Cindy Holby

by Angel’s End

  What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be doing this. She was playing Delilah, tempting him, or maybe he was tempting her, she didn’t know. She did know she was in way over her head. She wasn’t thinking clearly. Not thinking at all.

  “I’ll let you finish up.” She stepped away, and left the cloth within easy reach. “Don’t worry about the mess, I’ll get it in the morning.”

  Leah fled to her room and sought the comfort of her bed. Ashes greeted her with a sleepy meow and wrapped her tiny body under her chin. Leah listened to the sounds the pastor made. The slosh of the water as he finished washing. The heavy gurgle as he dumped the pail in the sink, and then saw darkness descend when he turned down the lamp.

  I didn’t bandage his wound. I didn’t change his sheets. Those were the least of her recriminations, but she felt too guilty to risk seeing him again so soon. Instead a litany of her faults ran through her head as she listened to his slow step down the hall, then Dodger’s as he followed him. She lay, stiff as a post when she heard the squeak of his mattress, and then the heavy huff Dodger let out at the many disruptions that had kept him from his sleep. Even though the pastor was in a different bedroom hearing him so close felt oddly intimate and Leah cursed to herself.

  I need doors she thought once again. Sleep was a long time coming.

  TEN

  He didn’t expect to wake up to find a kitten staring at him. Why not? Dodger had had his turn already. The gray ball of fluff extended a paw and touched his cheek. Cade sneezed. It startled the kitten, which laid its ears back and stared at him with wide green eyes. It seemed to think about leaving for a few seconds, then relaxed, kneaded its paws into his bare chest and purred.

  “Hello.” Cade looked toward the sound and saw a boy with tousled blond hair and huge blue eyes staring at him.

  “You must be Banks. Where’s your mom?”

  The boy seemed scared of him. He hung back in the hall as if he were afraid to come in. “At work.”

  So they were alone in the house. “What does she do?”

  “She’s a waitress.” Banks swiped his sleeve across his nose. “At the Devil’s Table.”

  Cade grinned. A restaurant called the Devil’s Table in a town called Angel’s End. Whoever named it that had a wicked sense of humor, something he always appreciated. “Where is the Devil’s Table?”

  Dodger appeared by Banks’s side. The boy wrapped his fingers into the thick scruff of hair of the dog’s neck. “Across the street.”

  Cade put his finger under the kitten’s chin and scratched. The kitten stretched his neck out to follow his finger and then rolled over on its back to give Cade better access. Cade looked at Banks. “So I reckon we’re the only ones here?”

  Banks’s eyes grew wide, and he nodded nervously.

  “Which means you’re in charge.” Cade kept his face serious.

  “She said for me to tell her if you wake up before it’s time to go to school.” He hitched up his pants. “Can I come in and get Ashes?”

  “I take it this is Ashes?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “You may.” Cade waited until Banks had grabbed his kitten and hurriedly stepped away. “Don’t bother your mom. I’m going to go right back to sleep.”

  “You are?”

  “Just as soon as I take a trip to the outhouse.”

  “Um…all right…”

  A bell rang out, clang-clang, as it was jerked back and forth on its rope. The kitten sank its claws into the front of Banks’s shirt and laid its ears back at the noise. Dodger looked at Banks and the kitten and whined hopefully. The kitten hissed at the dog and climbed up Banks’s chest with its claws still extended. It had to be painful, yet Banks bore it, showing nothing more than a grimace at the discomfort. He was a good kid. Tough. Losing a parent usually did that to you. Made you grow up before you had to. Babying him wouldn’t help him. It wouldn’t give him what he needed to survive in this world.

  The noise had to be coming from the building next door. He recalled seeing a steeple when he looked around the town last night. “Is that the school bell?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Then you best be on your way. You don’t want to be late.”

  “Yes sir, I mean no sir…” He stood there for a minute until Cade moved his head toward the front door. Banks whirled around, put the kitten on the bed in Leah’s room, scooped up his bag and ran to the front door. It slammed behind him. Cade slipped from the bed and went to the front door with Dodger padding along beside him. He stood to the side of the window and peered out. There was no sign of Banks, which meant he either ran as fast as he could to get across the street or else he’d gone directly to school. Cade hoped it was the latter.

