The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,301

muttered, and then a thought occurred. “How old were you when they started messing with you?”

“Ten.”

Letty folded her arms across her breasts and stared Delilah straight in the face.

“I have an offer to make.”

“What?”

“If you want… I’m offering you a way out of the life you’re living.”

Delilah frowned. She’d been wise to the ways of the world for far too long to trust anyone or anything.

“Oh yeah… and what do you want in return?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Letty said.

Delilah’s heart skipped a beat. If the woman was serious, this just might turn out to be the best day of her life.

“Why would you do this?” Delilah whispered.

“Because someone did it for me,” Letty said softly, thinking of Eulis.

“I don’t understand,” Delilah said, and then started to cry.

“You don’t have to understand. You just have to make a decision to give up this life for another.”

“But what will I do?” Delilah said. “I don’t know any other way.”

“Something will come to you, I’m sure,” Letty said.

“Are you sure?” Delilah asked.

“I’m rich as sin,” Letty said. “Might as well do something useful with it.”

Delilah threw her arms around Letty’s neck and hugged her fiercely. Letty smiled, and patted her on the back.

“So, how long will it take you to pack?”

“About five minutes,” Delilah said.

“My wagon’s out front. I’ll be in it, waiting.”

“Oh lord, oh lord,” Delilah muttered, and then ran out of the store without looking back.

Milton was just finishing the last items on Delilah’s list when he saw her run out.

“Hey! You forgot your things!” he yelled.

“Put them in with my stuff,” Letty said.

“But she didn’t pay me yet,” Milton whined.

“Add it to my bill. I’ll pay for both.”

Milton’s eyes bugged.

“Well now, Miz Potter… are you sure you want to—”

“Milton!”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Mind your own business.”

He blinked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

It was with no small amount of distress that the men of Denver City learned of Delilah’s escape. It took a few days for the news to spread that another hen had been added to the hen house at the top of the hill above the city.

But by then, Delilah was settling in just fine and with Alice’s help, was learning how to bake bread.

Robert Lee heard about Letty’s latest stunt, but kept his opinions to himself. Personally, he believed that Letty kept gathering the lost around her, because she felt as lost as the females she’d taken in.

His shoulder continued to heal without problems. Within a month after the shooting, he pronounced himself fit, discarded the sling, and began practicing his draw, making sure that he didn’t lose the one skill that had kept him alive all these years.

Beyond Her Wildest Dreams

It was Sunday when Letty decided she’d ride out to the mine and check on Robert Lee. Weeks had passed since he’d been shot, and during that time, he’d been by the house twice to give her updates on the situation at the mine. Once to tell her that they’d blasted into a whole new vein that seemed even richer than the first, and the second time to tell her that Noah Shaffer quit and went back home to Louisiana. Both times he’d been cordial, but there was a reserve within him that she just didn’t understand. She had fretted over it to the point that she was beginning to lose sleep. She feared that she’d somehow hurt his feelings, and she intended to do whatever it took to get back to the friendly relationship they’d once observed.

The weather was warm, unlike the last five days when the men she’d hired had dug her a cellar. A carpenter had come yesterday and put a door on it. Now they were ready for anything.

The day was sunny. The scent of chicken frying in the kitchen drifted up the stairwell as she dressed in a pair of pants and a shirt. She pulled her hair away from her face and tied it at the back of her neck with a length of ribbon. But when she sat down on the side of the bed and leaned over to put on her boots, the room began to spin around her.

Immediately, she straightened, and then grabbed onto the bedspread to keep from sliding in the floor. It took a few moments for the room to settle. Shaken by the unexpected weakness, Letty sat, waiting to see if it happened again. When it did not, she wiped a shaky hand across her forehead, feeling to see if she was coming down with a fever. Her forehead was cool to the