Red whiskey, but all in all, he’d made it through in better shape than he would have imagined.
Letty Murphy was sick at heart. She hadn’t thought it possible, but she felt worse than she had when her Jim had been killed. It had been, without doubt, the worst day of her life. She stared at Eulis with something akin to awe, unable to believe that he’d actually fooled so many, yet thankful that it had been done.
But the older the day got, the harder it became for her to separate Eulis the Preacher from Eulis the Drunk. The longer she looked at his clean-shaven face and neatly parted hair—the fine clothes and broad smile—the more believable he became.
June bugs began diving through the brushy rooftop, heading for the oil lanterns hanging beneath the rafters. Several hounds bayed from the settlers’ wagons as coyotes began howling on a nearby ridge. Blue shadows crept across the prairie. Night moths danced dangerously close to the lamp light while the people laughed and talked, waiting for the services to begin.
When no one was looking, Eulis gave the part in his hair a final pat and then clutched the bible even tighter, hoping that inspiration would transfer itself from it to his head. It was time. With a nod to Letty, Eulis started down the aisle between the pews, taking slow, measured steps that puffed dust onto the tips of his fine black shoes and gave him a trail-weary appearance the assembly could appreciate.
Letty headed for a seat down front. The urge to stay close to Eulis was still strong. She ignored the sly, side-long glances the men gave her, as well as the indignant whispers from the good women of the area. She knew better than most how far she’d fallen. They just didn’t understand that she felt obliged to sit as close to salvation as she could get.
After the day she’d had, her general store dress was much the worse for wear. Not only had the years of bright sunlight faded its front, but it had weakened the homespun fabric, as well. Her womanly charms were pushing their luck with each bounce of her step. The threads around the hand-worked buttonholes were fraying and stretching with each sway of her breasts. But Letty didn’t see, and if she had, was past caring. She took a seat at the outside end of the first pew, sighing with relief as Eulis continued on with kingly aplomb.
Eulis nodded and smiled to everyone he passed, relishing the silence that accompanied his arrival into their midst. It was a power unlike any he’d ever known. Yet in the midst of that power, was a fear that matched it. Fear that he would fail. Fear that they would be found out. He wondered how long it took to die when hanged, then stepped behind the pulpit and turned to face the congregation.
Letty stared at him, wide-eyed and pale from her front row seat.
Seeing as he was now a man of God, Eulis tried not to stare at her body. But it was hard to look away. She appeared as if she’d been tamped and packed inside that two-tone dress like gunpowder down the barrel of a long rifle. Sweat beaded and ran out from under her brown curls like rainwater down a pane of glass. He looked away, unwilling to let her fear feed his own. His gaze slid from Letty to the rest of the congregation.
Seventy-odd people stared back.
Unsmiling.
Unmoving.
It was a daunting and fearful sight.
Snickers came from the back benches.
Another whisper from the front.
His nervousness increased. The urge to look down and check his fly was overwhelming, but he was afraid that if he found it undone, he wouldn’t have the courage to turn and fasten it up. Moisture ran down the inside of his pant legs and he prayed for all he was worth that it was only sweat.
A horse neighed.
A child cried.
And a hound bayed as a sliver of moon appeared in the night sky over the arbor.
He took a deep breath. It was now or never.
The congregation shifted nervously. He felt them slipping away. His throat tightened. Where on earth did one start a sermon. Then it came to him. A song! They needed a song.
“You there.” He pointed to Will the Bartender. “I’m told you have a fine singing voice, sir. Would you be so kind as to step forward and lead us in some songs?”
Will swaggered as he got up from his seat.