The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [16]
“Yes sir.”
“How long have you been on the run?”
“Six months.”
“What kind of work have you done?”
“Hard to get a job when you look like an eleven-year-old boy.”
She turned her head, and he wished he could see her face. Then he’d be able to read what her words didn’t say. Before her debt was paid, he’d find out about Oberlander’s prize mare and the circumstances she’d left behind. “Is there anything else I should know in order to protect my family?”
She hesitated. “If I think so, I’ll leave.”
“I’m not an unfair man. You can talk to me.”
She nodded. “I’ll keep my distance from your brothers.”
But who would help him stay clear of her? Even though she had made him furious. Even though she had lied to him. Even though …
Why did she have to be so easy on the eyes?
That night, Bert should have been able to drift off to sleep. Instead she found it impossible to stop her rushing thoughts. She understood John was trying hard to be nice because she was a girl. She wished she’d known sooner how he’d react. Maybe she’d have told him the truth. Miss Leah said he had a good heart and for her not to be afraid of him. But she knew what a man could do …
The night brought on a chill, and she shivered. Yet for the first time in longer than she could remember, Bert sensed a strange kind of peace. How very strange she felt safe within the dark confines of night when she couldn’t see what was hidden outside the house. Foolishness had settled in her for sure. No one here could protect her from Simon. But the Timmonses brought out a longing and an ache for a better life. They were good people, and they believed they were doing right by her.
A feeling of something more kin to selfishness than appreciation rained over her. How many times had she been labeled a dreamer and not good enough for decent folks? She shouldn’t risk this. She shouldn’t risk what her staying might mean to the Timmonses. But like she told John, if she had an indication that Simon was in the area, she’d leave.
You’re a stupid fool, Bert. All you’re good for is doin’ what you’re told.
But right now the familiar condemnation seemed far away.
Simon wouldn’t give up. Not with what she’d done. But surely he’d not hurt any of the Timmonses, especially with John being a deputy marshal. Would he?
For certain, during the four months it took to pay John back, she’d drink in what it meant to have a real family.
Bert rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Sleeping arrangements had changed, and now she shared a bed with Leah. From the even breathing beside her, the dear woman lay sleeping. Tomorrow was Sunday and church. Gideon had told her once that church was not a place for their kind. Church folks spent their days being nice to each other and not looking for someone to stab them in the back.
At least Simon wouldn’t show up there.
CHAPTER 8
Bert borrowed an old pair of Miss Leah’s shoes for church, and she wore the dress that had shocked the Timmons boys the night before. Although she relaxed in the knowledge that her own brothers wouldn’t recognize her, it didn’t stop her fear of attending church. And whoever the Timmonses called God, He must be powerful and not just a name to swear by.
She sat on the front buckboard squeezed between Leah and John. Rightfully, she could have sat in the back with the brothers, but John wanted her beside him. She wasn’t a fool. She knew the real reason, as though some of her bad qualities would rub off on the other boys.
John could be right. Oh, she should have run when she had the chance.
Forty-five minutes later, they entered the town of Rocky Falls. She’d ridden through it before when looking for directions to Oberlander’s ranch. Another bad decision.
At the other end of the town, past the marshal’s office, the saloon and hotel, the general store, undertaker, newspaper, feed store, and the telegraph office, stood a small