Dorothy Garlock by Leaving Whiskey Bend

Author:Leaving Whiskey Bend [Bend, Leaving Whiskey]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

HALLIE SAT BESIDE Eli in the wagon, a smile on her face as bright as the early sun that had just begun to shine in the morning sky. Scant, wispy clouds hung low on the horizon, stretched so thin that the clear blue of the day shone through. What little breeze blew wasn’t enough to stir the leaves. A lone hawk soared in the already growing heat, a silent judge looking down upon them as they slowly made their way to Bison City.

She woke in her hay bed in the barn, and dressed carefully by the scant light of the lamp Eli provided for them. A smile was the first thing she put on, even if her trip wouldn’t be a cause of joy for everyone. Pearl initially grumbled at having to care for Mrs. Morgan and Mary by herself, but soon agreed to do so; the knowing wink and nudge she gave turned Hallie’s cheeks a deep red. After a quick meal, she climbed into the wagon’s seat, and, with a hitch of the reins and a click of his tongue, Eli drove away from the ranch house.

As glad as she was to be away from Mrs. Morgan’s watchful gaze and biting tongue, Hallie was even happier at the idea of spending the day with Eli. Everything about him is so different. She’d scarcely been able to sleep a wink after their kiss; the merest thought of his lips pressing against hers was enough to send shivers racing across her skin. Still, she tried to balance her own happiness against the reason for their trip.

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

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