would have been hidden in their covered wagon, so she gave up on any hope of wealth.
Since it was a hope that had been born and died in the course of a heartbeat, it was no great loss. Though it was one more thing to loathe about the Reinhardts.
“Well, you can’t go to Indiana. Not right now.” Luke waved a hand past her face as if shooing Dare on.
“I’m from Indiana, too,” Dare said. “What part of the state are you from?”
“Don’t you think we should get upstairs while there’s noone here?” Luke didn’t like Dare and Ruthy acting like this was some Hoosier reunion. And that was just stupid, but still, Luke thought he and Ruthy oughta get on with hiding.
“I sometimes get patients in the night. When I do, they’re always in a tearing hurry. So come this way.”
They followed Dare out of the room to a door that opened onto a stairway. “Ruthy, you can stay upstairs, in the room on the far left.” Dare shoved a key into her hand. “Lock it. I hope that’s proper enough. If it isn’t, we’ll figure something out, but not tonight.”
It was pitch-dark outside. Ruthy had slept some, but she was still exhausted. How long had Dare been with that crazy couple?
“Luke, you’ll stay in the attic. There’s a stairway you can pull down from my bedroom. But those attic stairs sound like a screaming wildcat when you pull them down. Not even the Bullards could miss that noise. When I bought this house, it was crammed with old stuff. There’s just barely room in both places for one person to lie down. You should be able to get some sleep. C’mon, I’ll show you. Hurry in case those two come back.”
Dare led the way up the stairs. At the top, Ruthy headed for her room. Luke caught her arm and turned her to face him. “Did Virgil inspire you to scream and attack very often, Rosie?”
Ruthy looked into Luke’s eyes and realized how isolated she’d been since moving in with the Reinhardts. Virgil’s crude attentions had only been recent, and Ruthy had always gotten away. But she hadn’t truly been honest with anyone for years. She had a powerful yen to just start talking until every thought in her head had been spewed into the night air.
And then she came to her senses. “We don’t have time to talk right now.”
“Maybe later, then.” Luke’s grip on her arm gentled, then fell away.
“Maybe.” She went to her assigned room. Dare followed, and his lantern showed the room well enough that Ruthy could see a bed. Everything else was jumbled, night-shadowed stacks of who-knew-what.
“Keep this door locked and don’t open it to anyone but Luke or me. If Bullard comes back, sometimes Lana runs him out of the office, then he paces. I wouldn’t put it past him to come up here just out of boredom. See you in the morning.”
Ruthy locked herself in and collapsed on the bed fully dressed. The room was pitch-black without Dare’s lantern. Not even starlight came in, so maybe there were no windows. Or maybe the windows were covered. She didn’t care. She had a feeling she didn’t want to see what was in there anyway.
She woke up in a room that looked to have seen the business end of a Texas cyclone. Either that or Darius Riker was a complete slob.
There was enough of a mess that it could be both.
She lay in the small bed and listened. There were quiet voices straight below her. Dare spoke in a doctoring kind of voice. His office must have opened for the day.
A look around told her the room did indeed have windows. They were covered with shutters, pulled closed. It was murky, but daylight seeped in.
She wouldn’t be visible if she moved around. But wouldthe floorboards creak and give her away? She remembered no loud creaking when she’d walked the few feet to the bed last night. No sound when she’d lain on the bed. But she’d paid scant attention.
Then she remembered the moment when she’d awakened in that storeroom and thought Virgil had finally caught her. Just thinking about it
Since it was a hope that had been born and died in the course of a heartbeat, it was no great loss. Though it was one more thing to loathe about the Reinhardts.
“Well, you can’t go to Indiana. Not right now.” Luke waved a hand past her face as if shooing Dare on.
“I’m from Indiana, too,” Dare said. “What part of the state are you from?”
“Don’t you think we should get upstairs while there’s noone here?” Luke didn’t like Dare and Ruthy acting like this was some Hoosier reunion. And that was just stupid, but still, Luke thought he and Ruthy oughta get on with hiding.
“I sometimes get patients in the night. When I do, they’re always in a tearing hurry. So come this way.”
They followed Dare out of the room to a door that opened onto a stairway. “Ruthy, you can stay upstairs, in the room on the far left.” Dare shoved a key into her hand. “Lock it. I hope that’s proper enough. If it isn’t, we’ll figure something out, but not tonight.”
It was pitch-dark outside. Ruthy had slept some, but she was still exhausted. How long had Dare been with that crazy couple?
“Luke, you’ll stay in the attic. There’s a stairway you can pull down from my bedroom. But those attic stairs sound like a screaming wildcat when you pull them down. Not even the Bullards could miss that noise. When I bought this house, it was crammed with old stuff. There’s just barely room in both places for one person to lie down. You should be able to get some sleep. C’mon, I’ll show you. Hurry in case those two come back.”
Dare led the way up the stairs. At the top, Ruthy headed for her room. Luke caught her arm and turned her to face him. “Did Virgil inspire you to scream and attack very often, Rosie?”
Ruthy looked into Luke’s eyes and realized how isolated she’d been since moving in with the Reinhardts. Virgil’s crude attentions had only been recent, and Ruthy had always gotten away. But she hadn’t truly been honest with anyone for years. She had a powerful yen to just start talking until every thought in her head had been spewed into the night air.
And then she came to her senses. “We don’t have time to talk right now.”
“Maybe later, then.” Luke’s grip on her arm gentled, then fell away.
“Maybe.” She went to her assigned room. Dare followed, and his lantern showed the room well enough that Ruthy could see a bed. Everything else was jumbled, night-shadowed stacks of who-knew-what.
“Keep this door locked and don’t open it to anyone but Luke or me. If Bullard comes back, sometimes Lana runs him out of the office, then he paces. I wouldn’t put it past him to come up here just out of boredom. See you in the morning.”
Ruthy locked herself in and collapsed on the bed fully dressed. The room was pitch-black without Dare’s lantern. Not even starlight came in, so maybe there were no windows. Or maybe the windows were covered. She didn’t care. She had a feeling she didn’t want to see what was in there anyway.
She woke up in a room that looked to have seen the business end of a Texas cyclone. Either that or Darius Riker was a complete slob.
There was enough of a mess that it could be both.
She lay in the small bed and listened. There were quiet voices straight below her. Dare spoke in a doctoring kind of voice. His office must have opened for the day.
A look around told her the room did indeed have windows. They were covered with shutters, pulled closed. It was murky, but daylight seeped in.
She wouldn’t be visible if she moved around. But wouldthe floorboards creak and give her away? She remembered no loud creaking when she’d walked the few feet to the bed last night. No sound when she’d lain on the bed. But she’d paid scant attention.
Then she remembered the moment when she’d awakened in that storeroom and thought Virgil had finally caught her. Just thinking about it
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