The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,312

choice. The hardships he’d endured were far beyond what his cultured life in Philadelphia had been like. He’d eaten food cooked over a campfire, ridden in stagecoaches that had been robbed, been rained on, narrowly missed being struck by lightning, and come face to face with unfriendly Indians. Had he been alone, he would have died on the spot. Being in the midst of travelers who’d been born and bred on the frontier had been guidance enough to keep him in one piece. After all of that, he expected the rest of his trip would be simple.

He presented himself at the Denver City bank with a letter of reference, and a request to meet with one Mrs. Leticia Potter, owner of the famous Potter mine. It came as a shock to learn that she’d shut them down, and when he learned that she’d been widowed only months earlier, and was now carrying her dead husband’s child, he was in a quandary. It seemed a bit hard-hearted to present a business proposition to a woman in mourning. Still, there was the war to consider—and in war time, everyone had to sacrifice.

He took a room at the hotel across the street from the bank, made arrangements to hire a horse and pay a visit to Mrs. Potter first thing in the morning. He didn’t know word had already reached Letty that a stranger was in town asking about her, or that Robert Lee was laying in wait.

In Philadelphia, Carson was accustomed to walking to work, or being driven to the bank in the family buggy during winter or inclement weather. Still, he certainly knew how to ride, and the horse he’d hired from the livery seemed amenable enough. The next morning, the owner of the livery pointed out the big house sitting on the mountain above Denver City, as well as the road leading to it. Carson mounted and rode off; aware of the fine figure he cut in the Union officer’s uniform.

However, the dark blue uniform with its bright gold buttons and braid would do nothing for Robert Lee’s attitude toward Letty’s visitor. He wouldn’t have cared if the man had been sporting wings and carrying a letter from God. Visitors had to go through him to get to her.

Letty had known since yesterday that a man from back East had come to Denver City to see her. She couldn’t help but remember that the last man she’d met from back East had died in her bed. Sadly, Eulis was no longer here to back her up, but considering the size of her belly and the formidable presence of the gunslinger camped out on the edge of her property, she wasn’t expecting problems.

Robert Lee had been up since before sunrise. His tent was roomy enough for him to stand up in should the need arise, but he rarely spent any time in it other than to sleep. He had a small table set up beneath a tree outside the tent where he kept a basin and a bucket of water. Every other day he shaved. Today would have been an off day, but since he’d heard about the man who’d come to find Letty, he hadn’t been able to rest easy, so he’d passed part of the time waiting by giving himself a shave.

His lack of trust in his fellow man had been magnified a thousand times by his feelings for her. Never in his life had he felt so helpless, yet been so driven to be near her. He kept remembering the day he’d first seen her. He’d walked all the way to the mine from Denver City. It had been one of the lowest points in his life—no horse—no money—and he couldn’t remember the last day he’d eaten a meal. He’d been so sick of his life, and so desperate for a second chance, he’d been willing to work at almost anything. He still marveled at the odds of coming upon a man for whom he’d once done a good deed—a deed that prompted the man to return the favor.

The way he looked at it, Eulis Potter had pretty much saved his life. He tried to convince himself that his feelings for Letty were all mixed up with his appreciation to Eulis, but when he was being honest, he knew that was a lie. He coveted his friend’s wife and had, almost from the moment they’d met. And, everything she’d done since had only enforced the emotion. He admired