Page 16 of Married By Midnight
“I don’t know.”
“Looksee here,” Dell said handing Sarah a folded piece of paper. “These look like the symbols on the side of the barn.”
Sarah took the paper and smoothed it with her fingers. There were various drawings along with words under each.
Nice lady.
Hot meal.
Law lives here.
Not a safe place.
Easy pickings.
Doctor. Won’t charge.
Clean water.
Catch train here.
“You think he’s a bank robber?”
“No. He’s no bank robber.” She looked at Dell. “Mr. Poole is a train jumper.”
Chapter 5
Ian’s eyes fluttered open. The light was so bright he lifted his hand to shield his eyes from it. It took a few minutes for everything to come into focus.
He could see he wasn’t in the train car, nor was he back home in his own bed. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his head forced him to lay back down. He felt nauseated. Letting the wave of dizziness subside, he opened his eyes once more and looked around the room.
It wasn’t like any doctor’s office or hotel he had been in either. The room was decorated in blue, pink and yellow. There was lace everywhere. Lace curtains, lace doilies on the table and dresser and he could even see lace on the edges of the pillowcases.
This was a room that belonged to a young girl. He tried to sit up once more, this time holding his head. His fingers grazed over some type of wrapping on his head. He felt it gingerly, as with every touch he felt as though he might pass out.
It appeared that the wrap was holding some sort of patch in place. His fingers felt in the middle and Ian saw stars appear behind his eyes. He must have hit himself on something.But what?
His last memories were jumping off the train. He couldn’t remember anything prior to that.Where was he going? Where had he come from?
He managed to get himself into a sitting position without passing out.
Perhaps he was dead?
He closed his eyes to rest for a moment then he heard the door open.
“Sarah!” a man’s voice called. The man came in and stood at the foot of the bed. “’bout time you came around, son,” he said.
The man looked as old as Ian’s grandfather. He had hair that was once dark, but now was mixed with white and gray. There was stubble as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days, but not enough to call it a beard. His clothes were stained by dirt and mud.He didn’t think people in heaven would be wearing dirty clothes.
“What is it, Dell?” a softer voice asked. A woman came to the doorway and paused once she saw him. “You’re awake.”
If Ian had died, then she must be an angel. She stepped into the room and stood next to the man she called Dell.
He wouldn’t call her beautiful by any means, but there was something about her. Her hair was pulled so tightly in a bun that her eyes and cheeks were pulled back. She had rich dark hair the color of coffee. Ian could see some red strands reflecting from where the sun came through the window.
She wore a dress which was the ugliest color of brown he had ever seen. It wasn’t even abrownbrown. It appeared to be a cross between a brown and red. Her eyes were deep brown, framed by long lashes and her skin was deepened by the sun.
Ian gazed on her full lips the color of strawberries in the summer. Her lips were the only splash of color he could see. He estimated her to be in her early twenties, but she looked older as she was frowning at him in that brown dress. Ian wondered what it would take to make her laugh.
