The Whippoorwill Trilogy

by Sharon Sala

  “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 touch.

  “Good grief,” she muttered, and leaned down to put on her other boot.

  As before, the room began to spin like a top. She managed to get her foot into the other boot, then grabbed onto the bedpost to keep from falling on her face.

  What’s happening to me? I was fine at breakfast, although the eggs Alice fried did taste a bit off.

  She’d suffered food poisoning once before when she’d eaten some bad meat, and didn’t relish a repeat of that event. Wondering if anyone else in the house was feeling ill effects, she managed to get herself downstairs and headed for the kitchen.

  Alice was standing at the stove, taking pieces of fried chicken from a large cast iron pot. Delilah was moving from the kitchen to the dining room, setting the table with Letty’s good dishes. Through the window, she could see Katie with Mary Whiteside bringing up a fresh pail of water from their dug well. No one seemed the worse for wear, so she decided not to mention it. The last thing she wanted was for Alice to start fussing.

  “That chicken smells good,” Letty said.

  “It’s mite near done,” Alice said. “You could carry that plate of cornbread to the table.”

  Letty reached for the plate, then staggered.

  Alice saw her stumble, and grabbed her before she fell.

  “Here now,” Alice said, and sat her down on a stool beside the window. “Are you all right?”

  Letty shuddered. Suddenly the scent of cooking chicken didn’t smell so good after all.

  “I don’t think so,” Letty said. “I’m thinking the eggs I had for breakfast might have been a bit off.”

  Alice frowned. “I got them from Milton Feasley yesterday. He said Georgia Bennet brought them in fresh that morning. Besides, we all ate eggs this morning and no one else is ailing. Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “No. Just a little dizzy,” Letty said. “I’ll just sit here a bit until the room stops spinning.”

  Alice frowned, eyeing Letty’s pallor, as well as her clothes—a sign she planned to go riding.

  “You stay by the window. There’s a good breeze blowing.”

  “Yes, I believe I will,” Letty said.

  Alice went back to her cooking, but ever so often looked back at Letty, her frown deepening with every glance.

  “I see you’re planning to go somewhere. Do you think that’s wise, considering how you feel?” Alice asked.

  “I intended to ride out to the mine and check on Robert Lee, but I suppose now I’ll wait and see how I feel after we eat dinner.”

  Alice nodded approvingly.

  “Do you reckon we’ll have enough chicken that you could put back two or three pieces for Robert Lee?” Letty asked.

  “Of course,” Alice said. I fried up two big hens. There should be plenty… and fresh cornbread, too.”

  “Good,” Letty said. “I know he’ll appreciate your fine cooking.”

  Alice beamed as she continued to take up the rest of the chicken.

  Mary Whiteside and little Katie came in the back door with the bucket of fresh water as Delilah came in from the dining room.

  Delilah glanced at Letty, then stopped and stared.

  “You’re sick.”

  Letty shrugged.

  “It’s nothing. Just a little bit dizzy.”

  “You’re white as a sheet,” Delilah said.

  Mary hurried to the sideboard, got a clean glass and filled it full of fresh water.

  “Here now,” she said, handing Letty the water. “Drink up while it’s still cool from the well.”

  A little embarrassed by all of the female attention, Letty took a quick sip. Within seconds of it hitting her stomach, she knew it had been a mistake. She made a dash for the back door and barely made it to the edge of the porch before everything in her stomach came up.

  Someone was holding her around the waist, while another was wiping her face with a wet cloth. She could hear little Katie’s nervous whisper, asking if Miz Letty was going to die. Letty wanted to assure her that she was just fine, but she couldn’t draw breath long enough to talk before another spasm would hit. By the time she was finished, she was of the opinion that little Katie could be right. Except for the time she’d been skunked, she had never felt so miserable.

  “I think I’ll just sit out here for a bit,” Letty said, as Alice helped her to a chair near the edge of the porch where the breeze blew strongest. “You all go on ahead and eat your dinner. I couldn’t eat a bite.”

  Alice frowned.

  Delilah stared.

  Mary Whiteside set her jaw.

  Katie began to cry.

  “Here now,” Alice said, gathering Katie up into her arms. “Miz Letty isn’t dying. She’s just a bit under the weather today. Let’s go on in the house and give her
some space. Okay?”

