Dorothy Garlock (18 page)

Today is the day Eli is to visit his father’s and brother’s graves for the first time and he wants me to be with him!

As the miles went by and the sun rose ever higher in the sky, Hallie was pleased at how easy it was to talk with Eli. She was never at a loss for words. As they rode along, they bounced from subject to subject as naturally as the wagon bounced from rut to rut on the dirt road. He told her wild tales of how he, Abe and Caleb, as boys had run over the hills that surrounded the ranch, of how he had once nearly burned the barn to the ground, and also of his time in the army. He showed her trees, creeks, and wildlife; once, a coyote paused on a hilltop just long enough for Eli to point it out before it scampered into the tall grass and disappeared from sight. Through it all, Hallie was rapt. She drank in his words, happy to hear him speak and relieved that she was required to offer so little of her own past in return.

“Before long, you’ll know me as well as I know myself,” he said with a laugh.

“Then you’ll just have to tell me more,” she prodded him.

“I would”—Eli shrugged—“but we’re about out of road.”

As if he were a traveling magician lifting the veil on his newest sleight of hand, he guided the horses around a wide curve in the road, and there was the town of Bison City suddenly coming into view. Hallie’s eyes took it all in; building abutted building along the town’s main street, more of them spilling off in nearly every direction; storefronts with large signs advertised services of every kind, some of their owners on the long boardwalk hawking their wares. Crowds were everywhere, on foot, wagon, and horseback; and the train’s shrill whistle announced the arrival of even more goods and people. The town seemed alive, hustling and bustling.

“This, for better or for worse, is Bison City,” Eli said with a wave of his hand in the town’s direction. “It isn’t much. Probably not very different from where you came from, I’d bet.”

To that, Hallie had no answer.

Since she’d first laid eyes on Bison City, the only thought that had filled her head was how different it all seemed from the town she
knew,
from Whiskey Bend. Taverns, drunks, and fights were her former residence’s greatest assets. It wasn’t the sort of place folks took the train to visit; it was the kind of town people did their best to avoid.
She suddenly wondered why she had stayed there for as long as she had. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to give voice to these thoughts.

I can’t tell Eli my tale . . . not yet
.

“It seems so busy,” she finally managed.

“Wasn’t always that way, but, as Hank keeps telling me, things have a way of changing whether you’re here to watch or not.” He smiled warmly. “I suppose that holds true for places just as much as it does for people. Hell, when I came back on the train, I wasn’t sure I recognized the town.”

“Maybe it didn’t recognize you, either.”

“Let’s hope not.” He winked as he snapped the reins and hurried them along.

On Bison City’s main street, the hustle and bustle Hallie had glimpsed from the distance was far greater, far
louder
than she had expected. Horses and wagons jostled for space on the street. The sweet smell of woodsmoke, tobacco, and food hung on the air like clothes on a line. Peals of raucous laughter spilled from the open door of the saloon. Even as Eli cursed a man leading a pair of meandering cows that had wandered directly in their path, she couldn’t help but smile.

“That man hasn’t got the sense of either of those damn animals,” he declared.

“He may lack sense, but he seems to have manners.”

“How do you figure?”

“At least he knows better than to curse in a woman’s presence.”

“You’re only saying that because you haven’t talked to him.”

They slowly made their way past a hardware store and a blacksmith shop. Hallie marveled at the strength of the men who pounded away at the glowing hot steel inside, sending sparks flying around the darkened interior.
How could they work in such heat?
She was just about to ask Eli that very question when she glanced up to find a man staring
directly
at her.

He leaned against one of the white pillars of the tavern, a brown bottle held limply in one hand, an unlit cigar in the other. He was heavyset, his girth straining against the buttons of his dirty blue shirt. His fat face was covered in a long, mangy black beard; but his eyes peered out at her from beneath the brim of his hat, staring with the intensity that an alcoholic gives his latest drink. From where he stood on the boardwalk, raised above the street, his gaze was nearly level with her own; when the wagon moved past, his head turned slowly in their direction, never wavering from her.

