“Oh, I’m allowed inside now?” he said.
“Stop teasing,” she replied. “Or no more coffee for you.”
Lonnie laughed and she led him inside the house. She stopped suddenly, surprised to see her father up and about in his threadbare dressing gown. He was pouring himself a cup of coffee. His face broke into a smile when he saw them both.
“I thought I heard voices,” he said. “Hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to some coffee. There’s plenty more to go around though.”
Lonnie walked over to him and reached out a hand. “A pleasure to meet you sir, I’m—”
“George!” Evelyn’s father said, his voice booming, so happy to see him. “It’s been such a long time, I hardly recognize you, how have you been?”
“Uh, well, I—” Lonnie looked a little lost, more than a little unsure of how to respond to something that wasn’t even his name. Evelyn gladly stepped in.
“Dad, this isn’t George,” she said softly. “This is Lonnie. He’s the new ranger in town, I… I told you about him, remember? He’s helping out old Tommy Hawker, making sure things stay in order.”
Her father nodded, looking at Evelyn and then back at Lonnie. The smile faded almost instantly, leaving a look of confusion in its wake. His eyes glazed over, and he looked at both of them like he had no idea what either one was saying, or what either one of them was doing in his house.
“Ahhh,” he said. “Good man, a good man indeed.”
He raised his coffee cup to them both and walked over to the living room, parking himself in one of the chairs. Evelyn watched him go, another moment that would be tainted. So very nearly a memory, a moment of her real father appearing before her eyes, right before it was snatched away. It broke her heart, like it did every time.
She turned to the coffee pot, keeping her gaze away from Lonnie. If she looked at Lonnie, she knew she would cry, and she didn’t want to cry… He already thought her weak enough that he needed to sit outside of her house all night to protect her, if he thought she wasn’t strong enough to take care of her own father, he’d probably move himself right in. And she didn’t want that. She didn’t want his help, or anybody’s help. She was fine on her own. Why couldn’t people see that?
She could feel Lonnie behind her. He raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder, squeezing it. It was almost enough to make her break, but she took a deep breath that shuddered all the way in and all the way out. She would not.
“Is there…” Lonnie started quietly. He cleared his throat, lowering it further. “Is there anything I can do?” he asked. “I know that this must be hard, but if there is anything that–”
“There isn’t a thing anybody can do,” Evelyn snapped. “This is just how it is. One minute he’s there, the next minute he’s gone and there isn’t a thing I can do to get him back to the way he was. No matter what I say, no matter what I do, it’s like a light has gone off. And whenever something like that happens, whenever he misremembers or thinks someone is somebody else, it’s like the twist of a knife. If you can turn back time, if you can change the world with a snap of your fingers then go ahead, but I don’t think even you can do that with all of your smiles and kindness, Lonnie Steele.”
“If I could, I would,” he said. “But, if you need somebody, I’d be happy to lend an ear, or a shoulder, whatever it is that you need. I can help.”
“Lonnie—”
“I mean it, Evelyn,” he said. “If you ever need to, whatever the hour of the day, if you want someone to listen to whatever you have to say, even if it's just to tell me how terrible men are or how awful the world is, I will listen. No pity. No judgment.”
He put down his cup, squeezed her shoulder one more time and walked out the door, and even Evelyn could feel herself warming to him. She could still feel his hand on her shoulder, a reminder that his presence wasn’t quite the unwelcomed thing it had been just a few short days ago. How could he have gotten so close to her so quickly? What was it about him?
Evelyn had tried to resist him, but he had worn her down. There wasn’t a single moment when she thought that he was using her, or that he wanted anything from her. All he wanted to do was spend a little bit of time with her and, she almost hated to admit it to herself, she liked it. She liked him.
Is that right? she thought to herself. The feeling was so strange to her. She’d spent so much time keeping everyone in town at arm’s length, with the exception of Rose, that it seemed odd to admit that Lonnie might actually be a decent person, that she might actually like him.
It was nice to have someone around that cared for her, and the things that were happening to her. It was even nicer to have someone who listened to what she had to say. Her life was hard at times, and she never wanted to admit that to anyone. He had seen right through it and not only had he offered to help, he hadn’t judged her for it.
She walked to her window and watched him walk away. He was confident, but not cocky. He was kind, but not full of himself about it. He was just… nice.
A nice man, she thought. When did my luck change?
She didn’t try to shake the feelings from her head, the ones that made her excited to see him again soon, that were looking forward to spending more time with him and getting to know him better. Instead, she bathed in them and let them wash over her.
It was the first time in a long time that she felt like she wasn’t facing the hardships of this world on her own. A welcome change.
Chapter 13
Lonnie left Evelyn’s house that morning with one thing on his mind. He knew he needed to protect Evelyn at all costs and, in order to protect her, that meant he needed to stop any and all criminal activity happening in the town. Which meant stopping Willard.
