Laurel went in search of Irv and found him in his room. He was sitting on his barrel seat, staring at the floor.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked.
“The girl told me I was gettin’ in the way more than helping. And she’s right. Arm still hurts if I move it a certain way, and this damn bum hip.” He muttered the rest, but she knew that his crankiness wasn’t due to his ailments or Corrine’s criticism.
She sat down on the end of his bed, facing him, and said softly, “I’m going to miss you, too. Terribly.”
Frowning, he said, “It ain’t too late to change your mind. I’ve worked the rails over there in East Texas. It ain’t like here. It’s humid. They got mosquitoes as big as turkeys. Alligators.”
“I don’t think there are any alligators in Bynum.”
He harrumphed. She reached for his hands and held them. “Be careful with your new enterprise.”
His bushy eyebrows shot up. “Enterprise?”
She gave him a look. “The first giveaway was catching you in a tête-à-tête with Mike O’Connor yesterday. I thought you didn’t trust his dimples.”
“Who said I do?”
She continued, “Another giveaway is all that busywork you and Ernie have been doing down in the cellar. Did you really think I would believe that you two are opening a machine shop?”
“Why not?”
“A machine shop with a mirror along one wall?”
He gave up the pretense. “With Gert dead, Lefty abandoned the roadhouse. Nobody knows where he ran off to. The county’s condemned the building. The girl remembered that long mirror, so we helped ourselves to it and the gramophone. They’ll give the place some class.”
“I suppose you’ll serve Ernie’s moonshine. Is Mike supplying the bootlegged liquor?”
“He’s got some good connections.”
“I’m sure.”
“The girl will make snacks to serve.”
“When do you open?”
“Soon as you and Hutton clear town.”
“Does this speakeasy have a name?”
“Blind Tiger.”
She laughed. “Isn’t that rather obvious?”
“The girl likes the way it sounds.” He tipped his head toward the kitchen where Thatcher could be heard responding to Corrine’s chatter. “Will you tell him?”
“He’s going to be my husband.”
“He’s going to be a lawman.”
“But he hasn’t been sworn in yet. One thing, though. Will there be girls?”
“Hell no. I’m too old, Ernie’s too much in love, and the girl would never hear of it.”
“What about your fix-it business?”
“I’ll keep it up for show.”
“Just promise me that you’ll be careful, Irv. Keep it exclusive. Locals only. People you know. No roughnecks.”
“Like I said, classy. Discreet like. Hush-hush.”
“Don’t let Mike take unnecessary risks.”
“None of us wants to get shot at again.”
“If things get hot—”
“We’ll head for the hills. Don’t you worry none.”
“I will.”
“I know.”
She patted him on the knee, then stood and placed her hands on either side of his face, tipped his head down, and kissed his bald pate. “You’ve become very dear to me, Irv. Thank you. For taking care of Pearl and me. For everything.”
His eyes filled. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand and came off his barrel seat. “I’d better go see if I’m good for something.”
* * *
Another round of goodbyes was said outside.
As they pulled away, Thatcher reached across the seat and placed his hand on Laurel’s knee, giving it a squeeze. “Are you sad?”
“Melancholy.” She looked back to see the three of them still there, waving. Then, as one, they turned and filed back into the house. “But they’re a family. I had become the odd man out.”
As they drove past the cemetery, Thatcher switched the Model T into low gear. “Do you want to stop for one last visit?”
“No. Irv and I were here only a few days ago. He’s promised to keep the graves well tended.” She didn’t share the conversation she’d had with Irv about Derby, but she said, “When I think about Pearl, I don’t think of her being in the ground. I think of her sweet face looking up at me as she nursed. I’m not leaving her here. I’m taking her with me.”
Thatcher pulled her closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “It was thoughtful of you to ask. Thank you.”
They continued on their way. But she felt pressed to be candid with him. “Thatcher, we’ve joked about my accepting your proposal, but marrying you is a bigger step for me than you realize.”
He pulled the car off the road onto the shoulder and gave her his undivided attention. “I’ve known that. But your past with Derby is your private business. I didn’t want to