  The snow on the street was windblown and drifted. It piled up on the buildings, rooftops and windowsills like a sugar coating. The sky, clear the night before, had turned gray and ominous with the promise of more bad weather to come.

  There were a few tracks in the snow, mostly foot traffic, and smoke poured from the stovepipe across the street. Two horses stood at the hitching post outside, their heads hanging wearily, proof that whoever had ridden in on them had come a long way on a hard trail.

  The building was two stories with a huge sign that went all the way across the porch roof. The top parts of the letters were visible above the snow that piled against it. Devil’s Table was written in big, bold, black print. Beneath it were the tops of swirling letters, impossible to read because of the snow. The windows on either side of the entrance were covered with condensation, definite proof that there was a crowd of people inside.

  “And I’m betting the weather isn’t the only thing they’re talking about.” Leah had mentioned the search committee. One of them had already come calling and would no doubt be back soon, especially if Leah told him he’d been up and talking last night.

  Last night…Cade had never felt anything like that before. He could not recall a time since his mother died when anyone had given him such tender care. Never had anyone touched him in such a way that he felt it, inside, deep in his soul.

  It’s because she thinks I’m a preacher. That’s all. If she knew who I really was and what I am, she wouldn’t be leaving her kid alone in the house with me. She’d have me out on the street in a heartbeat. He couldn’t think about it. Couldn’t let it affect him. Thinking about things like that made him weak and vulnerable. His only thought should be about how to get out of town, and how soon he’d be able to travel.

  His wound felt raw and his ribs bruised and tender. Cade put a hand to his stomach and immediately pulled it away. It was too sore to touch. He looked down and saw the wound, red and raw, along with an ugly bruise radiating from it. He reached around and found the exit wound on his back. He’d been lucky. God’s plan? Timothy’s words haunted him and he shook them off.

  Leah said she’d bandage him after the bath, but she didn’t. She’d left so abruptly, leaving him to finish his bath on his own and fall wearily into a bed that still stank with his fever. What made her run? He hadn’t done anything to scare her, had he? He had to admit he’d enjoyed it when she bathed him. He could have done it himself, but why should he when he had someone willing to do it for him. The memory of her touch was still with him.

  Cade felt confident Banks hadn’t told his mother Cade was awake. It kind of bothered him that the kid had been so easily convinced. He wasn’t used to people trusting him. He moved to the kitchen and checked out the window one more time. A man stood on the stoop of the restaurant. He pulled his hat down, hunched his shoulders against the cold, and started down the opposite side of the street. Cade noticed that the building next door to the café was the sheriff’s office. It looked dark and deserted and there was no fire coming from the stovepipe. Strange, it seemed like the sheriff should have been over to check on him. Leah mentioned that her husband used to be the sheriff. Had they replaced him? Surely in four years’ time they’d found a replacement. If so he would be here soon to question him about
the shooting. It would be another thing to look out for. Another lie to add to his ever-growing list.

  Dodger sat in the middle of the floor, with his head cocked to the side, and watched Cade as if he were trying to make up his mind about him. Cade opened the cabinet, shoved the shaving kit aside and removed the gun and holster. He popped the cylinder. It was empty and needed cleaning. He didn’t have to look at the barrel to know it needed it too. It probably hadn’t been touched since her husband died and she shoved it on the shelf and shut the door. He looped the belt around his waist. The cinch was well worn where it had hit her husband. He had to take it up another two notches. He removed it and checked the ammo slots. They were half full. He’d need more if he was going to leave. When I leave…Cade checked the shelf again by poking his hand into the back corner. He pulled forth a box of cartridges. Yes! For once things are going my way.

  Another twinge of guilt hit him. He always said God mocked him and laughed at him. But the truth be told, God had watched out for him the past few days. Maybe meeting Timothy was what he needed to change his luck.

