The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,152

was too busy worrying about the Major to give a rat’s ass about shaving or sleeping. As soon as Letty was inside, Eulis shut the door and then peered through a dusty window to see if they’d been followed.

Letty frowned. “Eulis!”

He flinched. “Don’t be yellin’ at me. My head’s hurtin’.”

“I didn’t yell. I just said your name.”

Eulis shifted nervously and then took off his jacket.

“I’m gonna clean up some. You tell me if you see anyone coming.”

Letty’s frown deepened. “What does it matter if—”

Eulis threw up his hands and shouted.

“Damn it all to hell and back, woman, can’t you just, for once, do what you’re told without asking questions?”

Letty bristled. “You don’t yell at me, you old sot.”

“I’m a sot and you’re a whore and we’re gonna both be in trouble if anyone finds out I’m not the preacher I’m pretendin’ to be.”

Letty was pissed. Being reminded of her past didn’t fit in keeping with her new persona.

“You want to say that again, only maybe yell a little louder? I don’t think they heard you at the store.”

Eulis grabbed a bucket in the floor by the sideboard and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Letty asked.

Eulis swung the bucket at her. “Well, Sister Leticia, I’m gonna go get me some water and then I’m gonna pour it in that basin over there. Then I’m gonna strip nekked and wash the goddamned dust off my achin’ body… if that’s all right with you.”

Letty snatched the bucket out of his hand.

“I’ll get the water.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not hiding from anyone and you are.”

Eulis flinched. “How did you know?”

Letty sighed. “I didn’t know for sure until you just admitted it.”

Eulis’s mouth dropped. “You’re sneaky.”

“And you’re lying.”

“It’s none of your business,” Eulis muttered.

“You are my business,” Letty countered. “I’m going to get the water. When I come back, we talk.”

Eulis frowned. “We can’t ’cause I’m gonna take me a bath.”

Letty shrugged. “I’ve seen you naked before.”

“That’s cause I was drunk and you was desperate,” Eulis muttered.

“Now you’re the one who seems to be desperate, so figure out what you’re gonna say, because by the time I get back you’re gonna tell me what’s wrong, and if you’re lying I’ll know, which will pretty much piss me off and we both know that’s not good.”

Letty walked out, leaving Eulis to strip or run, and he strongly feared there was nowhere left to run. By the time she came back, he was sitting on a cot in his underwear and feeling more miserable by the moment. Every muscle and joint was aching from his fall out of the coach, and he feared the clothes he’d been wearing were ruined. It wasn’t his best suit, but he only had one other one, and unless they ran across another dead preacher who no longer needed his clothes, he might be back in buckskins, whether he liked it or not.

Letty poured some of the water in the basin, a bit more in the ewer, and then dug through her bag until she found a piece of lye soap and laid it by the basin.

“You can use some of my soap, but don’t go wasting it,” Letty said.

“I appreciate that,” he said, but when he tried to get up, staggered briefly before dropping back onto the cot.

Letty frowned. “Are you all right?”

“No. I fell out of a moving stagecoach… remember?”

“Don’t be a smart mouth, Eulis Potter.”

“My name is Randall Howe and I’m going to get nekked now.”

This time when he got up he managed to stay upright. He stepped out of his drawers and walked stiff-legged to the basin.

“Want me to help?” Letty asked.

Eulis shrugged. “I don’t mind if you pour that water over my head.”

Letty nodded and picked up the bucket.

“Bend over a mite,” she ordered.

“What about the floor?” Eulis asked.

“Look at it,” Letty muttered. “There’s space enough between these planks to grow ’taters.”

“Yeah, I reckon so,” Eulis said, and bent down.

Letty poured some of the water over his head as he scrubbed at his scalp. When his hair was completely wet, she stopped.

“Wait a minute,” she said, and rubbed the bar of lye soap through his hair.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s my soap.”

“Reckon that’s okay to use in your hair?” Eulis mumbled.

“I don’t see why not,” Letty said. “Be still now. I’m gonna pour the rest of this water on your head, so you go ahead and scrub up that soap. It’ll rinse right out when I pour.”

“Yeah, all right.” Then he added. “I ’preciate this, Sister Leticia.”

Letty stifled