Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Maeve offered an amused grin. “He’s only a few hours away, Sadie. Unless you were making him an early birthday card, you could probably just tell him whatever was written in yer letter.”
Sadie’s smile weakened slightly. “He said he wouldn’t be visiting town any time soon.
What with all the shady business around this Thomas fellow, he said he’d feel better sticking close to the ranches.
He wanted to keep an eye on your place, and any others who might fall into that awful man’s line of sight. ”
Maeve couldn’t help but grimace. “It ain’t fair how many folks’re affected by business that ain’t their own.”
Sadie offered a shrug, taking another sip of lemonade. “That’s life sometimes. Especially when you fill it to the brim with folks you care about.”
The pair fell quiet, absentmindedly finishing their glasses as they watched Lila do her best to break out into a run.
She’d had her hair pulled into a pair of pigtails to keep it off her flushed and sweaty face, tied neatly with two of Sadie’s personal ribbons from her vast collection.
For a brief moment, Maeve saw a younger version of herself and her sister running through the grass, laughing and shrieking as the boys tried, and failed, to keep pace with them.
“Not the wildest of twisters, right, Sadie?” she suddenly asked.
Sadie grinned, offering her glass for Maeve to clink hers against it. “Not the coldest of rains, Maeve Mercer.” She took another sip, letting out a groan afterwards. “Ooh, but I’d like a cold rain to come pouring down on us. It’s so hot!”
“What if Samuel came by and saw you playing in the rain?” Maeve teased. “Yer hair soaking wet, yer dress clinging to yer frame-”
Sadie squealed, shoving Maeve’s shoulder hard. “You stop that right now!”
“Says the one writing the love letter,” Maeve crooned.
“It is not!”
Maeve cackled wildly, scrambling to her feet as Sadie moved to shove her again. “Ye’re gonna have to be quicker than that!”
“Oh, go finish your blanket, Miss Procrastination!” Sadie cried out between fits of laughter.
***
Evening eventually swept its dark cloak across the sky, bringing a much-needed cool breeze throughout Bighorn.
Maeve hardly noticed it blowing through the open windows, as she was focused entirely on the conversation at hand.
Both Edgar and Jed had made it safely back from the sheriff’s station, and as everyone convened on the general store’s second floor, the plan for tomorrow came together.
“My train is set to leave tomorrow evening,” Mr. Caldwell explained over his bowl of half-eaten fricassee.
“But I’m feeling fairly confident with the work we managed to get done today.
With one more push, I think we have an excellent chance at getting this case presented to a judge by mid-July.
And that’s in no small part thanks to your help, Mrs. Mercer. ”
Maeve felt herself blush, especially as Jed gave her a proud pat on the shoulder. She returned the gesture, equally proud of how much her husband’s attitude had changed since last night.
“I made sure to take a pair of men off the patrol roster to help escort you home, Mr. Caldwell,” Joshua added. “They’ll follow you off the train and all the way to your office in Cheyenne.”
“That’s truly kind of you, Mr. Wright.” Mr. Caldwell sighed, poking at the remainder of his meal. “It’s hard to believe that Thomas would make such terrifying threats against me. I never had any children of my own, but after all the years we’d spent together…”
Jed offered Mr. Caldwell a knowing nod. Now it was Maeve’s turn to offer a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“You still have Jed, though, Mr. Caldwell!” Sadie insisted. “And even though we’ve just met ourselves, I absolutely see you as a member of the Whitaker family.”
Lila waved her spoon about frantically, as if to agree. Unfortunately, that came with tossing bits of gravy and mashed potatoes across her face and into her hair.
“Well, I suppose I can’t stay in a dour mood when faced with such enthusiasm,” Mr. Caldwell chuckled.
Maeve stood from her seat, moving to slip Lila out of her makeshift chair.
Jed followed her, with the pair soon making their way to the Whitaker family’s tub.
Sadie had made sure to fill it with several kettles full of piping hot water before supper started, and by now the wooden tub had cooled to the perfect temperature.
Maeve gingerly set the squirming toddler into the shallow pool. Lila took to it immediately, happily splashing and spraying water every which way while cackling wildly.
A quiet tension began to slowly build between the two adults, and Maeve gently exhaled. “Jed…when the case does go through to court, ye’re gonna have to be in Cheyenne to testify.”
Jed’s posture went rigid, all but confirming Maeve’s earlier suspicions. They had both thought of the same conclusion, but Maeve had been the first to voice it aloud.
“I know ye’re worried about me and Lila being left alone,” Maeve went on, “but there’s too many folks in our lives who care about us. Folks who’d be more than willing to stay with us while ye’re gone.”
Jed remained quiet. He’d begun gently washing Lila’s body, taking care to pick bits of supper out of her hair as he went.
‘He really cares so much about her.’
“I ain’t gonna promise nothing’ll happen. But I can promise we’ll be cared for.” Maeve hesitated, adding with a touch of embarrassment, “Can’t promise we won’t miss you, though.”
Jed glanced up, a flicker of raw emotion crossing his eyes. He then sheepishly turned back to Lila, carefully obscuring his face from Maeve. Hard as he tried to hide it, Maeve still caught her husband’s eyes misting up as he continued with Lila’s bath.
She would miss him. She really, really would, and the thought scared her more than any bandit attack.