The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,299

your kindness, but I’m going home.”

Having declared himself, he grabbed the saddle-horn with his good arm and swung himself up in the saddle. Noah handed him the reins. His stubbornness cost him. Holding on so hard that his knuckles turned white—he bowed his head until he could control his breathing and looked at Letty.

“I’m available if you need me,” he told her, then looked at Noah. “It’s time we got back.”

“Yes, sir,” Noah said, and together, they rode out of town.

Letty watched until she could no longer see them, then mounted her horse and went home.

Alice was on the porch, anxiously awaiting news.

“Oh, Letty! Thank goodness you’re back! How is Robert Lee?”

“I suppose he’s just fine… he said he was fine, and who am I to argue,” she snapped, and led her horse toward the shed.

That night when she went upstairs to go to bed, she changed into her nightgown and walked to the window overlooking the backyard.

The quarter moon appeared in the sky like a tear in the fabric of heaven, partially hidden by the constantly moving clouds. She tried, without success, to pinpoint Eulis’ grave. It was strange, knowing it was there, but not being able to see it. She’d had no idea how much she’d depended on him until he was no longer here. Talking to him, even when she couldn’t see him, seemed to help.

“Well, you probably already know this, but I thought I’d let you know that Robert Lee went and got himself shot today.” She paused for a bit, thinking out what she needed to get off her chest. “I got mad at him. That wasn’t right, was it?” She tunneled her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but when Noah Shaffer rode up and told us he’d been shot, well, you can imagine what I thought. I thought about you. You went and died on me. I guess I was afraid he would, too. That’s crazy, isn’t it? I don’t know why I’m acting like this. I took care of myself for all those years without anybody’s help… except maybe yours. You did make sure I had my hot bath water when I wanted it, didn’t you?”

The wind was rising. It rattled the panes in the window enough that she flinched.

“It looks like we might get ourselves a storm tonight, which reminds me… I’ve been wondering about digging a root cellar. Probably should have put one under the house. I’ll think on it some.”

She looked up at the sky again, then back down at the darkness and reluctantly laid the flat of her hand on the window to bid him goodbye.

“Goodnight, Eulis. I miss you. Thanks for listening.”

As Letty had predicted, a thunderstorm swept through the area, moving at a wild, frantic pace and leaving an inch of rain behind. It muddied up the streets and roads some, but nothing that couldn’t be traversed.

She woke up with the feeling that something important needed to be done. It took her a few moments to remember about Robert Lee getting shot. Her instincts were to ride out and check on him, make sure he hadn’t come down with a fever, or was in terrible pain and unable to tend to his own needs.

But, she didn’t. In fact, she was a little uncertain as how to proceed with Robert Lee. In a way, he’d done something that no other man had ever been able to do.

He intimidated her. A lot.

A few days later, a couple of freight wagons arrived, which was a big relief to Milton Feasley’s customers. He’d been out of coffee for more than a month, and while they were accustomed to doing without many things, coffee was something they didn’t want to give up.

Milton had hired a couple of men to help the driver unload his goods, and they were in the act of carrying them through the store to the storeroom, when another customer entered the store.

Milton looked up and frowned. It was Delilah, the whore from the hotel. He’d availed himself of her services a couple of times, but there was a fine line between her accommodating him, and him being able to accommodate her. He hurried to the counter, nervously glancing around.

“Miss Delilah?”

Delilah Carter knew she was crossing a line, but she needed food just like the rest of Denver City’s fine citizens. She laid a list in front of Milton and dared him to make an issue of it.

Milton cleared his throat and picked