Leaving Whiskey Bend by Dorothy Garlock

Leaving Whiskey Bend by Dorothy Garlock

Author:Dorothy Garlock [GARLOCK, DOROTHY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC027000
ISBN: 9780446543415
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-11-13T00:00:00+00:00


Out on the long porch, Hallie marveled at the night sky. The moon hung low, bright and fat on the horizon, so large that she felt she could reach out and touch it with her fingers. There were no clouds in the sky, the night as clear as the day that had come before. Thousands of stars filled the inky blackness above, sparkling like jewels and seemingly twice as precious.

Eli’s boots echoed across the wooden planks of the porch until he came to a halt beside her. Resting one hand on the railing, he ran the other through his thick black hair as he followed her gaze skyward. “Nowhere in the world is the night sky as beautiful as it is in Colorado.”

“It is lovely,” she agreed.

Hallie was surprised by just how comfortable she felt around this man. He was almost a stranger, yet she felt she had known him all her life. She was struck by a sudden urge to confide in him—to tell him about Chester, the gunshot and their mad dash to freedom—but she didn’t want to burden him with her troubles, certainly not in the face of his mother’s accident. Instead she waited for him to speak, happy to gaze at the sky beside him.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No, I’m just fine, thank you.”

Even with the summer sun having set hours earlier, the night still managed to retain some of the day’s warmth. A gentle breeze blew here and there. The only sound that Hallie could hear was the soft rustle of the cattle moving in the pens and the pounding of her own heart.

“I’m awfully glad you’re here, Hallie, and not just to help take care of my mother. I’m sorry you have to listen to all of her hurtful words.”

“I’m afraid I’ve heard far worse.” She smiled.

“I’d hate to think that’s true. With her salty tongue, my mother could hold her own with the roughest of trail drivers,” he said with a chuckle. Even as he tried to laugh, Hallie could sense that the subject was difficult for him, even a little embarrassing.

“She carries on, bossing everyone around as if this was a palace and she was the queen,” he continued. “It’s always been this way, but not to this extent. My father was very patient with her. It must be hard for someone outside the family to hear . . . It always has been for me, but I guess I got used to it. Even on her best days, she can be as stubborn as any mule. I can only imagine how she’ll be after four or five more days cooped up in bed.”

“It’s all right,” Hallie said quickly.

“Don’t lie now,” he chided her.

“I’m not!”

“Hell, yes you are!” He laughed. “Remember, she’s my mother.”

Hallie couldn’t help but join his laughter, even if it was restrained. “Really, her mouth doesn’t bother me much. I guess that I’ve gotten used to it, too. After all that you’ve done for us—taking us into your home



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