Run to Texas by Stephy Smith

Author:Stephy Smith [Smith, Stephy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Astraea Press LLC
Published: 2013-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Mattie buried herself with the care of the house. She worked the gardens, dusted, mopped, cooked, and washed dishes and laundry. James taught her how to rent rooms and take care of the business end. Methodically, she fell into a subtle routine.

Lying in the cot at night, she planned her get away. She dreaded the day she would have to put it to use. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had to, to save this family from any more stress and danger.

Rose tired of staying in bed. She barked orders and eased her way back into helping Mattie with smaller chores that weren’t too stressful for her. Her weak body tired out rather quickly. Mattie didn’t have the heart to tell Rose she wasn’t needed to help in her own house. She worked around the slow movements and found smaller menial chores for her landlord.

“James, could you watch Rose while I go to the store?”

“I can, if that’s what you need.” James’s seemed to be preoccupied since the shooting. Mattie supposed they all had; it wasn’t something that most of them were accustomed to.

Mattie turned to the china hutch and pulled out a list Rose had started. She added a few items and set off for the mercantile down the street. The bright sun warmed her face. A refreshing breeze filtered under the awnings of the doorways of the stores. Drawing in a deep breath, she paused before she pushed the door open.

Stepping inside, she let her eyes adjust to the dimness of the store. As she glanced around, she spotted the clerk behind the counter. “I have a few items I need to pick up for Rose today. Would you be so kind as to fill the order?”

“How is Rose? I heard the news, and it is just awful knowing there are people like that in Linden. Why there are so many new people coming in everyday, we just don’t know who we can trust these days.”

Mattie had walked around the display tables. Piles of different items spread across the flat surfaces. The mercantile carried light blue material to replace the spread and curtains in Bagwell’s room. Mattie opened her drawstring bag and paid for it with the money she earned. Helga Church agreed to make the curtains and a new spread as a gift of appreciation to Rose. She offered to pay, but Helga refused it.

Ed moved into Bagwell’s old room. He said it was the only room empty in town. She suspected he wanted to be closer to Rose more than needing a place to live. Rose thought it was a wonderful idea.

A shudder sank to her bones. The eyes watched Mattie while she was outdoors in the garden or doing laundry. They grew stronger with each passing day. It seemed there were more of them now, staring at her all the time. No matter what she was doing outside, she couldn’t get away from the hidden eyes.

Something wasn’t right. She turned to the woods more often during the day.

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