Read Touching the Sky for Free Online Page B

Malcolm and set a date.” She got to her feet and smiled at Laura. “And you and I must arrange our gowns. Since few have money for new creations, we should have no trouble in hiring a seamstress.” She kissed their mother on the cheek, then glided from the room.
    Laura looked at Mother and reached out to gently take hold of her hand. “Mother, you do realize that in a time when so many are struggling and suffering, we might be criticized for such an elaborate wedding.”
    “Let them criticize,” she answered. “A woman only marries like this once. I would do the same for you . . . and will should you find a husband.” Mother pulled her hand away and fussed with the lace on the collar of Laura’s chemisette. “I don’t want you to spoil this for Carissa. She has suffered enough from the war. We will make it up to her by giving her a wedding fit for a princess. Even your father agrees. He has already sent word to his brother in Chicago.”
    Laura knew that her uncle had safeguarded the family’s fortune through the war years, as well as provided regular stipends for support. Now that the war was over, it would only be a matter of time before all of their assets were returned to Texas.
    “There, now the lace lies properly,” her mother said with a look of satisfaction.
    “I hope you won’t regret this,” Laura said, standing. “I do only wish for the very best where Carissa is concerned.”
    “As do we all.” Her mother pulled out her fan. “Goodness, but the heat is most unbearable. Do ask Esther to bring me a cool glass of lemonade.”
    Laura nodded and headed for the arched doorway. She paused for a moment, wishing she could make her mother see reason. “It would perhaps make me feel better if Malcolm had already secured a job and was able to purchase a home for them.”
    Her mother’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s part of the best news. Your father arranged a position for Malcolm, and as a wedding gift we are buying them a small, but sufficient, house.”
    Laura felt as though she’d been slapped. She tried not to react, however. Nodding, she considered the statement for a moment. “I’m glad that Father feels he is able to do so much for them.”
    “Malcolm will become the son your father always wanted,” Mother said, smiling and working the fan with great fervor. “You will soon see, Laura. This is a wonderful thing for our family.”

    Brandon felt a sense of restlessness as another day concluded. He undressed and readied himself for bed, but all the while his mind was flooded with thoughts of what General Russell had told him.
    Charles needed an insider—someone who could seek the proof they needed to identify those responsible for the rising violence. Some Southern supporters would kill in the name of the Confederacy for as long as they could get away with it. The Twenty-eighth Regiment was particularly vulnerable because they were black—and also because they wore blue.
    Brandon thought long and hard about the general’s proposal. He had hoped to be free of the army and all that it stood for in a matter of days, but following this order would change all of that. The plan was to still muster him out as far as the public was concerned, but in truth he would delay his complete resignation until after the Lowe situation was concluded. He would continue to answer to General Russell and Major Armstrong, but for all intents and purposes he would be a civilian. Brandon wasn’t convinced that he’d made the right decision in accepting this role, but for the time it seemed the best thing to do. The army was even providing a small cottage in which he could stay and a horse to use as long as he had need.
    Picking up his Bible, Brandon settled into his bed and opened the well-read book. His father had given him this gift on the day of Brandon’s baptism. He’d been ten years old and had told his father that it was time he accepted Jesus as his Savior. He had said it so matter-of-factly that he