The Snake River by Win Blevins

Author:Win Blevins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media

Full made them coffee. It was weak, but he gave Sima long sweetening to please the boy. Full made himself ingratiating, with an edge of mockery for Flare’s benefit. Flare wondered if Sima saw that.

Oh, the man was high on himself. Surely he’d feared Sima wouldn’t come. Now he would be full of bribes. Flare had to tell himself some of them would even be good for the boy. Sima would get all the instruction and attention he wanted. And then some. Fattening the goose for the slaughter.

Well, there wasn’t going to be any slaughter.

After a while Full made his excuses, and said goodbye to Flare. “I hope you’ll come back for services on Sunday,” said Full. “I’m going to invite Sima to tell the story of his miracle.”

Miracle, after all, was it? The man was unconvinced until he saw how convenient the idea of miracle was.

“I’ll be there,” said Flare.

“And where will your wanderings take you next?” said Full, smiling hugely at the thought of getting rid of Flare.

“They will bring me near the influence of the prophets of heresy,” said Flare. “I mean to stay the winter at French Prairie, where me friends are. Perhaps I’ll be undone by one or two of your heretical sermons.”

Full looked downright mean. Flare wondered if Sima saw the look and understood. “Attending our church will give you something more for your next confession, as I understand it,” said Full with a phony smile.

Flare supposed killing was forgivable if you did it to save your son.

Miss Jewel covered for Dr. Full by gushing with pleasure at Flare’s staying. She and Sima walked him to his horses.

Flare had to ask. “And why is it you and Billy are waiting so long to marry? I’d have ye bedded tomorrow.”

She blushed. Flare had never seen her do that before. It was as becoming as everything else she did.

“He has asked another for her hand,” Miss Jewel replied. “Before I arrived last fall, he wrote back to the States to ask a Boston woman who wants to come here as a teacher to marry him. He’s barely met her.” She fussed with a button. Flare wished she’d let him fuss with her buttons.

“Things are changed now, of course,” she went on. “But I insist that he set things right. In a couple of weeks we’ll send letters down to Vancouver for the winter express. He’ll write her, withdrawing his offer. When she responds, we’ll be married.”

“And living like that,” said Flare with a smile. “The flesh is weak, Miss Jewel.”

She smiled broadly. “All flesh is, Mr. O’Flaherty. Which gives us an opportunity to rise above temptation.”

And she touched his arm and pecked his cheek.

Bloody woman.

“I never promised to rise above it,” he whispered close in her ear, and she laughed gaily.

Flare offered Sima a hand.

They smiled and shook and said nothing.

Flare wanted to embrace him. Instead he rode toward French Prairie, away from his son.

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