A sudden, strong wave of fear washed over her.
Certainly, I’ve never seen this man before in my life, but that doesn’t mean that he hadn’t seen me!
Dread grasped at her heart and pounded at the door of her mind. She thought of Chester, of the hatred that must be overflowing his heart for all three of them, and then of all the riffraff he called friends. He would have his pals scouring the ends of the earth, looking for her and Pearl and Mary, searching for some sign that would let Chester catch up with them to extract his revenge.

Is this man one of Chester’s friends?

Is he looking for me?

Is he even now thinking of confronting me?

“Why don’t we stop by the mercantile now,” Eli said, breaking into her thoughts and forcing her to turn at the sound of his voice. “The cemetery is on the far western edge of town, and coming back through all this mess doesn’t sound like much fun to me. It’ll be easier now than later.”

“All right.” Hallie nodded, quickly looking back to the tavern. Where the man had stood only seconds earlier, there was no one. She looked all around, scanning the faces of the people on the boardwalk and the street, but saw no sign of the man. She tried to reassure herself that she had only been imagining things, that the man had simply been watching the young ladies parade by, but the way that her heart pounded in her chest told her that she had about as much belief in those hopes as she did in Father Christmas.

“Let’s get what we need and get out of here.” Eli frowned.

Eli brought the wagon to a stop in front of the mercantile and leaped down to the ground. Hallie followed quickly. As she bent down to straighten the hem of her dress, she heard footsteps pounding across the wooden boardwalk. Looking up, she feared seeing the strange man again but was instead surprised to see a pretty young woman dressed in a bright red and black dress, her blond curls bouncing with every step, heading right for them.

“Eli!” she shouted as she ran. “Oh, Eli!”

He turned at the sound of his name. For the briefest instant, Hallie could have sworn that a look of dislike passed across his rugged face. Whatever it was, it only lasted for an instant before the woman crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his body and holding him tight.

“Morning, Fawn,” he grumbled.

“Thank my lucky stars that I decided to step out for a bit this morning,” the woman shrieked. “Why, if I had waited until later in the day, I would have missed you altogether. And here I was wondering if you were ever going to set foot in town again.”

“You weren’t the only one.”

Hallie could not help but marvel at the woman before her. Everything about her carried an air of privilege; the fine cut of her dress, the scent of perfume that wafted from her in the summer heat, and even the assured tone of her voice all spoke of money. Even though she had not said a single word to the woman, Hallie felt uncomfortable in her presence.
Fawn? Did he call her Fawn?
As she watched, she was surprised to feel a pang of emotion that could be nothing but jealousy.

Over the top of the woman’s blond head, Eli looked at Hallie. His eyes seemed to show embarrassment and offer an apology at the same time. Gently but firmly he pulled the woman’s arms from about his waist, freeing himself from her grasp. Once he was disentangled from her, he looked about them as if he were expecting someone else to be present, but there was no one other than the bubbly young woman.

“Fawn, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” With a nod of his hat toward where she stood, he said, “This is Hallie Wolcott. She and some others are staying out at the ranch.”

Slowly, Fawn turned to face Hallie. Her look was piercing yet distant; it was as if she were becoming aware of the other woman for the very first time, so intent had she been on rushing to Eli’s side. As Hallie met her gaze, she saw an expression wash over Fawn’s face similar to the one that had passed over Eli’s only moments earlier. However, while Eli’s look had been one of simple dislike, the one that scorched a path over Fawn’s was different;
it was one of pure unadulterated hatred.
Hallie nearly recoiled at the sight but, as quickly as the hurtful look had appeared, it was gone, lasting only a few beats of her heart, replaced by a sugary sweetness she found nearly as upsetting.

“It’s so nice to make your acquaintance,” Fawn sang as she rushed across the boardwalk to her. She took Hallie’s hands and squeezed them together tightly. “I’m Fawn—Fawn Billings. My daddy owns the bank, so if there’s anything you need, anything at all, don’t you dare hesitate to ask!”

Slightly taken aback, all that Hallie could say was “Thank you.”

“There are just no thanks necessary. I’ve been so close to Eli Morgan for just about forever! My whole life, leastways.” She smiled happily, but Hallie could hear the edge of a threat lurking just beneath her words, as if it were a dull knife being slowly dragged over a whetstone. “Any friend of his just has to be a friend of mine!”