As long as he roams free, Evelyn won’t be safe, he thought. He was sure that whoever it was at her house last night, it had something to do with Willard. There was just no way that it couldn’t have.
He did the only thing he could think of and went to Sylvia. She knew the goings on in this town better than anybody, if anyone was going to know how to get to Willard Lane, it would be her. And she would likely tell him whatever he needed to hear. She was a big gossip, after all.
He made his way to the general store, ignoring the heat of the day, ignoring the pounding in his head from the cup of coffee Evelyn had given him. It really was strong stuff, so strong it had given him a headache that felt like it would last the rest of his life if he wasn’t careful.
Sylvia was exactly where he thought she would be, holding court on the front porch of the general store. Lonnie started to wonder if she had nothing better to do, nowhere better to go, but right now he needed her, so it worked in his favor that he knew where to find her.
“Miss Sylvia,” he said as he got within earshot. She turned, the rage in her face quickly subsiding when she realized who she was talking to. “Can I borrow you for a moment?”
“Why, you can borrow me whenever you like, Lonnie Steele,” she said. “Now seems perfectly fine!” She sauntered off the front porch and walked over to him. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“I had a few questions that I was hoping you’d be able to clear up.”
“I’ve not done anything wrong, have I?”
“Not at all, ma’am,” he said. “I just wanted to know a few things about Willard Lane, if you would be so kind as to help me.”
“That bandit?” She shuddered. “Honestly just the thought of him being anywhere near this town makes me shiver.” She sighed. “What do you want to know?”
“Who in town knew him?” Lonnie asked. “With the exception of Evelyn Pierce. I’ve already spoken to her, she has no idea where he is right now. So, I need to know if there is anybody else. Did he have any accomplices?”
Miss Sylvia thought for a moment. Lonnie could practically hear her rummaging through her head trying to find a name. At least she seemed keen to help him when he needed it.
She gasped. “There is a guy who I used to see around qui
te a lot,” she said. “He used to spend a lot of time with Evelyn and with Willard. Almost wherever Willard was, this guy would show up.”
“Who?”
“Billy Rivera,” she said.
“Billy Rivera?” he repeated. He didn’t know if he’d even heard the name before. “What does he look like?”
“He’s tall, about as tall as you I’d say, but not quite as strong looking,” she started. “Got these piercing blue eyes and this floppy blond hair. He’s a nice enough guy, just got caught up in the wrong crowd. And you know when you get caught up in the wrong crowd, sometimes it’s hard to get away.”
Lonnie decided to ignore her last comment. “Where could I find him?”
Miss Sylvia shrugged. “Now, that I can’t help you with,” she said. “I’ve not seen or heard from him for days. But his mother lives not too far from Evelyn’s place. He might be hiding out there or…” she trailed off.
“Or what?”
“Or he’s where Willard is right now,” she said. “It’s possible that he’s off with him right now, hiding in a cave somewhere and—”
“Thank you, Miss Sylvia,” Lonnie said. “I appreciate your time.”
“Anytime,” she said. “And if there is ever anything else I can do for you…”
“Thank you, Miss Sylvia,” Lonnie said. “Which house would be Billy’s mother’s?”
Sylvia gave him directions and he set off toward the house. He tried not to think of Evelyn as he passed her door, but in trying not to think about her, all that seemed to do was make her picture in his mind even clearer. He shook it off and headed to the Rivera household.
It was exactly as Sylvia had described it: a little bit rundown, definitely in need of some love, with a broken swing dangling back and forth on the porch. It was unmistakably the one she had been talking about. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lonnie walked up and knocked on the door. He pulled himself to his full height and waited for Billy to answer the door.
The door opened a crack, a woman poked her head through and looked up at him. She looked like she would have been beautiful once. Her hair had since turned to gray, a mess of curls was pulled back into a tight bun. Over time, her shoulders had rounded, and her back had gained a hump, but all it took was a look in her dazzling blue eyes to see that back in her day she would have certainly been a heartbreaker.
Lonnie took off his hat and took a step back, stepping so far that he was on the steps to her porch. “Excuse me, ma’am,” he said. “But I am here looking for a young man who goes by the name of Billy Rivera, I don’t suppose—”
“My Billy?” she breathed. “What on earth has that boy been up to now?” she grumbled.
“Nothing at all, ma’am I just—”
“I swear that boy is nothing but trouble,” she grumbled. “If his father were alive to see the man he’d become, he’d be so ashamed that he would just die. Oh, he breaks my heart that boy, all he does is break my heart.”
Lonnie felt a little uncomfortable. “I’m sorry to hear that ma’am,” he said. “Should I take it to mean that you haven’t seen him?”