  Katie nodded, but didn’t seem all that convinced. She hid her face against Alice’s bosom, afraid she was about to witness another death.

  Letty could hear the women whispering among themselves as they went back into the house. She was thankful for their concern, but too queasy to dwell on it.

  T-Bone came out from under the porch and sat down at her feet, staring up at her with a brown, soulful stare.

  Letty laid a hand on his head with an absent touch, as she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, letting her body go limp.

  The breeze was fairly stiff, and the cool mountain air blowing against her face felt wonderful. It didn’t appear that she was going to ride out to the mine after all, and hated to think about Robert Lee not getting any of Alice’s fine chicken and cornbread. She’d have Alice save it for a while anyway. There was always the chance that he’d ride by.

  She sat for a bit, letting her thoughts wander as her stomach slowly settled. Finally, she opened her eyes and as she did, caught a glimpse of the cross marking Eulis’ grave. Without thinking she got up from her chair, stepped off the porch and headed for the stump. The urge to talk to Eulis was strong.

  Columbines were blooming along the edge of the path, their pale, rosy blooms dangled from the fragile stems like tiny bells. A pair of robins were fussing over a green wooly caterpillar, and a small gray squirrel was digging near a clump of rocks, searching for nuts it had buried last fall. T-Bone’s presence made the squirrel nervous and it disappeared up a tree.

  The peacefulness of the moment was, for Letty, bittersweet. It was the kind of scene that Eulis would have loved, and she felt more than a little anger that fate had taken him away.

  When she reached his grave, she eased herself down onto the stump, and as she did, realized she was shaking.

  “Lord, Eulis, what’s the matter with me? I’m carrying on like some helpless female, and you and I both know I’m anything but that.”

  Her complaint seemed out of place within the peacefulness, and since it was obvious Eulis wasn’t going to answer, Letty decided to shut up. For a while, she just sat, watching a tiny trail of ants marching from somewhere beneath the stump to an anthill on the other side of the white cross bearing Eulis’ name, trying desperately to concentrate on anything but the constant rumble in her belly.

  As she sat, a quiet enveloped her. The shaking eased. Her stomach settled. She closed her eyes and drew a deep, cleansing breath, and as she did, a realization dawned.

  Eulis had been gone for more than two months. There had been so much turmoil in her life afterward that she hadn’t given the normal functions of her body a single thought, but she was thinking about them now. Not once since Eulis had died, had she had her monthly flow.

  She stood abruptly, her gaze frantic, her heart pounding in disbelief. Then her vision blurred as she gazed down at the cross on Eulis’ grave.

  “Oh, Eulis… Eulis… can it be? Here I’ve been thinking you went off and left me all alone.” Her voice began to shake as she laid her hands across the flat of her belly. “I’m not sure about this, because… well… I haven’t been in this situation before… but I just realized we might be having a baby.” She sat back down on the stump, stared at the bulge of bare earth over his grave, and then started to cry. “All I have to say is… it’s not fair.”

  It took a few minutes of bawling out loud before she could finish what she needed to say. The ants were still in the midst of their march, but the robins had flown away and the squirrel was still up a tree. Letty shuddered, overwhelmed from the realization and from the new wave of grief.

  Eulis was gone, but he’d left a bit of himself behind. She didn’t have to see Dr. Angus to be told, there was a knowing deep in her heart. She was going to have a baby. She came off the stump and went down to her knees, then fell forward, embracing the bulge of brown earth that blanketed her man. She laid there, numb to everything but the knowledge she was coming to accept. Eulis was gone, but he’d given her the one thing she’d believed was beyond her.

  “Thank you, Eulis… thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  She never heard the sounds of someone approaching on horseback, or the thump of his boots hitting dirt as he dismounted on the run. It wasn’t until someone began pulling her upright that she realized she was no longer alone.

  Robert Lee had awakened with Letty on his mind. It wasn’t anything unusual, because she haunted his thoughts during the day, as well as his dreams at night. Still, for some reason, today felt different.

  He’d purposefully kept his distance over the last few weeks, knowing that it was safer if she was angry with him, than if she was overly sympathetic regarding his gunshot wound. Yet for some reason, his need to see her today was stronger than his fear that he would reveal too much of his feelings. And so he’d saddled up after tending his chores and ridden into town. He’d killed time at the saloon, bought some needed supplies, and ridden by the blacksmith to have a loose shoe replaced on his horse’s right hoof. Each time he stopped for a task, his gaze was drawn to the fine house just visible on the hill above Denver City. It was almost noon. He knew if he rode in during mealtime, they would invite him to eat. It would be a good excuse to spend some time in Letty’s presence, but with the distraction of all the other women to keep his manners in place. Once his horse had been shod, he headed for the road that led to Letty.