  Not so lucky for Timothy…

  That’s just the way things were. The West was a dangerous place. If Timothy wasn’t ready to take the risk, he should have stayed back in Ohio.

  Or maybe you should have moved on and left him alone…

  Cade checked out the window again. Still no sign of Leah, but another man stood on the porch with a big gray dog by his side. He looked toward the house and then walked into the restaurant.

  If he was going to pass for Timothy, he’d better find out all he could about the man. Timothy’s Bible was full of papers. Perhaps they would hold some answers. Cade shoved the gun and ammo back on the shelf and shut the cupboard door.

  His stomach growled with hunger, but he’d been hungry before. Plenty of times. He wasn’t strong enough to leave yet. He needed to wait until the weather broke and who knew when that would be? Cade went back to his room with Dodger on his heels.

  Cade picked up the Bible and shook out the papers that he had stuffed back inside. Dodger lay down on the rug next to the bed. The kitten, attracted by the noise, timidly crept into the room while keeping a wary eye on Dodger. She finally made it to the bed and clawed her way up. Cade sorted the letters by stacking them into a pile, starting with the most recently dated. Ashes wiggled her behind and pounced on the stack of papers, scattering them across the bed. Her tail twitched and she pounced again.

  Cade picked her up and she mewed in protest. He put her on his lap, rubbed her ears, and gathered the papers into order once more. Ashes chewed on his thumb as he picked up the oldest letter and began to read.

  Dear Pastor Key…

  ELEVEN

  “Don’t you bring that dog in here.” Dusty yelled through the setup window as the cold wind reminded the dwindling group gathered in the Devil’s Table why they were grateful to be out of the weather.

  “Now Dusty, that’s not a bit neighborly.” Ward winked at Leah, grinned and walked right in with a big gray dog on his heels. “She’s new in town and I told her this was the best place to eat. Don’t you dare make a liar out of me.” Wade sat down at his usual corner table with his back to the wall and the dog sat down next to him on the floor. She looked at the table with a hopeful eye.

  “Tarnation!” Dusty yelled and went back to his cooking. Leah grinned. Dusty’s bark was always worse than his bite. She dropped the dirty plates she’d just cleared from Zeke’s breakfast into the dishpan and hustled over with a cup and the coffeepot.

  “Morning Ward. Where did your friend come from?” She poured his coffee and looked down into the friendly brown eyes of the dog.

  Ward placed his hand on the dog’s head. “She was curled up on the back stoop this morning, trying to stay warm.”

  She did seem friendly, as she paid no mind to Ward’s hand. She was used to being touched. “And you decided to invite her for breakfast?”

  “Seemed like the neighborly thing to do. Especially since I didn’t have much to feed her. And she came right along when I asked.” Ward’s eyes twinkled with pleasure. Leah knew that for Ward the dog was a welcome change to the everyday monotony of drinking, playing cards and the bad weather.

  Dusty clanged some pots together in the back to let the world know he was aggravated. That was nothing new as far as Dusty was concerned. Ward peered around Leah toward the noise and raised his coffee cup in an acknowledgment. Dusty chose to ignore him.

  “So, eggs and bacon for two?”

  “Sounds great.” Ward sipped his coffee. “And then you can tell me how the preacher’s fairing.”

  Leah hoped the cringe in her spine didn’t show as she walked back to turn in Ward’s order. Of all the people in Angel’s End, Ward Phillips had a way of knowing what you were really thinking. She could say the preacher was fine and dandy but Ward would know there was something else going on. That’s probably why he was so good at cards; he knew when you were bluffing. Leah went on into the kitchen just in case Ward could see what she was thinking.

  The whole town was busting to meet Pastor Timothy. Everyone who came in today had asked about him, even Zeke Preston, the assayer, who didn’t give a fig about anyone. All she could say was he’s doing fine, still recovering, and she’d let them know when he was ready for company. Margy Ashburn was especially interested, since Pastor Key was unmarried. As she mentioned the fact several times. Apparently Pris had shared her opinion of the pastor’s good looks with the schoolteacher. Leah felt protective of Pastor Timothy in the face of Margy’s questions and wasn’t sure why. Margy was a kind and gentle soul. She deserved some happiness. Leah just couldn’t see her finding it with Pastor Key. They didn’t mesh in her mind, but stranger things had happened, especially when two people were lonely.

