The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,133

months past needing a haircut. His hat was sweat-stained and crumpled—the kind that served as a shade or a bucket, whichever was necessary at the time. He was wearing a dusty shirt and even dustier pants. His boots were scuffed and run down at the heels, but the guns strapped to his hips hung loose and low and the smile on his face was a go-to-hell grin that she’d seen many times before. She wasn’t sure, but she thought his name was Willy or Billy or something like that.

“Letty… it is you!”

She frowned and pretended indignation, which was difficult because she distinctly remembered he had a mole on his dingus that he called Spot.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you have mistaken me for someone else.”

The smile slid sideways. “But you look just like—”

“I have that kind of face,” Letty said, and closed the door in his face.

“Oh lord,” Letty muttered, and sat down on her bed with a thump. What was she to do? They couldn’t leave every time they ran into someone from their past or they’d be running for life.

A knock sounded on the door again. She frowned.

“Who is it, please?”

“It me,” Eulis said.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

Letty opened the door, grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him inside before shutting the door behind him.

Eulis glared. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Letty said, and then threw up her hands and started pacing the floor. “That’s not exactly true. Someone who knew me from Lizard Flats just knocked on my door.”

Eulis groaned. “We’re found out. It was bound to happen.”

“No, no, that’s not so,” Letty said. “I told him he was mistaken. I think he bought it. I mean… I don’t look exactly like I used to, you know.”

Eulis looked at her and squinted, as if trying to assess her now against the way she’d been at the White Dove Saloon. She was minus the red feathers she used to wear in her hair, and her dress didn’t exactly bare all her charms. And her face was scrubbed clean as opposed to that lip rouge and black stuff she used to put on her eyes.

“Yeah, I reckon you’re right.”

Letty nodded. “Of course I’m right. I’m always right.”

Eulis frowned. “That ain’t exactly so. Remember the time you—”

Letty slapped him on the shoulder.

“I do not wish to be reminded of the dark deeds of my past. I have been saved, remember?”

Eulis thought of the baptism he’d performed on her in a moss-covered watering trough down at the Lizard Flats livery stable and sighed.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Then what should we do about the cowboy?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“What do you want me to do?” Eulis asked. “And before you ask, I ain’t diggin’ you no grave to hide another body in.”

Letty grabbed Eulis by the collar and shoved him up against the wall.

“Didn’t we just agree not to discuss my past?”

Eulis batted at her hands, trying to dislodge them from around his throat.

“Dang it, Letty, you’re shuttin’ off the air to my gizzard. Let go. I say, let go.”

“Not ’til you promise you’ll never talk about Lizard Flats again.”

“I promise. I swear to God, I promise.”

Letty frowned. “You bein’ a preacher and all, I don’t think you oughta be swearin’ anything to God.”

“Oh yeah… right. I’m sorry. It was just a figure of speech, you know. I’ll watch it better from now on.”

“So, what did you want?” Letty asked.

Eulis frowned. “When?”

Letty rolled her eyes. “You knocked on my door. You had to have a reason.”

Eulis slapped himself up beside his head and then laughed.

“Oh yeah, right. I was comin’ to see if you wanted to go get some dinner downstairs in the dining room.”

Letty patted her hair and then pinched her cheeks.

“Well yes, that would be fine. Thank you for asking Brother Howe.”

Eulis sighed. So all of a sudden he was Brother Howe again. “Do you want me to wait outside for a bit or—”

“No, I’m ready,” Letty said. “And now that I think of it, I am hungry.”

“So, fine. Let’s go eat.”

Letty walked to the door and then stopped. Eulis was right behind her and had to do a fancy side-step to keep from running into her. When she didn’t move, he walked around in front of her and stared.

“What’s wrong?”

Letty arched her eyebrows so high they disappeared beneath the bangs she’d taken to wearing.

“Why, nothing is wrong, I’m sure, except that your manners are sadly lacking, Brother Howe.”

Eulis’s shoulders slumped. “Dang it, Letty…”

She frowned.

He stifled a curse. “Excuse me… dang it, Sister Leticia, how am I