  He’d smelled fried chicken as he was riding up to the front of the house. The windows were open and the curtains were blowing in the breeze. He could hear the sound of laughter and recognized little Katie’s voice, as well as Alice’s. He knew Mary Whiteside only slightly, but was getting to know her better with each trip. He knew Miss Delilah all too well, but in deference to her new lifestyle, pretended she was a new acquaintance.

  However, despite the surfeit of females living in this house, his interest lay with only one. It was the fierce warrior-woman with the long brown hair and clear blue eyes that haunted him, and it was her he’d come to see.

  He was about to dismount when he realized that T-Bone was standing at the corner of the house, watching him in a strange, quiet fashion. Usually the dog came running, anxious for a pat on the head, or a piece of jerky.

  “Hey, boy,” he said softly, and clucked his tongue, thinking that the dog would come.

  Instead, T-Bone turned around and disappeared around the corner of the house. He thought nothing of it until the dog re-appeared, again with that watchful stare. This time, Robert Lee remembered that wherever T-Bone was, Letty wouldn’t be far away. He settled back into the saddle and rode around the corner of the house, thinking he would find Letty at some job in the back yard.

  At first, he didn’t see her, but then when he did, his heart came up in his throat. She was face down on the ground at Eulis’ grave, and from where he was sitting, appeared to be unconscious.

  He spurred his horse forward, riding toward her at a lope. By the time he dismounted, he could tell she was crying. The sound tore straight through him as he ran toward her. Without a word, he lifted her up into his arms.

  Letty was startled to find that she was upright and being cradled against Robert Lee’s broad chest.

  “Robert Lee?”

  He carried her to the stump and sat her down gently before dropping to one knee.

  “Are you hurt? Did you fall?”

  Without thinking, she cupped the side of his face.

  “I didn’t fall. I suppose you could say I was indulging myself with a good cry.”

  The touch of her hand on his face struck him dumb. For a moment, he couldn’t think—couldn’t speak—couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t until she dropped her hand in her lap that he came to his senses.

  “Oh,” he said awkwardly, then stood up and stepped back. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll just ride on—”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Letty said, and held out her hand. “Help me up,” she said, and then grabbed his hand before he could think to
pull back and hefted herself upright. “Lord, I’m shaking like an aspen.”

  “Are you ill?”

  Letty shaded her eyes with her hand as she looked up.

  “I have been a bit under the weather this morning, and would appreciate a ride back to the house.”

  Robert Lee was surprised by the request, but more than happy to oblige.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said softly, and helped her mount. “Just hold onto the horn. I’ll walk you back, myself.”

  “Thank you,” Letty said, thankful that she wouldn’t have to make the trek back on her own.

  Robert Lee gave her a nervous glance as they started toward the house at a slow, easy pace. The rocking motion of the horse didn’t sit all that well with Letty, but it was still better than making the walk back of her own volition.

  “I’d be happy to ride down and get Dr. Warren,” Robert Lee said.

  “There’s no need,” Letty said, and lifted the heavy fall of her hair away from her neck.

  Robert Lee frowned. “But you said you weren’t well.”

  Letty sighed. It seemed odd that Robert Lee was going to be the first one she told, but she had to start somewhere and he was the closest.

  “Well, if this morning is any indication, I reckon I’ve got a few more months of being sick ahead of me,” she said.

  Robert Lee paused, then turned around and looked her square in the face. There was a glitter in her eyes he’d never seen before, and a softening of the sternness around her mouth.

  “What are you saying?”

  “That I’m with child.” Her chin quivered just the least little bit, but she didn’t give way to the tears in her voice. “I was just giving Eulis the good news. He didn’t have much to say on the subject, but you know how he is. Even when he’s happiest, he’s still a quiet man.”

  Robert Lee’s heart stuttered to a stop, then started back up so suddenly that it hurt the inside of his chest. He looked at her body, picturing the way it was going to change, and was instantly ashamed that he was jealous of a dead man.