Younger & Wylder by Shelley White

Author:Shelley White [White, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: western;historical; romance; older man; unconsummated; marriage; annulment
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2022-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Race was exhausted. Sleepless nights coupled with his evening walks were catching up to him. The bank construction would be finished soon. When he checked-in with Alfred the previous day, the man assured him the clock installation could happen within the week. It was the only thing keeping him in Wylder, other than waiting on the preacher to come back to town.

He’d learned much about the town during his walks. The same men always headed to the saloon each evening and others took the back way across the tracks to the social club. He passed Ralph Wylder heading home after closing the mercantile and he ran into Robert Smithers outside the Five Star Saloon one evening.

He overheard conversations, too. Rich men in town hoped to entice the railroad into making Wylder a hub instead of just a spur stop. Ambrose Barlow had his finger in that pie as well as being an investor in The Vincent and the new bank. He paid the town’s schoolteacher and pushed for a separate school to be built to lure more families to the town.

During all his nocturnal wanderings, his wife was never far from his mind. He didn’t know what was worse, being away from home and allowing his mind to wander free or being near her and having to keep a tight rein on his thoughts. Both options made his trousers snug. He feared even leaving Millie for good wouldn’t remedy the situation. But he would suffer it if he knew she could move on and be happy. And that thought churned up a whole slew of unwelcome feelings. This night, like the others, he headed to one of the two churches in town. His footsteps took him to the Catholic church, best suited to exorcising his demons.

“You’re back. Doon’t you ‘ave a wife waitin’ for you at ‘ome?”

He should have expected to run into the mysterious Mrs. McCarthy.

“It’s late for you to be out, too.” He leaned against the building several feet from where she sat.

“No. Not for de likes o’ me.”

“I’d feel better if you’d let me escort you home.”

She snorted. “An start all kends o’ nasty rumors. I don’t think so. What brings you ‘ere again?”

“I guess you could say I’m trying to expel some demons. What about you?”

“The same, ‘cept I’m trying to expel God.”

Race pushed away from the wall. “What happened to you? Why did the priest send you away the other day?”

“Well, isn’t that none o’ your business?” She stared out into the darkness.

He moved closer to her. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

She tilted her head to look up at him. “You can go home to your wife and quit your mopin’ after a God that would turn you oot if you fell on ‘ard times. You can count your blessins’ you ‘ave a livin’, breathin’ person to go home to. You can pretend you doon’t know me if we ever meet again.”

Race left. He went as far as the saloon and stayed in the shadows where he could watch the alley.

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