Leave Me Never by Connie Stevens

Author:Connie Stevens [Stevens, Connie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60742-970-8
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2010-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

“Flossie, do think it would be all right if I’d bring my Bible back to the kitchen tonight and read? I don’t have any light at my place.” Tessa hung her apron on the peg near the door as the three women were leaving.

Flossie shook her head. “That ain’t a good idea. Kilgore don’t like burnin’ the lamps for an extra minute, the old skinflint. Iffen he sees the light burnin’ and comes in here to check, he’ll fire you for sure.”

Disappointment slumped Tessa’s shoulders, but she bid Flossie and Tillie good night and made her way out into the alley that led to her humble dwelling. Her feet came to a halt as soon as she turned the corner behind the hotel. Sitting beside the door of the shed was a small crockery vessel with a wooden lid. Gideon. She picked up the container and hesitated. Should she march straight to the mercantile this minute and plunk down eighteen cents? She frowned. The store was probably closed by now. Gideon was just being kind, like when he brought the burn salve to Flossie. Humility poked her. God would want her to respond in gratitude and graciousness. Very well. She’d wait and pay him for it first thing in the morning.

The moment she opened the shed door, little trespassers skittered along the wall behind Mama’s cabinet. Nasty critters.

She stamped her feet and thumped her fist against the lid of the trunk. “Shoo! I’m home, you wretched little beasts. You better not have been into my food again.” Her fingers groped in the cabinet to locate her bundle containing a corn muffin, an apple, and the cheese she’d purchased yesterday. Sure enough, there was another hole despite several thicknesses of paper. She touched course crumbs littering the shelf in the cabinet. The miserable rodents didn’t even have the manners to clean up after themselves.

Her stomach shuddered with distaste and at the same time complained of its emptiness. The cheese, apple, and muffin were all she had. She’d simply have to break off and discard the nibbled edges. It was that or go hungry. Whatever remained after she’d eaten would be safely protected in her new crock.

After the long day of standing at the worktable and waiting on the dining customers, her body begged for rest. Despite her weariness, she’d thought about Mama’s Bible all afternoon. Gideon’s invitation to church kindled a spark within her to renew her fellowship with God.

If she couldn’t use the kitchen lamp, perhaps there was another secluded corner where she’d find some light. The hotel lobby was for paying customers, not the likes of her. Tessa could only imagine Mr. Kilgore’s reaction if he found her sitting and leisurely reading like a grand lady. But it was the only place that offered a source of lamplight in the evening.

Well, not the only place. The saloons were open, and though there was plenty of light there, the idea of sitting in a saloon made Tessa’s flesh crawl. The

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