The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,275

than it had to dig it out. He was tapping the back of his shovel over the small mound of earth when Robert Lee re-appeared, carrying a small wooden cross.

He handed it to Eulis without looking up, and stood with his hands in his pockets and his gaze on the ground.

Letty had been touched by Eulis’ words, and the tenderness with which he’d spoken, but when Robert Lee came back carrying that small cross, she looked past her own tears to the ones on the gunslinger’s face.

The tiny cross was fashioned from two small limbs tied together with rawhide. The ends of the cross had been whittled to small white points, as had the end Eulis pushed into the ground.

Eulis gave the cross a final tap with the shovel, then stepped back to eye his work.

“There now,” he said.

It was over.

Chief

The rains ended with the burial. Two days later, the sadness Letty had felt at the funeral occasionally caught her off guard, although her emotions were nothing to Alice’s grief. She knew Alice was devastated, but she gave no outward sign of it. In truth, the arrival of Katie Samuels to the family had been a lifesaver for Alice. She’d transferred her motherly instincts to Katie without a hitch, giving Katie the stability she so desperately needed.

Yesterday, they’d received word that the furniture they’d had the carpenter make was ready to be picked up. Eulis had taken the wagon into town and loaded up the hand-made cots, as well as the table and benches. They were nothing like the fancy pieces Letty had ordered, but they would do to tide them over until the real stuff arrived.

Last night, it had been a small piece of heaven to have the cots to sleep on, rather than the floor. Sitting down at a table to eat seemed the ultimate in luxury.

Eulis had also called the miners back to work and resumed his routine.

The flood waters were receding, which was a huge relief to all, including the banker, Amos Trueblood, who was thankful not to have to move the money and gold.

Dr. Warren and his wife Mildred gave up their tent and went home to their simple life. The water damage was minimal, with only minor repairs needed inside.

After Baby Mary’s funeral, Robert Lee had exiled himself to the cabin. He’d had some uneasy nights of sleep, which had resulted in taking extra precautions in guarding the mine. He didn’t know what was happening, but every day he felt an impending feeling of doom. It was something he knew better than to ignore.

Now and then Eulis thought about telling the women about George’s release, but they didn’t ask, and he figured the more time passed, the better off they’d all be when they heard he’d been set free.

T-Bone continued to sleep inside at night, and never strayed far from the house during the day. Wherever Letty went, T-Bone wasn’t far behind. Only now and then did he disappear into the trees, and when he did, often came back with something in his mouth, which he promptly buried near the back steps. No one paid any attention to his comings and goings, which was unfortunate, because T-Bone was the only member of the Potter family who knew they were no longer alone on the mountain.

Letty lay in their bed, watching Eulis dressing for the mine. He thought she was still asleep. She didn’t let on that she wasn’t. It gave her time to study the man who was her husband without scrutiny.

He wasn’t a handsome man by any means, but he was sure and steady, and she owed him her life. She thought of the day she and Eulis had exchanged their own vows while snowed in at their cabin. If she had it all to do over again, she wouldn’t hesitate.

Eulis pulled his shirt over his head and began tucking it into the waistband of his pants as he turned around. When he realized Letty was not only awake, but watching him dress, he grinned.

“Good mornin’, wife.”

Letty pushed back the covers and smiled back as she sat up.

“Good morning, husband.”

“That has a right nice ring to it,” he said softly.

Letty smiled as she sniffed the air.

“Alice is cookin’ breakfast.”

“Yeah, I been smellin’ it for some time now.”

“Are you still sorry I hired her to cook?”

Eulis’ grin widened.

“I ain’t right sure how to answer that without gettin’ myself in trouble. If I say yes, then you’re gonna think I like her cookin’ better than