But back in Hard Tack things were getting a little tense.
"Don't you find it odd that George Stanley hasn't returned to his business, John?" Penelope questioned a week later as they were getting ready for bed.
John pulled his jacket off and hung it in the closet. He realized that Penelope had no clue about the killing and somehow that made him want to protect her all the more. Just like he had protected Sadie from the truth all that time.
"Yes, of course I do. But since I left, maybe he was making other plans for himself. I mean it was me that brought him the extra business. Maybe he panicked and decided to go live somewhere else or something. Maybe he sold out and moved on." John offered, hoping to quell her curiosity. "There's no use us worrying over him. He's a grown man, and there is no law that says he has to tell everyone what he's fixin' to do."
Penelope nodded and came up to John, putting her finger on his vest and following it downward. "I suppose you are right. And you did bring in more business for him. Do you think he became angry about your leaving?"
"I'm sure he wasn't happy about it. But I can't do anything about that. Your Pa asked me to move out here. I agreed. It's as simple as that. I wanted to be near you, and I wanted to get to know your Pa better too." John insisted, trying to laugh it away. "It doesn't do us any good to speculate what happened to Stanley."
"You are right, of course. A woman just gets curious is all."
Penelope ran her finger back up to his chin and caressed him there letting him know that she was in the mood to play. In the time since their honeymoon, she'd become quite aggressive in letting him know when she wanted his undivided attention.
Their foreplay alone could last for hours and John was ever indulgent with her.
He never tired of loving her.
"I'm surprised that the sheriff hasn't been out asking more questions of you. After all, you worked with him, and leaving him like you did, should throw a certain amount of suspicion on you. I'm glad that he trusts you though."
"Let's not worry about Mr. Stanley right now." He encouraged as he bent to kiss her hotly on the lips.
Penelope became wrapped up in their love-making and there was little talking.
Tonight his mind wasn't on making love. Tonight he worried over the conversation he'd heard and what he should do about it. It was all his fault. If he hadn't told Mr. Carver about it, Stanley might still be alive. He should have known better and kept quiet.
Still, in the back of John's mind, he worried.
He wondered if she should tell her father he knew or not.
Funny, but he'd never considered Mr. Carver a dangerous kind of man. He reckoned even a good man could kill.
~*~
Leaving Melville in the middle of the night Sadie had just enough money left to buy an old nag, or maybe a mule. She had walked for miles that night in the rain and mud and she hadn't been up to it. So she spent the night in a barn that had been abandoned. Exhausted and hurting, she knew she'd overdone it. After all, she'd just had a baby. She figured she could get up and do. But it wasn't that easy.
Things had changed.
She was so tired and she was bleeding a bit. She cleaned herself up as good as she could and laid down in the hay to sleep. She didn't know anything until the sun peeped over the horizon and shone in her face through the slats of the barn.
She tore off some of her petticoat and covered her feet, as her shoes hadn't lasted long walking like she did.
Although she was weak, she struggled to walk to a ranch or somewhere she could buy a horse or mule. It was nearly noon when she spotted one. She stopped, as there was a woman tending her garden there.
"Ma'am, might I have a little water?" Sadie asked as she nearly collapsed against the fence.
"Goodness…you look about done in…" The woman turned to stare at her. She began to move toward the fence and Sadie fell to the ground. "Do you need some help?"
Sadie didn't want to cause a problem. She wanted to buy a horse and go home, but she wasn't as strong as she'd once been. She started to say something, then collapsed.
"Oh my goodness…" The woman grabbed her chest then she yelled as loud as she could. "Leroy….Leroy, come quick."
Her husband came from around the house and saw Sadie laying on the ground.
"What in the world…?" The man looked at his wife. "Who is she?"
"I don't know. But she looks awfully pale to me. She just walked up, asked for water and looks like she's passed out." The woman said.
"You know her?" Her husband asked.
"No, never seen her before. I wonder where she came from. Oh…my look at her feet, they are all bleeding and raw. We need to get her in the house. She must have walked for miles, poor thing."
"I'll carry her in, you get a bed ready. I'll go fetch the doc." Leroy directed as he picked her up and carried her inside.
Directly he rode off and come back a few hours later.
"You don't know who she is?" The doc asked as he dismounted. He was put out to come out so far from town and at such an hour, but he came nonetheless.
He twiddled with his mustache as though it bothered him greatly.
"Nope, and she passed out before we could find out." Leroy answered.
The doc nodded and followed Leroy into the house. Leroy's house was nothing more than a few timbers and sod thrown together, but it suited him and his wife. They were very country people and didn't expect much out of life. They were also God fearing people, or they would never have cared what happened to Sadie.
An hour later the doc came out of the room, his face was gaunt and he looked perplexed.
