where it had bent, and then gave up and offered it to Glen. He shook his head, so the Deputy put it between his lips and lit a match on the bottom of his boot to get it going.
"I can, but it's a little late. You think it'll wait until morning?"
"Sure. Where should I stay so you can find me?"
"There's a good hotel down the way. Big sign, you can't miss it. 'Grand Hotel.' Big red letters."
Glen thanked him. In the morning, he'd either be coming back with someone who might do something about their little problem, or he would have some very useful information for the future:
The knowledge that he was on his own, and the law wasn't going to step in to right things.
Part of him liked that idea, the same part of him that had been whispering since the whole thing had started. The part that was still itching to test his new gun.
Nineteen
She couldn't leave the twins alone. They were too young to handle it. At the same time, Glen had taken the only horse into town. It was three, maybe four hours on foot to the doctor, and judging by the sky it would be dark for hours yet.
Catherine cursed under her breath, held Ada tight.
"Baby, you're fine, it's gonna be alright."
She should have gotten ice, she thought. Something, anything that would help cool the girl down, but they didn't have an ice chest. How would they have kept it?
She laid Ada down, ignoring the girl's protests, and used her sternest voice to tell the girl to "stay right here."
To Catherine's surprise, there wasn't much argument. Ada was worse than she thought. Ada hadn't ever listened to her, not this well. She had too much of her mother in her. The thought made her smile as she poured out a bowlful of water and wetted down a towel.
It wasn't much, but it would have to do. They could wait for Glen to return. They'd have to wait. Catherine just had to hope that Ada would be alright. Hope, pray, and whatever happened next, happened.
She set her book aside, pulled up a chair beside Ada's seat on the couch. Cole came padding out of the room.
"Momma?"
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Can't find Ada."
"I know, sweet. She's right here. G'on back to bed, now."
"Oh. Okay."
She breathed out a sigh of relief. Things could be better, that much was for sure. But they could sure get a heck of a lot worse.
She watched out the window. Tonight of all nights was not the time for anyone to be going for her cattle. She pulled the rifle off its place over the mantle. Catherine had to watch out. The minute she could take her daughter out of here, take her to see a doctor, she'd take that opportunity.
Anyone who tried to stand in her way would be explaining it to the Lord.
Glen took off the gun belt and left it on the bed. He wasn't going to need it. Truth be told, he shouldn't have been going down at all. But he'd seen some folks at the table, sounded like they were playing cards, and he had a night to kill.
More than that, though, was the knowledge that if he just made a little more money then the ranch expedition he had gotten himself tangled up in got that much easier.
He checked his billfold. Twenty dollars and change. If he went slow, he could double it before he needed to turn in for the night. Maybe better than that, if they were some real suckers.
"You mind if I join you?"
Glen pulled out a chair without waiting for an answer. If they minded, he would get back up, but no one said anything so he pulled himself up to the table. Middle of a hand, they went around.
It was good that they did, he thought. Gave him time to figure out who was playing, and how they played. He recognized a few faces. Traveling sort of folk, he guessed.