Page 29 of A Groom for Millie
“Tanner walked to the river with the saddle still on him. There was a lot of blood, so most folks assumed you died and are buried under the snow. Or you fell into the river,” she said as an afterthought.
“Thank you.”
“I received your letter,” Heather interjected.
“Letter? What letter?”
“The one you sent in response to the advertisement.” She wrinkled her brow. “You did send a letter. I hadn’t responded yet.”
“Where am I?” Robert’s eyes darted back to Millie.
“On my ranch,” Millie interjected.
“No, the name of the town?”
“Last Chance.”
Robert groaned. “The town that lost everyone in the blizzard. I remember reading something about it.”
“Did you do those terrible things they’ve accused you of?” Millie asked.
“What things?”
“Robbing banks and murdering people. There was even talk that you stole horses.”
Robert’s eyes flew up in shock.This town thought he was responsible for those terrible crimes. Robert felt the blood drain from his face.
“I didn’t think so.” Heather grabbed her wrap and draped it around her shoulders before tugging on her gloves. “Mrs. Baker speaks very highly of your actions on the stage. That doesn’t sound like a murderer.” Heather picked up her bag. “I’ll let you rest. We can talk later.”
Robert noticed disappointment flash across Millie’s face. He wondered what she was thinking. Millie had a good poker face. He couldn’t infer anything from her features.
“Are you hungry?” Millie asked.
“Nothing stronger than broth and rice right now. He needs to eat as blandly as possible,” Heather said. “Is there anything else you need right now?”
Millie shook her head. “Thank you for stopping by.” She followed Heather out of the room and realized they were alone. “Where’s Momma and Mary Rose?”
“They went to town. I think your mother said something about stopping at the mercantile and seeing if the telegraph office was open.” Heather kissed Millie’s cheek. “I left some tea on the table. Give him five cups a day. Rest will be the best healer.”
“You’re leaving?” Panic filled Millie’s voice.
“I need to go see Charity. She’s ready to drop that baby. Altar is due soon as well.” Heather lifted her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I love to see that life goes on.” She gave a little wave and picked up her bag before heading out.
Millie returned to the door and looked at Robert lying on the bed.
“Are you afraid to be alone with me, Millie?”
“N-no,” she insisted. “I just think it is rather improper to be alone with you.”
“You are in no danger from me. I can barely move.”
“I know. You wrote a letter, and it was in the pile Heather picked.”
“I honestly don’t remember writing a letter.” Some details before his injury were fuzzy, but he thought he’d recall if he wrote a letter. “You said a pile of letters?”
Millie nodded. “There were so many of them, we simply dropped them on the table and each of us took turns taking a letter.”
“Kind of like playing poker.”
