me.”
Much to her surprise, they both laughed. “That’s really not funny.”
“I know. I’m the one being fed broth.”
“I mean about me shooting you again. I’d never have shot you if I hadn’t been in shock.”
“If I could have found Laveau after Caleb died, I’d have stabbed him, strangled him, and mutilated his body.”
“That would have stained your soul, and it wouldn’t have brought your brother back.”
The look Nate directed toward her was so full of bottled fury she nearly moved back.
“I wouldn’t have cared.”
Roberta hoped Nate didn’t mean what he said, but she had no reason to believe he wasn’t serious. “You’d better eat. I have to help Joe. If I don’t save some of my crops, I’ll have to accept Boone Riggins’s offer to work in his saloon.”
Nate nearly choked in his rush to say, “Don’t.”
She fed him another spoonful of broth. “It’s not something I’m looking forward to, but neither is starvation.”
“The people of Slender Creek won’t let you starve.”
“They’re too afraid to help me. One way or another, most of them depend on the ranchers for their living.”
“Fine, then I won’t let you starve.” He looked at her with such intensity a shiver went up her spine.
“I’d rather save my crops.”
He pushed away the spoon she held to his mouth. “Do you hate me that much?”
“No,” she said after a moment’s thought. “I don’t think I hate anyone but the man who shot my father.”
“The sheriff will find out who did it.”
“I expect the sheriff is just as beholden to the ranchers as anyone else.” She put a spoonful of broth into his mouth. “I’ll do it myself.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but working in the fields will give me plenty of time to come up with a plan. Farming doesn’t take a lot of thinking.”
“Neither does ranching. My parents managed two stores, a livery stable, and owned part of a bank. That took a lot of thinking and a lot of work. I used the money they left to buy a ranch because it would give me time to follow Laveau.”
“You don’t care about ranching?”
He swallowed a mouthful of broth. “I didn’t in the beginning, but I’m starting to.”
“But you’re still going to spend most of your time looking for diViere.”
“I won’t have much choice if he’s decided to come after me.” He pushed away the next spoonful of broth. “That’s enough unless you want to help me to the chamber pot.”
Roberta felt herself blush. “I’ll leave that for Russ. Now I need to help Joe. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ve got my gun, and I’m not going to lie down until you put something over that window.”
“I’ll have Joe do it right away.”
“Are you sure you can trust that man? Most people say he’s crazy. Some even think he’s dangerous.”
“Joe doesn’t trust people because they’ve been cruel to him, but he wouldn’t hurt me or Prudence.”
“I wouldn’t hurt Prudence. That woman scares me.”
Roberta grinned. “She is rather severe, but she’s got a good heart.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Just don’t let her in here.”
Roberta lost all desire to laugh. “If she ever finds I’m alone with a man, even one who’s unable to sit up without help, she won’t leave. I expect the doctor will be by before supper. Maybe you can convince him to let you have something other than broth.”
“Don’t forget to lock the door and get Crazy Joe to cover this window.”
She started to object to the way he referred to Joe but decided to do that later. Right now she had to take care of the window. Thinking of what diViere would have done if she’d been five minutes later made her shudder.
***
“If you insist on working until you’re ready to drop, you might as well work in my saloon,” Boone said to Roberta. “At least you won’t have to dig in the dirt.”
Roberta had toiled in the hot sun the whole afternoon. Joe had set the chicken coop to
Much to her surprise, they both laughed. “That’s really not funny.”
“I know. I’m the one being fed broth.”
“I mean about me shooting you again. I’d never have shot you if I hadn’t been in shock.”
“If I could have found Laveau after Caleb died, I’d have stabbed him, strangled him, and mutilated his body.”
“That would have stained your soul, and it wouldn’t have brought your brother back.”
The look Nate directed toward her was so full of bottled fury she nearly moved back.
“I wouldn’t have cared.”
Roberta hoped Nate didn’t mean what he said, but she had no reason to believe he wasn’t serious. “You’d better eat. I have to help Joe. If I don’t save some of my crops, I’ll have to accept Boone Riggins’s offer to work in his saloon.”
Nate nearly choked in his rush to say, “Don’t.”
She fed him another spoonful of broth. “It’s not something I’m looking forward to, but neither is starvation.”
“The people of Slender Creek won’t let you starve.”
“They’re too afraid to help me. One way or another, most of them depend on the ranchers for their living.”
“Fine, then I won’t let you starve.” He looked at her with such intensity a shiver went up her spine.
“I’d rather save my crops.”
He pushed away the spoon she held to his mouth. “Do you hate me that much?”
“No,” she said after a moment’s thought. “I don’t think I hate anyone but the man who shot my father.”
“The sheriff will find out who did it.”
“I expect the sheriff is just as beholden to the ranchers as anyone else.” She put a spoonful of broth into his mouth. “I’ll do it myself.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but working in the fields will give me plenty of time to come up with a plan. Farming doesn’t take a lot of thinking.”
“Neither does ranching. My parents managed two stores, a livery stable, and owned part of a bank. That took a lot of thinking and a lot of work. I used the money they left to buy a ranch because it would give me time to follow Laveau.”
“You don’t care about ranching?”
He swallowed a mouthful of broth. “I didn’t in the beginning, but I’m starting to.”
“But you’re still going to spend most of your time looking for diViere.”
“I won’t have much choice if he’s decided to come after me.” He pushed away the next spoonful of broth. “That’s enough unless you want to help me to the chamber pot.”
Roberta felt herself blush. “I’ll leave that for Russ. Now I need to help Joe. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ve got my gun, and I’m not going to lie down until you put something over that window.”
“I’ll have Joe do it right away.”
“Are you sure you can trust that man? Most people say he’s crazy. Some even think he’s dangerous.”
“Joe doesn’t trust people because they’ve been cruel to him, but he wouldn’t hurt me or Prudence.”
“I wouldn’t hurt Prudence. That woman scares me.”
Roberta grinned. “She is rather severe, but she’s got a good heart.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Just don’t let her in here.”
Roberta lost all desire to laugh. “If she ever finds I’m alone with a man, even one who’s unable to sit up without help, she won’t leave. I expect the doctor will be by before supper. Maybe you can convince him to let you have something other than broth.”
“Don’t forget to lock the door and get Crazy Joe to cover this window.”
She started to object to the way he referred to Joe but decided to do that later. Right now she had to take care of the window. Thinking of what diViere would have done if she’d been five minutes later made her shudder.
***
“If you insist on working until you’re ready to drop, you might as well work in my saloon,” Boone said to Roberta. “At least you won’t have to dig in the dirt.”
Roberta had toiled in the hot sun the whole afternoon. Joe had set the chicken coop to
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