disappeared and a fine sweat sprang up on his forehead. “My apologies,” he whispered.
Luke’s voice was as deep as it was quiet. “To her.”
The man cleared his throat and nodded his head to me. “My apologies, ma’am.”
At some point in the exchange, Trudy had placed her hand on my arm. “You two been disturbing everyone’s dinner and now you’re coming with me.” She picked up our plates and swished back toward the kitchen. “The rest of ya’ll get back to eating.”
Desperate for an escape and a bite of that beef stew, I followed before Luke even pulled his knife from the table. Something about having him at my back put a chill up my neck though, so I scuttled sideways and waited for him to catch up.
“Leslie,” Trudy said to a fair haired lady finishing up a plate of food. “I’m taking my break. You get on out there and let me know if they get too rowdy for you.”
The girl smiled shyly at me as she passed to put her plate in a deep bellied sink before she headed out to handle the crowd. Another woman worked tirelessly over a couple of stoves on the other side of the room and Trudy set our plates on the table Leslie had been eating at.
Luke ate in earnest like he hadn’t almost stabbed a man, and I put a bite in my mouth tentatively with one eye on him and one on Trudy.
“I know what you are, Mr. Luke. And if you keep carrying on the way you did in there, the whole town’s going to know what you are too.”
He looked up slowly from his meal and the expression on his face made my blood go cold.
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
Trudy’s dark eyes studied my face for a long time before she sighed. “I just mean a man with a temper is all. You’d do best to not trifle with a temper like his. Wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’d never hurt her,” he said quietly.
“And I’d like to believe it, but I’ve been around and I’ve seen your kind say the same thing just before their poor girl goes missing.”
Luke went back to eating. “That ain’t me.”
“I’ve said my piece and now I’ll leave you alone. Thank you kindly for what you did in there, Ms.—”
“Kristina. You can just call me Kristina,” I offered.
“Kristina. Now it was mighty sweet of you to defend me, but it’s pointless. They’ll say what they want and then come in here tomorrow and say it again. You can’t change their stubborn minds about anything.”
“Where’d you get your dress?” I blurted out. She was the first woman to talk to me civilly since I’d been here and I didn’t want her to leave.
Her smile was a surprised one. “I made it myself. I was a house servant and did a lot of sewing and cooking. I picked up the same habits after the war, but the difference is now I get paid for the work.
“Will you make one for me? I tried to sew one yesterday but it turned out awful, and I can’t just keep going around town in a whore’s dress when I’m not one anymore and Ms. Marta…well—”
Trudy raised her hand and stopped my ramblings. “Enough said. I’ll work on your dress and charge you less than that snooty old windbag would anyhow.”
“No, we’ll pay you the same,” Luke said, tossing a napkin over his empty plate. “I insist.”
“That’s not what I usually charge,” Trudy argued.
“Well,” Luke said through a sly grin. “You ain’t seen what she’s done to that poor dress yet.”
I slapped him on the arm but it only made his obnoxious grin bigger.
****
Luke
Trudy was lying. She didn’t mean I was just a man with a temper. She knew the truth and it was written all over her face when she talked to me. I’d have to corner her and find out how she knew about me. She’d obviously rubbed elbows with wolves before and I was itching to see if I knew them or not. I knew most of the families from here to Texas, but that wasn’t too hard. There were very few packs left. If what she said was true and a girl disappeared…the thought of man-eaters made
Luke’s voice was as deep as it was quiet. “To her.”
The man cleared his throat and nodded his head to me. “My apologies, ma’am.”
At some point in the exchange, Trudy had placed her hand on my arm. “You two been disturbing everyone’s dinner and now you’re coming with me.” She picked up our plates and swished back toward the kitchen. “The rest of ya’ll get back to eating.”
Desperate for an escape and a bite of that beef stew, I followed before Luke even pulled his knife from the table. Something about having him at my back put a chill up my neck though, so I scuttled sideways and waited for him to catch up.
“Leslie,” Trudy said to a fair haired lady finishing up a plate of food. “I’m taking my break. You get on out there and let me know if they get too rowdy for you.”
The girl smiled shyly at me as she passed to put her plate in a deep bellied sink before she headed out to handle the crowd. Another woman worked tirelessly over a couple of stoves on the other side of the room and Trudy set our plates on the table Leslie had been eating at.
Luke ate in earnest like he hadn’t almost stabbed a man, and I put a bite in my mouth tentatively with one eye on him and one on Trudy.
“I know what you are, Mr. Luke. And if you keep carrying on the way you did in there, the whole town’s going to know what you are too.”
He looked up slowly from his meal and the expression on his face made my blood go cold.
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
Trudy’s dark eyes studied my face for a long time before she sighed. “I just mean a man with a temper is all. You’d do best to not trifle with a temper like his. Wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’d never hurt her,” he said quietly.
“And I’d like to believe it, but I’ve been around and I’ve seen your kind say the same thing just before their poor girl goes missing.”
Luke went back to eating. “That ain’t me.”
“I’ve said my piece and now I’ll leave you alone. Thank you kindly for what you did in there, Ms.—”
“Kristina. You can just call me Kristina,” I offered.
“Kristina. Now it was mighty sweet of you to defend me, but it’s pointless. They’ll say what they want and then come in here tomorrow and say it again. You can’t change their stubborn minds about anything.”
“Where’d you get your dress?” I blurted out. She was the first woman to talk to me civilly since I’d been here and I didn’t want her to leave.
Her smile was a surprised one. “I made it myself. I was a house servant and did a lot of sewing and cooking. I picked up the same habits after the war, but the difference is now I get paid for the work.
“Will you make one for me? I tried to sew one yesterday but it turned out awful, and I can’t just keep going around town in a whore’s dress when I’m not one anymore and Ms. Marta…well—”
Trudy raised her hand and stopped my ramblings. “Enough said. I’ll work on your dress and charge you less than that snooty old windbag would anyhow.”
“No, we’ll pay you the same,” Luke said, tossing a napkin over his empty plate. “I insist.”
“That’s not what I usually charge,” Trudy argued.
“Well,” Luke said through a sly grin. “You ain’t seen what she’s done to that poor dress yet.”
I slapped him on the arm but it only made his obnoxious grin bigger.
****
Luke
Trudy was lying. She didn’t mean I was just a man with a temper. She knew the truth and it was written all over her face when she talked to me. I’d have to corner her and find out how she knew about me. She’d obviously rubbed elbows with wolves before and I was itching to see if I knew them or not. I knew most of the families from here to Texas, but that wasn’t too hard. There were very few packs left. If what she said was true and a girl disappeared…the thought of man-eaters made
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