  What about me? She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to the man. Leah quickly pushed the thought down into the dark corners of her mind. It felt like she was being unfaithful…to a dead man? She’d never felt that way when she was with Jake. Could it be because Jake had never spoken to her heart like Pastor Key did last night?

  Leah didn’t mention to anyone who asked after Pastor Key that he couldn’t recall what happened. There were things about his injury that didn’t quite make sense. Like why his shirt had a bullet hole in the back, but his frock coat and overcoat didn’t. Whoever shot him had to have been pretty close at the time for the bullet to pass all the way through his body, so that ruled out it being an accident. And he must have had both his coats off at the time and then put them back on after he was shot. Why couldn’t he remember any of those details?

  Then there was the way he spoke to her. It didn’t quite fit with her idea of how a minister should talk. Leah shook her head at her foolishness. Did she expect the man to go about spouting Bible verses all the time? A verse for every situation? A homily for every statement?

  “Gol-durn shyster thinks he can do whatever he wants…” Dusty’s muttering was accented with pops of bacon grease as he attacked the skillet with his spatula.

  “I thought you liked dogs, Dusty,” Leah said. “You’re always giving Dodger treats.”

  “I never invite him in and set him at the table.”

  “She’s not hurting anything or anybody.” Leah looked through the setup window at the dog, now lying beside Ward, patiently awaiting her meal. “I wonder where she came from.”

  “You mark my words; he’ll be bringing her in here every morning from now on, setting her at the table, and spoonfeeding her breakfast.”

  “Maybe she belongs to someone. Maybe her owner got lost in the snowstorm.”

  Dusty stopped his fussing and looked at the dog. He scratched his grizzled chin as he studied the animal. “It does seem strange, a dog showing up like this, in the middle of a blizzard. She sure don’t belong to anybody I know.”

  “The Martins had a cat show up in their barn before the storm. With seven kittens.”

  “Seven you say? Tarnation. You think they’d want
to give one away? I think we got mice.”

  “I’m betting they would.” Leah smiled as she pulled a pan of biscuits from the stove. The tops were golden brown perfection and she dropped a dab of butter on each one and watched them melt over the crusty tops. Dusty was over his huff at Ward and on to something else. “We got one,” she continued. “Banks named her Ashes. She’s real pretty.”

  “Shoot, a cat don’t have to be pretty to catch a mouse. Tell ’em I want a boy cat. Last thing I need underfoot is a bunch of kittens.” Dusty slid the eggs onto the plates and then grabbed two biscuits and juggled them as they were still hot. Luckily they landed on the plates.

  “I’m sure they have one to spare.” Leah picked up the plates and carried them out to Ward. He wasted no time in feeding the dog who made short work of the entire meal.

  “Looks like I’m going to need some more.” Ward seemed proud of her appetite.

  “Poor thing must not have eaten since before the storm.”

  “More than likely.” Ward turned his dark eyes on Leah. “How’s the food holding out at your house?”

  “Just fine.” Leah bent and picked up the tongue-washed plate. There wasn’t a crumb left behind. “I heard Jake went home the night of the blizzard,” she said, neatly changing the subject before Ward could ask any more questions about her patient. “Do you think he made it all right?”

  “Why. Are you suddenly concerned?”

  “As I would be for anyone who was out traveling in that storm.”

  “I’m certain he’s fine.” Ward leaned back in his chair and studied her. “You know Jake. He’s too stubborn to die.”

  “How about if I start saving the table scraps?”

  “Nah, you need those for Dodger. I can pay for this lady to eat,” Ward said. He scratched between the dog’s ears. “I think I just came up with a name for her.” He grinned at Leah. “Lady.”