Read Online Audrey and the Maverick by Elaine Levine - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elaine Levine
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right on cue. “He took one of our town’s good women with him. God knows what he’s doing to her out there.” He looked at the sheriff. “She’s alone and depended on us to protect her. We let her down.” The men’s voices fired up in angry conversations at that news.
Malcolm watched the proceedings from his position at the back of the room. He’d like to see McCaid run out of town, for a fact. But he had mixed feelings about sending trouble out to Hell’s Gulch where Audrey could get tangled up in it. He crossed his arms and held his silence, ignoring the sheriff’s look as he indicated Malcolm should join the discussion.
“So, gentlemen, what are we going to do about him?” the sheriff asked.
The bunkroom was dark, and the night was cold. Mabel couldn’t sleep. She tried to think of all the things that she liked, as Audrey had taught her to do when she was edgy and restless, but tonight that didn’t work very well. Mostly she thought about all the things she missed, like her mother, of whom she had only vague, shadowy memories. Or Audrey’s mother, who was, for a short while, a true mother to her. Sometimes she couldn’t picture Mrs. Sheridan’s face anymore. Sometimes it was hard to remember what her voice sounded like. She was gone now, longer than the time they’d had together. But Audrey had always been there. When Mabel couldn’t sleep, Audrey let her sleep in bed with her and Amy. Sometimes she would tell them a story. Sometimes she would just hold Mabel, and then the shadows didn’t seem so scary.
Mabel sniffled. When people left, they didn’t come back. She’d learned that, first with her mother, then with Mrs. Sheridan. And now Audrey. She missed Audrey. She looked over at Dulcie, who was sleeping soundly. She thought about waking her up to see if she missed Audrey too, but Dulcie usually saw scary things in the dark, and Mabel didn’t want to know about them right then. She looked down at the foot of the bed, where Colleen lay. She slept as well, her legs snuggled against Dulcie. With Malcolm using Audrey’s bed, Luc had taken his bunk. There was room for the three girls to spread out, but none of them had wanted to sleep with any of the boys. So they stayed together, crowded and comfortable.
Until tonight, when Mabel was sad and no one was awake to comfort her.
Today, she’d done some mending on her pinafore. Audrey had only recently begun to show her and Dulcie how to mend things. Mabel’s stitches were chunky. Tommy and Kurt had teased her about them. She had ripped the stitches out three times and tried over and again to do it as Audrey had shown her. Now her fingertips hurt from being stuck by the needle, and her pinafore had a big ugly knotted scar where the small tear had been.
Mabel tried to sniffle quietly, afraid of waking her foster sisters. She got out of bed and went inside the main room where Audrey’s bed was. If she was quiet, she could get into bed without waking Malcolm, and then she would feel better. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and crept cautiously toward the big bed.
The big empty bed.
“Malcolm?” she whispered, but got no response. She looked around the room, trying to see if he was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. Maybe he was outside. She opened the heavy, creaky door but didn’t see him on the front steps. “Malcolm?” she called again, a little louder this time.
A cool breeze blew around her, wrapping about her feet, slipping through the thin material of her worn cotton nightgown. Malcolm was gone too. She started trembling. What would happen to them now? How would they eat? She wiped her tears on the back of her hand and went inside, shutting the door behind her. She returned to the bunkroom.
“Luc,” she whispered, hoping she would wake only him, not the whole bunch of them. She wiggled his shoulder. “Luc! Malcolm’s gone.”
“Mabel! It’s the middle of the night,” he growled. “Go back to sleep.”
“Luc, wake up.
Malcolm watched the proceedings from his position at the back of the room. He’d like to see McCaid run out of town, for a fact. But he had mixed feelings about sending trouble out to Hell’s Gulch where Audrey could get tangled up in it. He crossed his arms and held his silence, ignoring the sheriff’s look as he indicated Malcolm should join the discussion.
“So, gentlemen, what are we going to do about him?” the sheriff asked.
The bunkroom was dark, and the night was cold. Mabel couldn’t sleep. She tried to think of all the things that she liked, as Audrey had taught her to do when she was edgy and restless, but tonight that didn’t work very well. Mostly she thought about all the things she missed, like her mother, of whom she had only vague, shadowy memories. Or Audrey’s mother, who was, for a short while, a true mother to her. Sometimes she couldn’t picture Mrs. Sheridan’s face anymore. Sometimes it was hard to remember what her voice sounded like. She was gone now, longer than the time they’d had together. But Audrey had always been there. When Mabel couldn’t sleep, Audrey let her sleep in bed with her and Amy. Sometimes she would tell them a story. Sometimes she would just hold Mabel, and then the shadows didn’t seem so scary.
Mabel sniffled. When people left, they didn’t come back. She’d learned that, first with her mother, then with Mrs. Sheridan. And now Audrey. She missed Audrey. She looked over at Dulcie, who was sleeping soundly. She thought about waking her up to see if she missed Audrey too, but Dulcie usually saw scary things in the dark, and Mabel didn’t want to know about them right then. She looked down at the foot of the bed, where Colleen lay. She slept as well, her legs snuggled against Dulcie. With Malcolm using Audrey’s bed, Luc had taken his bunk. There was room for the three girls to spread out, but none of them had wanted to sleep with any of the boys. So they stayed together, crowded and comfortable.
Until tonight, when Mabel was sad and no one was awake to comfort her.
Today, she’d done some mending on her pinafore. Audrey had only recently begun to show her and Dulcie how to mend things. Mabel’s stitches were chunky. Tommy and Kurt had teased her about them. She had ripped the stitches out three times and tried over and again to do it as Audrey had shown her. Now her fingertips hurt from being stuck by the needle, and her pinafore had a big ugly knotted scar where the small tear had been.
Mabel tried to sniffle quietly, afraid of waking her foster sisters. She got out of bed and went inside the main room where Audrey’s bed was. If she was quiet, she could get into bed without waking Malcolm, and then she would feel better. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and crept cautiously toward the big bed.
The big empty bed.
“Malcolm?” she whispered, but got no response. She looked around the room, trying to see if he was sitting in one of the kitchen chairs. Maybe he was outside. She opened the heavy, creaky door but didn’t see him on the front steps. “Malcolm?” she called again, a little louder this time.
A cool breeze blew around her, wrapping about her feet, slipping through the thin material of her worn cotton nightgown. Malcolm was gone too. She started trembling. What would happen to them now? How would they eat? She wiped her tears on the back of her hand and went inside, shutting the door behind her. She returned to the bunkroom.
“Luc,” she whispered, hoping she would wake only him, not the whole bunch of them. She wiggled his shoulder. “Luc! Malcolm’s gone.”
“Mabel! It’s the middle of the night,” he growled. “Go back to sleep.”
“Luc, wake up.
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