Mary Connealy - Woman of Sunlight

November 1873
Hope Mountain
Near Bucksnort, Colorado, Near Grizzly Peak, Colorado

Y ou look awful. Mitch Warden poured himself a cup of coffee and studied Ilsa Nordegrens face as she stepped into the kitchen.

Her face was peppered with half-healed blisters left from having chicken pox, but she resisted the urge to slap her hands over her scabby cheeks.

For that matter, she resisted the urge to slap Mitch.

Youre the reason I look so dreadful. You brought this sickness to me. A cranky side of herself that she really hadnt known she had made her shove Mitch back. He didnt even move, but she felt good doing it. No one ever got sick before you came home.

Hed come down with it first and given it to Ilsa. Hed brought it with him when he came home from back east. Hed found his familys Colorado ranch deserted, but he and his chicken pox had followed his family to the top of Lost Peakthats the name Ilsas grandpa had for this place, but the Wardens had always called it Hope Mountain.

She glared at him. You look awful, too.

He didnt really. He wasnt all the way healedbut he was two weeks ahead of Ilsa. And truth be told, he was a good-looking varmint. Not overly tall, but tall compared to her. Dark blond hair. A nice square chin and brown eyes that made her think of the rich wood of an old oak.

But all that wasnt a good enough reason not to insult him back.

Mitch, hush. Isabelle Warden, Mitchs mother, who made everyone call her Ma, spoke without turning around, and without stopping her work peeling apples for a pie.

Mitch set his tin coffee cup on the kitchen table and poured a glass of water, then handed it to Ilsa. Drink this.

He kept pushing water and broth at her even though her fever had gone down over two weeks ago and all her blistered pockmarks had dried up and scabbed over and she was eating plenty of food and had been for days.

But she really did look awful. And Ma had a mirror, something Ilsa had never seen before, so she couldnt lie to herself or smash the mirror, which would be wrong and wouldnt solve the problem anyway.

But she was getting better every day. The red was gone from her facewell, her whole body, but no one saw the rest but herand her strength had returned.

Still, Mitch treated her like she was in desperate need.

The galoot probably felt guilty and well he should.

You can quit being a doctor now, Ilsa said. Im back to being the doctor for everyone here. It was true that Ilsa had more doctoring skills than anyone else. Shed been taught them by her grandpa before he died, and hed learned the ways of healing from native folks hed lived with long ago.

Mitch held the water in front of her face. She snatched it away and gulped it down just to make him stop.

She thrust the now-empty cup back into his hands.

Mitch set it aside, picked up his coffee, and took a long sip as he studied her, most likely for signs of thirstiness.

To get his mind off her awful speckled face, she said, As soon as Jo and Dave get back from town, Im going to ride with them to visit Ursula. Im well enough.

Josephine was her older sister, newly married to Mitchs brother, Dave. Ilsa always called her Jo. Ursula was her even-older sister who had turned into some kind of lunatic hermit.

Ilsa and her sisters had lived up here completely alone after their grandparents died, leaving the three girls on their own at a very young age. And they stayed up here because of their grandma and grandpas terrible warnings to never leave the mountains because there was deadly danger in the lowlands.

Those had been good days.

Then the Wardens had moved in, and soon after, along came their pest of a son Mitch.

Mitch slammed his cup on the table. You are not up to riding to see your crazy sister any time soon. Youre barely up from your sickbed.

My sister isnt crazy. Honestly, some days Ursula seemed as crazy as a rabid skunk bear, but Ilsa ignored that and glared at Mitch. You dont get to tell me how I feel or where I can go.

Nobody did. Not once since her grandpa died. Her sisters had let her come and go as she chose, and it suited her.

Well, somebodys got to tell you when you dont seem to have a lick of sense.

Mitch, Ma snapped, turning away from her apples, go out and see if your father and Dave are coming up the trail.

Ma, you know there are sentries wholl let us know if

Go, Ma snapped, then pointed a very motherly finger toward the door. Shed been throwing Mitch out a lot lately. And dont come back until you can be polite to Ilsa.

Ilsa was always glad to see him go. And considering Mas order about being polite, hed be gone awhile. Maybe forever.

Not that Ilsa really understood what polite was. It must have something to do with him being so cranky.

Mitch picked on her, nagged her, and found every fault in her. The man was just watching her too closely, and she felt much better when he was gone.

Ilsa knew she treated him a lot like he treated her. But he deserved it and she didnt. Anyone could see that.

He snorted like a caged bull, then stormed out, slamming the door.

Your son seems easily upset, Ilsa said. Shed had no practice understanding what people were thinking. Shed gotten the impression others could look at someone in the face and say, hes mad... hes worried... shes sad.