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256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
Isabelle scanned the changing landscape. The last three days offered views of dense trees and farmland but nothing to excite her about what lay ahead. Before they left, she spent hours reading accounts about massive mountains so high a person could never climb them and land so vast that people lived lifetimes on it and never saw everything.
She glanced down at her brother, who rested quietly in the seat next to hers, his head against her arm. 'Is this best for him?' she wondered. Isabelle brought her gaze back to the landscape and felt a small rush of pleasure at what she saw in the distance. 'How grand and tall those mountains must truly be if I can see them from so far away.' Her heart raced as excitement overpowered the fear, and for just a short time, she allowed herself the pleasure of imagining a good life.
"He's (Andrew) tuckered out tonight." She (Isabelle) nodded. "He hasn't expended this much energy in a long time." A few moments of silence passed as the first hint of stars twinkled above them. "Thank you for today, Mr. Gallagher. It meant a lot to Andrew." She paused for just a fraction of a moment. "And it meant a lot to me." Gabriel's eyes met hers, and he guided the horses on instinct alone. "You're welcome, Isabelle." His whisper-soft words caressed her skin, and she pulled her cape closer to her body. She wasn't accustomed to the cold temperatures of this northern land, but she loved the cold crispness of the air as it moved around her. She would remember this as the day that Andrew found happiness again and that was a debt she could never repay.