N C I N E R I V E R S
His reaction was worse this time, harder to take.
Hochschild unloaded a crate of turnips. “You look like a bull who just
had a club put to his head.” His smile was wry. “Or maybe you’ve been
down on your farm too long.”
“Let’s settle up,” Michael said tersely and went inside with the last crate.
He needed to get his mind back on business and off of her.
“You’ll have enough gold to meet her once we square up,” Hochschild
said. “More than enough.” He emptied the crate and set it aside before
putting his scale on the counter. “Fresh vegetables are worth a fortune up
here. These young gents get up on the streams and live on little better than
flour, water, and salted meat. Then they come into town with swollen,
bleeding gums and swelling legs from scurvy and think they need a doctor.
All they need is a decent diet and a little common sense. Let’s see what we
got here. Two barrels of apples, two crates each of turnips and carrots, six
crates of squash, and twenty pounds of venison jerky.”
Michael told him what he wanted for the wagon load.
“What?! You’re robbing me.”
Michael smiled slightly. He wasn’t green. He had spent the better part of
’48 and ’49 panning gold and knew what the men needed. True, food was
only part of it, but it was a part he could supply. “You’ll make twice that.”
Hochschild opened the safe behind the counter and took out two sacks
of gold dust. He slid one across to Michael and measured a portion out of
the other into a hide pouch. Tossing the bigger sack back into the safe, he
kicked it shut and checked the handle.
Michael emptied the dust into a belt he had crafted. Hochschild
watched, his mouth tipping. “You’ve got enough for a good time there.
Wanna meet Angel? You ought to go down and talk to the Duchess with
some of it. She’d usher you right upstairs.”
Angel. Just her name affected him. “Not this time.”
Joseph saw the set of his jaw and nodded. Michael Hosea was a quiet
man, but there wasn’t anything soft about him. There was something in his
look that made men treat him with respect. It wasn’t just his height or the
strength of his body, which were both impressive enough. It was the clear
steadiness of his gaze. He knew what he was about even if the rest of the
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