“No, I haven’t seen him, so why don’t you just get out of here instead of standing here and embarrassing me in front of all of my neighbors?” she groaned. “Go on! Get off my property, you!”
There was a commotion in the house behind her, something crashing to the ground, something else smashing. He saw her eyes go wide. He hurried forward but she slammed the door in his face, locking it from the inside. He pushed his weight against it, barging with his shoulder but it wouldn’t move.
He stepped back from the front of the house and saw, from the back of the building, movement. A flash of blond hair, someone running just as fast as their legs would take them.
“You!” Lonnie barked as he broke into a run. “Excuse me! I’m talking to you!”
The boy turned back, but only for a moment, quickly turning back and putting on some speed.
Lonnie quickly gave chase, pushing his way past people as his feet pounded against the ground, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. People called after him, shouting his name, telling him to watch where he was going, but he didn’t have time for that. Why was this boy running from him? He had to know something. He just had to.
Lonnie kept running, pounding the ground as hard as he could, getting as close as he could before he dove at Billy. He clattered into him, driving him to the ground, dust kicking up all around them, as they skidded along the dirt.
And it was only in being this close to him that Lonnie realized who he was.
“You were at Evelyn Pierce’s house last night,” he growled.
“Get off me,” Billy grunted. “You’re hurting me. Get off!”
“Were you at Evelyn’s house last night?” Lonnie barked, pressing down on Billy’s shoulders so he couldn’t move.
“Maybe,” Billy grunted. “Who’s asking?”
“I’m asking!” Lonnie barked. “You work for Willard.”
“Who is Willard?” Billy replied. Lonnie didn’t buy a word of it. He’d shown up in one too many stories for that to be a fake, and the way he couldn’t even make eye contact right now told him that Billy Rivera was lying through his teeth.
“Why were you at Evelyn Pierce’s house?”
“Because I love her!” he cried. “I love her, alright? You think you’re the only guy in town who has eyes for Evelyn?”
“What are you—?”
“Don’t think I’ve not seen the way you look at her, the way you follow her home,” Billy groaned, finally keeping still beneath his grip. “I just thought now that Willard is out of the picture and she hates his guts, that maybe I’d have a chance with her.”
Lonnie looked down at Billy. He’d stopped moving. He was looking Lonnie right in the eye. The truth then, surely. Finally.
Lonnie got off of him. He stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. Billy looked a little shocked. He didn’t know what Billy expected him to do, but he clearly hadn’t delivered.
“Get out of here,” Lonnie said. “You’re free to go.”
“Really?”
“Don’t wait for me to change my mind!” Lonnie growled.
Billy ran. He ran and didn’t look back.
And almost like a guardian of some kind, Lonnie watched him go, watching him run until he was way out of sight. It was only when he couldn’t see Billy anymore that Lonnie let out a heaving breath.
He loves her? Lonnie thought. That piece of filth loves her.
He couldn’t control the feeling bubbling up in his chest. It was bad enough knowing that Willard still loved her and was eager to get her back, but to have someone else…
Lonnie shook his head. It wasn’t his place to be feeling this way. Sure, he cared for Evelyn, but he wasn’t about to dictate how anybody else should feel about her. He didn’t own her; she was her own person. But he couldn’t shake the feeling, however wrong, that Billy wasn’t a decent guy.
He hangs around with Willard for goodness sake, he thought. He kicked at the ground, dust flying up. She shouldn’t be with somebody like that, he won’t be… he’s not… it won’t be good for her.
Lonnie took his hat off and sat on the ground, fanning himself. He was out of his mind. He had no right to be so possessive of Evelyn. It was her life, and it was her choice if she wanted to be with somebody like him.
But being protective was another thing altogether.
He thought of her all alone in that house, her father in no fit state to protect her if things went sour. He thought of her sleeping, how peaceful she had looked the other night when he had carried her to bed.
The rage he was feeling subsided, fading away and being replaced with a warmth in his chest that he just wanted to wrap Evelyn up in.
Is that love? he thought to himself. Is that what I’m feeling?
The very fact that he was asking himself that question told him that he was right. He couldn’t deny it any longer.
I love her, he t
hought. What am I going to do about it?
Chapter 14
The encounter with Billy had changed Evelyn for the worse. She hadn’t wanted it to, not at all, but there was something in the air that told her things were different. Just the fact that Billy had been in her home was enough to make her a little more aware of her surroundings, but the mention of Willard meant that now she was walking home and looking over her shoulder every step of the way.
It was only now that she noticed the amount of tiny side streets in Kecheetah, the corners where Willard could be hiding almost in plain sight. All it would take was a wrong step and he could be right there in front of her again, and she wouldn’t know what to do. That was what scared her the most. She didn’t know how she would react if she ever saw him again.
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