Page 4 of Redeeming the Outlaw
Briggs grabbed Whit’s arm. “No, you don’t. You are going to stay in town and make sure no one comes in or out. I’ll let you know when you can go out there. The Richards gang is going to be watching your every move now. If you go home, they are going to follow you. Whatever you do, if you go out there without me knowing, you stay far enough away from everyone to make sure no one gets sick.”
“What about here?”
“Stay far enough away from everyone here, too.” Briggs glanced around and started walking down the road again. “Old man? Hick town?”
“I couldn’t think of anything else.”
Briggs laughed. “Do you think your friend Tom will take everything back to Richards?”
“I hope so.” As they approached the doctor’s office, Whitlooked at Briggs. “Does this mean I can use the front door instead of climbing through the window now?”
“I’ll think about it. We had to make it look convincing.” Opening the door to the doctor’s office, Briggs motioned to Whit. “Get inside. We can talk in there.”
“Maybe Doc has something to get this horrible taste out of my mouth. The taste of quinine is nasty.”
Chapter Two
November 1873
“Esther!”
Esther Billings sat on her window seat, hidden from view by a worn red curtain. The pages of her penny novel rustled as she eagerly flipped through them, her hazel eyes scanning each word, eagerly absorbing each thrilling detail. As her sister’s voice drifted up the stairs, she remained too engrossed in the daring adventures of the heroine to care.
She couldn’t help but feel envious of the protagonist’s exciting life, filled with danger and romance. With each turn of the page, her heart raced, and her own desires for a life beyond the confines of her simple life in Flat River grew stronger. As a preacher’s daughter, she knew her dreams of romance andadventure were forbidden, but she couldn’t suppress her longing for them. The characters in her book seemed so much more alive and exciting than her own mundane existence.
She dreamed of one day breaking free from her small town and living out her own grand adventure. For now, the penny novel would have to be enough to fulfill her hidden desires.
“Esther,” called her younger sister Naomi, interrupting her reverie. “Papa is looking for you.”
Groaning, Esther tore open the curtain and hastily hid the illicit novel beneath her mattress just as Naomi burst into the room.
“Esther, Papa is looking for you,” Naomi repeated as she spotted Esther.
“Thank you, Naomi.” Esther stood up, her light brown hair falling softly around her shoulders in waves. She smoothed her simple yet elegant dress, maintaining the appearance of the propriety expected of her. “I heard you the first time.”
“If you heard me the first time, then why did you ignore me?” Naomi kneeled next to the bed and reached her hand underneath the mattress, yanking out the small paper tome.
“Give me that,” Esther said, reaching for her precious book.
“Is this a new one?” Her younger sister held her arm out as far as she could. “Does it have a swoony cowboy? Has he kissed her yet?”
“Naomi Ann Billings!” Esther feigned shock. “You shouldn’t even know about such things.”
“Don’t be a ninny, Esther. Ruth reads them to me when you aren’t home.” She flipped through the pages gleefully. “So, is this a new one?”
“Yes. Four new ones arrived at the mercantile this week.” She snatched the book from Naomi’s hand and pressed the wrinklesfrom the crisp cover. “I could only afford one. If it doesn’t get wrinkled...” she narrowed her eyes as she looked at Naomi, “... I might exchange it for another. I wish there was a place where we could borrow books, then return them.” Shoving the book back underneath her mattress, she turned and looked at Naomi.
Her sister stared at her with large green eyes, making her appear much younger than her thirteen years.
“I’ll tell you what. If you don’t mention this to Mama or Papa, I’ll let Ruth and you read it before I take it back to Mrs. Arden.”
“Really?”
“Just stop sneaking in here and taking them.” Esther raised an eyebrow. “You said Papa was looking for me?”
“He’s in his study.” Naomi leaned forward slightly. “He seems upset about something.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Are you going as well?”
