The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,222

and the stubborn thrust of her chin.

“Letty…”

“Yeah?”

“You never did tell me how you come to know that Indian woman… that Little Bird.”

She stopped, and for a moment, stood without moving, her back to the bed. When she turned around, there was a strange expression on her face.

“Letty?”

“I helped her hide a dead man.”

He sat straight up in bed.

“The hell you say! What made you do somethin’ like that?”

“You helped me do the same thing once, remember?”

He sat there for a moment and finally shook his head.

“If I live to be a hundred… and the way things are goin’ I sincerely doubt that will ever happen… I don’t think you’ll ever fail to surprise me.”

Letty bit her lower lip then lifted her chin.

“Is that bad or good?”

“Good… damn good,” he said softly.

“You cursed,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, and I expect you’ll drive me to it again before we get out of this valley.”

“Close your eyes and go to sleep,” Letty said.

“Lay down beside me,” Eulis asked.

It was the last thing she expected, and all of a sudden, the thing she wanted to do most.

“You’ll be safe. I’m still a sick man,” Eulis said. “Besides, it’s cold. You can help keep me warm.”

Letty snorted beneath her breath, but put a couple of logs on the fire anyway, then stirred the coals. The logs caught and the added warmth was soon felt within the small room. When she turned around, he was still watching her.

“You’re making me nervous. Close your eyes.”

He closed his eyes, but he was still smiling. She had the strongest urge to see what the smile tasted like, but wouldn’t follow the thought. Instead, she picked up the broom and began sweeping the floor. When she next looked at the bed, Eulis had truly fallen asleep. It was only then that she put up the broom, stirred the fire one more time, then slid into the bed, wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes.

Sometime during the night the wind stopped blowing. Letty woke, felt the chill in the room and got up to add wood to the fire. When she turned to go back to bed, Eulis was sitting up in bed. He was little more than a silhouette, but she could hear him breathing. It was slow and even, a blessing after his near brush with death.

“Are you all right?” Letty asked. “Do you need a drink of water? Do you need to pee? I can—”

“All I need is you. Come lay with me, Letty.”

Letty sighed. The tenderness in his voice was her undoing. Still, she knew that once they crossed this particular bridge in their relationship, nothing would ever be the same. She shook her head and frowned.

“You’re too sick to fool around.”

“There ain’t nothin’ foolish about what I’m feelin’.”

“There’s something you need to know,” Letty said.

“No there ain’t,” he said softly.

“So you don’t care to know if I love you back?”

There was a long moment of silence, and then he cleared his throat.

“I care.”

“All right then. I felt it was only fair that we start even in this matter.”

Glad that it was too dark for her to see his face, he let himself smile. God how he loved this woman. She might drive him mad, but he was gonna love her all the way to his grave.

“So, you have feelings for me, too?”

Letty had never been so scared in her life. To admit this was to show weakness, and everything that she’d survived had taught her never to let them see you cry. Still, he’d been sick and she didn’t have it in her to lie—not to Eulis—never to Eulis.

“Yes, I have feelings… strong feelings.”

“Then come to bed with me, darlin’.”

Letty sighed. The inevitability of this moment had been lingering between them ever since she’d promised him free pokes for life if he’d just help her get rid of the dead preacher’s body.

“Only if you let me do all the work,” Letty said.

Eulis chuckled. “I reckon that’ll be all right… for now.”

Letty unbuttoned her shirt and then stepped out of her pants. Immediately, goose bumps rose on her skin.

“I hope we don’t regret this tomorrow,” she said, as she slid beneath the covers.

He wrapped her up in his arms and then pulled her close.

“I won’t, if you won’t,” he offered.

Letty laughed and then laid her head upon his chest.

“This is crazy,” she mumbled.

“Then lock me up later,” Eulis begged.

She raised up on her elbows. The smile on his face was somewhere between hopeful and scared to