dirt clung to my ankles and feet. The washcloth foaming, I scrubbed my arms, looking at my lone tattoo, the eagle on my arm. Such proud birds, so beautiful. But like vultures, eagles foraged for carrion. I thought again of the grisly scene at the ranch and the heavy-shouldered scavengers in the tree intent on their feast. I shuddered.
Once dry, I grabbed a uniform and boots from the closet. Dressed, I threw my soiled clothes in the bulging bag holding my laundry. I’d never been good with housework, not when I was married, not when I was a Dallas cop, and that hadn’t changed when I moved back to Alber. I do little until I have no other choice.
Max was waiting for me in the downstairs parlor in the center of a clutch of women. Single men were rare in this town where girls are raised to be wives and mothers, so I understood why a guy like Max would get a lot of attention. The women asked about his health, and a couple offered to cook him dinners. I chuckled when one asked him if he wanted to have more children. He shot me a panicky look and didn’t answer.
“Is your daughter’s condition improving?” a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties or so inquired. She bounced a small one on her hip. Hannah had introduced the young mother to me when they’d moved in and explained that she’d been the fifth wife of an abusive husband. “Do the doctors think Brooke will ever be able to walk again?”
“Well, she’s…” Max stammered, and I knew he felt uncomfortable talking about his daughter’s condition. I could have interrupted and rescued him, but I waited. These were questions I’d wanted to ask but hadn’t, and I hoped he’d answer. “She’s… Brooke is… doing as well as can be expected with the extent of her injuries. We really don’t know what the future holds.”
The women effused sympathy, and I stepped forward.
“Ladies, the chief and I need to be on our way,” Max said, looking relieved as we turned and rushed out the door. I glanced back and saw a few of the women frowning at me.
We drove through Alber in his squad, out to the highway, took a right outside town and set a course toward the mountains. “Thanks for getting me out of that,” Max said.
I played dumb. “What are you talking about?”
“The women surrounding me, asking me…” He glanced over, saw me smile and realized that I’d known exactly what he’d meant. Turning his attention back to the road, he chuckled and then asked, “You are coming for dinner tonight, right? I told Brooke you’ll be there. She’s been excited all week. She spent yesterday evening helping me make the chili.”
I took a deep breath, and Max frowned, as if he knew what I was about to say. “I don’t know, Max,” I said. “I mean, I know I said I’d come, but…”
I noticed his jaw set. He wasn’t happy. “Clara, why not?”
“Because…” I started, but then couldn’t really find a way to continue.
“Brooke would love it,” Max said, his voice weary. “I’d love it. You know that, right?”
“I do, but…”
He glanced at me again, his brow furrowed. “There’s no ‘but’ here. No one stands in our way. Nothing prevents us from being together anymore. Not your father. Not your mother. Not old man Barstow rotting in a prison cell. Clara, there’s only one thing in our way: your fears.”
I didn’t answer. He was right, but I still felt conflicted. Yet I had no good response.
Max glanced over at me and pleaded, “Clara, don’t do this to us. I know there’s something special between us. There always has been. The other night…” For a moment, silence, then he said, “I know, deep down, you want this as much as I do.”
I said nothing, inside my chest a tug of war raging. A tear formed in my eye, and I quickly brushed it away, hoping he wouldn’t see.
We drove on, the scenery flowing past, and I changed the subject to a safer one. Max knew what I was doing, gave me a regretful glance but didn’t stop me. “This isn’t the time to talk about other things. We need to focus on the case,” I said. With that, I explained everything I’d heard from Mother Naomi and from Hannah. “It appears that Laurel and Myles were kind of a thing, and they expected to marry. Until the prophet issued other