made her fidget. She already knew the property looked
horrible. “Well, I’ll tell you what, ma’am. I don’t suppose it’s
any secret that Jeff has a little problem with the bottle.” Will’s
voice dropped to a confidential tone. “As matters stand, he’s not
doing himself or anyone else any good. I think it’s time to change
that.”
Althea nodded, not sure where the sheriff was
taking the conversation.
He fished a match out of his shirt pocket and
put it in the corner of his mouth. “If you’ll have him,” he
continued, “he can keep working here until he dries out. Or better
still, until harvest time. I figure that’s about four months from
now.”
“ Do you mean that he would stay
here?”
“ Believe me, Miss Althea, if you can
make up a bed for him in the barn, that will be an improvement over
where he sometimes sleeps.”
It seemed the sheriff had completely
overlooked a very worrisome fact. She glanced back at Jeff Hicks,
long-legged and wide-shouldered. He might be too thin, but he was
still a big man. If he chose to overpower a woman, to take
liberties, like a—a kiss, or God forbid, something more, there
would be nothing she could do. The very notion gave Althea a case
of the jitters.
With her hand flat against her chest, Althea
said in a confidential tone, “Sheriff, I think you’ve forgotten
that my sister and I are alone here. I realize that Mr. Hicks once
held a position of respect in Decker Prairie, but those days are
obviously long past—”
Will shifted the match to the other corner of
his mouth. “Now ma’am, I would never suggest an arrangement like
this if I thought that you or your sister would be, um, compromised
in any way. That’s not something you have to fear. I’ve known Jeff
for a long time, and he sure can be a handful. But he wouldn’t harm
anyone, especially a lady.”
“ I remember that he killed a boy—Wesley
Cooper, I believe.”
Will nodded. “He did, in the line of duty.
Maybe you should ask Jeff about it.” He paused and then added, “Of
course, it’s your decision.”
The sincerity in the Will’s eyes made her
feel guilty for refusing. “Well, if you think—” she wavered.
Jeff returned with the stool and Althea felt
him edging closer to her left, apparently trying to hear the
conversation.
“ My only other choice is to take him
back to jail. He’s got a four-month term to serve, be it here or
behind bars. And I mean to see that he does at least part of his
time.”
“ But Sheriff, that seems a bit
harsh—”
“ What?” Jeff demanded, momentarily
jolted from his apathy.
Still holding the stool, Jeff moved closer.
He wasn’t about to stand there and let them discuss their
arrangements for him as if he were a mule or a dog and couldn’t
understand English.
“ Now, just a goddamned minute, Mason.
You can’t seriously intend to hold me for four damned months! Not
just for stealing an egg!” He saw the startled look on prissy Miss
Althea’s face. She probably wasn’t accustomed to hearing a
gentleman swear. Well, too bad, because he was no damned
gentleman.
He’d been sweating up there on that roof all
afternoon. The only thing that had made it bearable was looking
forward to getting paid so he could head off to the Liberal Saloon
and get his hands around his whiskey bottle and drown himself in
forgetfulness. Now Will was talking about leaving him out here for
the whole summer? Not if Jeff had anything to say about it.
Will poked Jeff in the ribs, then seized his
arm and drew him away. “Excuse us, won’t you, ma’am?” He nudged
Jeff toward the back of the wagon.
Jeff jerked his arm from Will’s grasp. “What
kind of scheme are you cooking up, Will?”
“ I didn’t want to embarrass you in
front of the lady, Hicks, although you managed to do well enough on
your own. True, I can’t hold you for four months, and I wasn’t
going to try. But I can keep you for a month. And I’ll tell you
this—” He took the match
horrible. “Well, I’ll tell you what, ma’am. I don’t suppose it’s
any secret that Jeff has a little problem with the bottle.” Will’s
voice dropped to a confidential tone. “As matters stand, he’s not
doing himself or anyone else any good. I think it’s time to change
that.”
Althea nodded, not sure where the sheriff was
taking the conversation.
He fished a match out of his shirt pocket and
put it in the corner of his mouth. “If you’ll have him,” he
continued, “he can keep working here until he dries out. Or better
still, until harvest time. I figure that’s about four months from
now.”
“ Do you mean that he would stay
here?”
“ Believe me, Miss Althea, if you can
make up a bed for him in the barn, that will be an improvement over
where he sometimes sleeps.”
It seemed the sheriff had completely
overlooked a very worrisome fact. She glanced back at Jeff Hicks,
long-legged and wide-shouldered. He might be too thin, but he was
still a big man. If he chose to overpower a woman, to take
liberties, like a—a kiss, or God forbid, something more, there
would be nothing she could do. The very notion gave Althea a case
of the jitters.
With her hand flat against her chest, Althea
said in a confidential tone, “Sheriff, I think you’ve forgotten
that my sister and I are alone here. I realize that Mr. Hicks once
held a position of respect in Decker Prairie, but those days are
obviously long past—”
Will shifted the match to the other corner of
his mouth. “Now ma’am, I would never suggest an arrangement like
this if I thought that you or your sister would be, um, compromised
in any way. That’s not something you have to fear. I’ve known Jeff
for a long time, and he sure can be a handful. But he wouldn’t harm
anyone, especially a lady.”
“ I remember that he killed a boy—Wesley
Cooper, I believe.”
Will nodded. “He did, in the line of duty.
Maybe you should ask Jeff about it.” He paused and then added, “Of
course, it’s your decision.”
The sincerity in the Will’s eyes made her
feel guilty for refusing. “Well, if you think—” she wavered.
Jeff returned with the stool and Althea felt
him edging closer to her left, apparently trying to hear the
conversation.
“ My only other choice is to take him
back to jail. He’s got a four-month term to serve, be it here or
behind bars. And I mean to see that he does at least part of his
time.”
“ But Sheriff, that seems a bit
harsh—”
“ What?” Jeff demanded, momentarily
jolted from his apathy.
Still holding the stool, Jeff moved closer.
He wasn’t about to stand there and let them discuss their
arrangements for him as if he were a mule or a dog and couldn’t
understand English.
“ Now, just a goddamned minute, Mason.
You can’t seriously intend to hold me for four damned months! Not
just for stealing an egg!” He saw the startled look on prissy Miss
Althea’s face. She probably wasn’t accustomed to hearing a
gentleman swear. Well, too bad, because he was no damned
gentleman.
He’d been sweating up there on that roof all
afternoon. The only thing that had made it bearable was looking
forward to getting paid so he could head off to the Liberal Saloon
and get his hands around his whiskey bottle and drown himself in
forgetfulness. Now Will was talking about leaving him out here for
the whole summer? Not if Jeff had anything to say about it.
Will poked Jeff in the ribs, then seized his
arm and drew him away. “Excuse us, won’t you, ma’am?” He nudged
Jeff toward the back of the wagon.
Jeff jerked his arm from Will’s grasp. “What
kind of scheme are you cooking up, Will?”
“ I didn’t want to embarrass you in
front of the lady, Hicks, although you managed to do well enough on
your own. True, I can’t hold you for four months, and I wasn’t
going to try. But I can keep you for a month. And I’ll tell you
this—” He took the match
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