Page 36 of A Forgotten Heart
He felt it bone deep.
“Leave it,” he told Ed.
He still couldn’t fathom why Ed didn’t know Elsie, but that was a problem for later.
Ed leveled a look on him that said this conversation wasn’t over and went back to staring out the window. “I don’t like you being so exposed if Quade was the one who shot you. We need to get out of here.”
“There are a lot of people out and about. Surely no one would try to attack in broad daylight.” But Elsie’s argument was more uncertain than anything else.
“You don’t know Quade,” Ed muttered.
The rancher had been a thorn in their family’s side for more than a decade now. Had things gotten so bad he’d taken to outright murder?
Thinking about how close those bullets must have come to Elsie made Nick shiver.
“I can’t move fast,” he warned his brother. “And we’ll be an easy target in a wagon if there’s a lot of drifts.”
“He can barely walk,” Elsie said quietly.
Ed flicked a glance at her and then Nick. “We’ll go to the newspaper office for now. We should be safe there until we figure out a way to get to the ranch.” He spoke to Elsie as he drew his revolver. “I’ll play lookout. Can you help him walk?”
Ed must’ve somehow known Nick wasn’t going anywhere without Elsie. Nick was grateful for that. But Elsie looked like she wanted to protest.
Nick took the last two steps to reach her. “Come with us, El-Belle. You might be a target too. I want to keep you safe.”
He saw the flare of her nostrils, the tremble of her lips. This was still the Elsie who’d clung to him last night.
“I’ll get your satchel and coat,” she murmured, then moved down the hall.
That wasn’t an answer. Would she sneak out the back door?
He glanced at Ed, who watched him with a furrowed brow. “What?”
Ed shook his head. “Nothing.”
Elsie returned, Nick’s satchel looped over her shoulder. Without saying a word, she helped Nick into his blood-stained coat, then slid her arm around his torso. She didn’t look at him, but that was all right.
They followed Ed out the front door.
This wasn’t over. He and Elsie needed to sit down and talk. But first, they needed to get to safety.
Chapter 8
Elsie had always felt a sense of safety when she walked down the street in Calvin.
Until today.
She couldn’t be sure whether her shivers were from cold or terror as she followed Ed with Nick’s arm draped across her shoulders, Patch keeping close behind. Her gaze darted from person to person as townspeople scurried about, digging out from the tall snow drifts.
Who was the shooter? The McGraw men had said it was Quade, but until they knew for sure, it could be anyone.
A reflection glared from across the street. Elsie froze, but it was only a shovel lifted across someone’s shoulder.
Bawdy music spilled from the saloon, and she couldn’t help scanning the wide second-story balcony. Empty.
Nick’s breath had gone shallower. His body was tense, like every step hurt. His face was pale, pain lines bracketing his mouth.
Her legs started to quiver as he leaned more heavily against her.