"Something wrong, doc?" Leroy asked noting the expression on his face.
"That woman in there, she's just had a baby…"
"A baby?" The woman shrieked. "Dear God, did you see her feet, she must have walked a long ways to tear them up that bad."
"You're probably right, but she did have a baby and not long ago. From the looks of it, she had a hard time of it."
"Did you ask her what happened?" The woman wanted to know. The doc sent her a reprimanding look.
"No, Delsie, she only come to for a few minutes. She's gone back to sleep. I'd let her rest up. She ain't in no condition to go anywhere right now. She needs to rest up. Give her a day or so, and she should be well enough to travel."
"Sure doc, sure…" Leroy nodded. "Poor thing."
"She'll be alright, but it looks to me like she's more worn out than anything. She needs a little bed rest. Where is she from?"
"We don't know…She jest came walkin' up into the yard…"
"Well, if you can, when she gets her strength I'd take her home, if I was you." The doc suggested.
They nodded.
"Thanks Doc." Leroy nodded.
"I was upset with you for comin' and getting' me at such an hour. But now I see the need of it. I'm glad I was here. I took good care of her and she'll heal up fast enough."
Delsie and Leroy took good care of her too and as Sadie got used to them a bit, she began to talk. "I got to get home. I'm going to Cross Timbers."
"Cross Timbers, but that's a ways from here and last I heard it was a ghost town since that old mine played out."
"Don't matter none to me, it's my home…"
"Is that where you come from?"
Sadie looked at them, sizing them up, wondering just how much she should tell them. "Nope…but that don't matter, it's where I'm going. I got jest enough money to pay for a horse, or mule or even a donkey, I don't much care which…" She insisted.
"But…you've just had a baby, according to the doc," Delsie blurted out.
"That's why I gotta get to Cross Timbers…" She smiled. "Now, do you have a horse, a nag, a mule, anything I can buy from you, to get me home?"
"Well, we could take you home, in a wagon and then you wouldn't have to buy anything." Delsie insisted.
"Oh, I'll need a horse, or mule or whatever you got. That way I can get around when I need to." Sadie insisted. "You see I'm on my own, and I'll be alone now."
Leroy came in as Delsie continued feeding Sadie some chicken broth.
"I got a worn out ole mule, I'll sell ya, if you have to have it." He announced. "We've grown pretty partial to him over the years, but if you need him, then I'll sell him to you. Just be good to him, he's done his fair share of the work around here."
"But…" Delsie started to object but she saw her husband's face and hushed.
"That would be fine. I won't burden his load much. I got nigh on to twenty dollars, would that do?" Sadie asked.
Leroy looked from his wife and then to her, "That'll do…"
"Good. I appreciate you puttin' up with me a spell. I didn't mean to cause you no trouble."
"No trouble at all…" Delsie insisted. "But…I gotta ask you…where's the baby?"
Sadie closed her eyes and shook her head…"Dead!"
"Oh my…" Delsie grabbed her chest. Tears were falling down her cheek and Sadie felt bad about telling her such a lie.
Leroy glanced at her again. "We're sorry for your loss."
"I'm too old to be worryin' with havin' kids I reckon."
"You had a difficult time then?" Delsie asked.
"Breach…I think that's what the doc said." Sadie repeated.
"What happened to your husband?" Delsie asked. "I mean if you're a mind to tell us."
"Ain't much to tell. He run off, he didn't even know I was pregnant. I didn't neither until he was long gone. It's no matter. No matter at all."
She glanced at them both, happy that her little lie had worked so well. She would be telling a lot of lies before her life was over, she feared.
God forgive me.
"Do you think you can make the trip by yourself?" Delsie questioned.
"Sure…with a mule, I can do 'bout anything. Don't you fret none about me." Sadie tried to smile. "I been takin' care of myself a long time. Yes siree…a long time."
She'd never met such carrying folks as these. It touched her heart and made her feel guilty for the lie she told.
"Well, the doc said you need some rest and we will see you get some, before you light out again." Delsie promised.
"That's mighty nice of you folks." Sadie smiled. "And this is good chicken broth."
"My mama always said that chicken broth could cure anything." Delsie smiled at her. "We're gonna go in the other room, so you can rest now. In a day or so, when you get your strength back, we'll get old Lazybones to take you where you need to go."
"Lazybones?" Sadie smiled.
"When we first bought that old mule, Leroy said she is a real Lazybones, so that's what we named her. He worked her for nigh on to ten years though, so I reckon we got our money out of her a few times over." Delsie explained.
"Lazybones…I like that. Thank both of you…" She began.
Delsie patted her on the hand. "You just rest now. You've had a hard time of it."
Sadie nodded and closed her eyes. She'd never allowed herself to be so lazy, but she reckoned the mule and her would get along fine.