then thought better of it. “How about we call it even? You got me out of that hell, and apparently you sent yourself into a whole different kind of one.”
They heard a horse ride out, and all turned.
“Where’s Wyatt going?” Lewt asked.
“He’s running patrol down by the water. It’s unlikely, but Toledo might send a few of her guards to find us. I really doubt it, though. I wasn’t worth that much to her. My guess is she’ll cut her losses, and tomorrow it’ll be business as usual around Three Forks.”
“Where is the girl?” Lewt asked. “Didn’t she make the trip with you?”
Duncan nodded. “She’s over there curled up asleep in the dark. It seems she likes me all right, but she’s afraid of Sumner and Wyatt. She watches them as if she thinks they might attack her at any moment. So after supper, I finally sat with her and got her to sleep. It’s really sad to think that the only time she feels safe is when she’s locked in a room.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
Duncan shook his head. “If she has people, I can’t get her to talk and tell me where they might be. My guess is she doesn’t have anyone, or she wouldn’t have been with the witch. She’s so young, she’ll need folks to take her in and take care of her.”
“Duncan.” Wyatt’s voice echoed through the night air. He’d ridden out on a horse a few minutes before, but now he dismounted and walked back toward the fire.
Both men looked up as Wyatt’s shadow continued to come closer, as if he didn’t want to yell.
“You need to come with me.” Wyatt pointed with his head. “I found a horse out here.”
Lewt grinned. “We found your Shadow, but she wouldn’t come within fifty feet of us. I guess she followed us over.”
Duncan ran to Lewt’s horse and took off. “Thanks,” he yelled back at Lewt.
Lewt managed a smile. “Got any coffee?” he asked Sumner as he warmed by the fire.
“Yep,” Sumner said. “And there’s stew in the pot. We figured you two would be in sometime tonight, so we left it warming.”
Em didn’t look at Lewt as she helped herself to the stew. She’d been so quiet he’d almost forgotten she was there.
Lewt watched her out of the corner of his eye. He was starving, but he wasn’t going to ask her to pass him a bowl or get anywhere close to the pot until she moved away. He didn’t want to be in the same state with her, much less around the same campfire. The sisters would probably put their heads together and have a great laugh when she got back home and told them what a fool she’d made out of the gambler.
He’s spent his life reading people. It didn’t seem possible that those three could have fooled him. Thinking back, he knew the signs were there, he’d just been too distracted to notice.
The night seemed suddenly very quiet. The fire crackled and now and then an owl hooted from somewhere beyond the light. Sumner banged around the camp collecting cups and tossing out bedrolls. When Em moved away, Lewt filled his bowl and sat as far away from her as he could manage and still be in the light of the fire. He ate without tasting the food.
Finally, the old man seemed to have had enough of the silence. Sumner stood halfway between them and cleared his throat. “I’ve watched you two for a week,” he said, without looking at either one of them. “It surprised the hell out of me, but you seemed to get along. Now, the way I see it is, neither one of you has enough friends to lose one over a minor lie. Lewt, you lied to get introduced to a McMurray, and Miss Em, you lied so you wouldn’t have to meet him. In my book that means the lies cancel each other out.”
“Nobody asked for your opinion.” Lewt said.
“It’s none of your business,” Em added, as she began scraping the dishes clean.
Sumner swore and moved toward his horse. “Think I’ll ride out and talk to that devil of a horse Duck rides. He’s better company than you two.”
Before either of them could say anything, he was gone.
Lewt stood staring at the fire for a long while, and then he rummaged through the packs and found the clothes he’d bought when he’d gone to Anderson Glen with Em. He began stripping off the