The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,227

a draft and yet it was there.

She stood for a moment, studying the darkened corner, then got the poker from the fireplace and began tapping it along the wall. Within seconds, she heard a difference in the sound and tapped the poker again, thumping on the logs until she settled on a section that sounded different—almost hollow.

Frustrated by lack of light, she hurried back to the door and opened it back as far as it would go. Cold air immediately filled the room, but it couldn’t be helped. She had a mystery to solve.

The addition of light was more than revealing. Almost immediately, she could see a faint, but distinct cut in the logs from about three feet below the ceiling, then all the way to the floor. Still uncertain of what it was that she’d found, she began pushing against the logs in an effort to see if anything moved.

The only thing that happened was that the room kept getting colder. Irked with herself for letting out so much heat, she decided to give up the search and ran to close the door.

Even though the fire was burning hot, the room was now freezing. She stirred the fire then added another log. Her hands were like ice and her feet weren’t much better. The way she figured it, she would get warmer faster if she continued to work. The mop water had melted, so she sloshed it across the floor, then took the broom and began sweeping it down. She was working her way toward the corner when she stepped on a piece of bark. Before she knew it, her ankle rolled and she was falling backward. She knew she would hit the wall, but she never expected it to swing inward. The unexpected motion caught her off guard and when she fell, she hit headfirst and hard.

Eulis was thinking of the warm cabin and spit-roasted rabbit as he came down from the trees, pulling a felled tree behind each mule. As he neared the cabin, the smoke coming out of the chimney was as good as any welcome sign he’d ever seen.

“Come on, Rosy, come on Blackie… let’s go home.”

The mules dug in a little deeper and the trees they were pulling slid a little faster against the snow. They were as anxious to get unhitched as Eulis was to see Letty. Within minutes, they were back at the cabin.

Eulis unhooked the trees near the woodpile, and then unhitched the mules. Rosy tossed her head and gave a quick kick before running out into the meadow. Blackie wasn’t far behind. Eulis laughed at their antics and then stomped the snow from his boots as he got to the door. But when he walked inside, the chill in the air made him frown. It shouldn’t be cold.

“Letty?”

She didn’t answer. He saw the water on the floor, and seconds later, saw her. She was flat on her back and lying halfway into some kind of opening. Shot through with panic, he picked her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. When he laid her down, his hand came away bloody. Sick to his stomach and so scared he could barely think, he found a cut on the back of her head.

“Letty… Letty… what have you done?” he muttered, and ran for some clean rags to put a compress against the wound. As he eased her head up, she moaned, and then blinked.

“Eulis?”

“I’m here, darlin’. Lie still.”

“What happened?” Letty murmured, and reached for her head.

“I’m not sure, but it appears you’ve gone and knocked a hole in the wall.”

She frowned. “I think you went and hit your head, too. You’re talkin’ crazy.”

Ignoring the obvious opening in the back of the room, he began running his hands up and down her arms and legs to check for further injuries.

Letty swatted at his hands.

“Not now, Eulis. I’m not exactly in the mood.”

He had to laugh. It was that, or curse, and she was highly opposed to that happening.

“You ain’t the only one with lust in the dust. You might near scared the life outa’ me. I’m tryin’ to see if you’re still all in one piece, okay?”

She sighed, then moaned. “I know… I’m sorry. I’m a bit out of my head.”

“No wonder,” he said. “You’ve got a goose-egg of a knot and you’re bleedin’ some.”

“Oh, lord, I don’t want to get blood on the bed,” Letty said, and tried to sit up.

“It don’t matter,” Eulis said. “Just lie still.”

Letty groaned