“Evening.”
She looked over to see her brother walking toward them. She hadn’t seen him or Regan in a few days. “Evening, brother. How are you?”
“Doing well. Came to check on my patient and to talk to you about something.”
The serious set of his features gave her pause. “Concerning?”
“Ben.”
“He isn’t dead, is he?”
“No. Not yet.”
She searched his face.
“Let me see to Garrett first and we’ll talk after.”
While the two men went inside, she sat wondering what her brother wanted her to know about Ben.
He returned a short while later and she asked, “How’s the patient?”
He sat on the bench beside her. “Almost good as new. He says he’s thinking of heading home in a few days.”
“Can he handle a two-day trip on the gelding? I suggested he ride over with Odell or take the stagecoach.”
“I think he may have less strength than he realizes so I suggested the same.”
“So what’s this about Ben?”
“He’s dying. He has a growth in his upper chest and one on his spine.”
Her heart stopped. “How long does he have?”
“Not sure. Could be six weeks, could be six months. You can never tell with these things.”
Unsettling emotions filled her.
“Might be time for you two to make amends,” he said.
That didn’t sit well. “I doubt that his staring at the grave is going to make him apologize to me. When we bury him he’ll still believe he was right.”
“Then maybe consider forgiving him.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“For your own peace of mind.”
“I’m already at peace,” she lied. Probably never would be, but she’d be damned if she’d give him absolution.
“Let go of the past, Spring.”
She knew he was trying to be helpful, but it irritated her nonetheless. Setting aside what she’d lived through wasn’t something as easily done as dousing a lamp. “Do you know what I had to give Mitch Ketchum in order to work for him?”
He shook his head.
“My virginity.”
His eyes widened.