“That’s nice,” Hallie managed.

But suddenly, the storm clouds over the woman’s face reappeared. Stepping back, Fawn looked Hallie up and down, a furrow knitting its way across her brow. “I’m full of so many questions I could burst!” She took a deep breath and began, “Where did you come from? How on earth did you come to know Eli and why are you staying on the ranch?”

Hallie was shaken by Fawn’s questions. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a sound, Eli’s voice cut across the busy boardwalk.

“It’s none of your concern,” he said simply.

“Now don’t be that way, Eli,” Fawn said as she threw a glance at him over her shoulder and batted her lashes. “You can’t blame me for being curious, now can you?”

“My companions and I had a bit of trouble with the storm a few nights back,” Hallie interjected, willing to give Fawn a nibble of the truth without letting her sink her teeth into the whole story. “Eli and his uncle thankfully came upon us and were kind enough to allow us to shelter at their home.”

“Eli to the rescue!” Fawn exclaimed, her words mocking.

“Everything’s all right now,” Hallie said lamely. She would be no more willing to embrace Fawn’s confidence than she would a snake.

Deceit was written all over this woman.

“Well, I’m sure that some time spent in the care of Mrs. Morgan will be just what you need to get yourself back on your feet and on the road again,” Fawn declared, her words sounding more like an order than advice.

“You’re probably right,” Hallie murmured.

“But whatever brings the two of you into Bison City this morning?”

“Just got something to . . . attend to,” Eli answered hesitantly, picking over his words in a manner that matched the delicate nature of his business. “We’re going to stop at the mercantile for a few things and then we’ll be on our way back to the ranch.”

“Well then, why don’t I just come along with you?” Fawn beamed, her hands flying to her chest in excitement. “I don’t have anything planned and I’d love the chance to show Hallie our fine town. Don’t you think that sounds like a
marvelous
idea?”

Before the last word was even out of Fawn’s mouth, Hallie frowned. She felt quite certain that it was most definitely
not
a marvelous idea. Today would be difficult for Eli. Visiting the graves of both his brother and father was something that he had been avoiding. It was a task that she felt awkward enough intruding upon herself; having Fawn along would be too much.
Maybe there is a way I can help him . . .

“Maybe the two of us could get what’s needed from the mercantile,” Hallie said to Fawn, hoping to keep her away from Eli so that he could make his visit to the cemetery alone. She caught sight of a frown on Eli’s face out of the corner of her eye. “That way Eli would be able to finish what he needs to do and you can show me around town.”

Fawn’s frown showed that she liked the idea about as much as Eli did. Still, she forced a smile and said, “I guess that would be all right. It would give us some time to get acquainted. That is, if it’s all right with Eli.”

Eli looked as if he wanted to object but held his tongue and tipped his hat to them. “If that’s the way you want it, Hallie, then I reckon I’ll be on my way. I’ll be back to get you.”

“See you later,” Fawn called happily.

Briefly, Eli held Hallie’s gaze with his own green eyes. In his rugged face, she swore that she could see some sign of disappointment, a hint of unhappiness at the arrangement. In that moment, her feelings from the night before were fanned flame in her breast, and she had to resist the strong desire to run to him, to hold him tighter than Fawn had only moments before. Instead, she merely smiled at him warmly.

“I’ll be waiting.” She nodded to him. “At the mercantile.”

“Afternoon, ladies.” Eli turned on his heel and walked away.

Chapter Seventeen

T
HE INSIDE OF
the mercantile was stifling. Even with the open door behind her, Hallie felt as if a wall of heat were pressing down on her. Beads of sweat ran down her cheeks and arms. It was equally gloomy. The only light other than that coming from the door fell from a small high window open to the noon sun, whose orange-yellow beams spilled onto the wooden floor at her feet.

Slowly, Hallie’s eyes began to adjust to the difference in light from the sunny day outside. As things began to come into view, she looked about the mercantile. Every inch of the interior seemed to be stocked full of goods. From coffee in sacks to ointments in jars to pomades in tins, the shop seemed to have everything the good people of Bison City could have hoped for. The competing scents combined in the musty interior to make her nose twitch.