Lorelei watched him, her round blue eyes pulling down at the comers. “You’ll be sick, Archie. Don’t drink any more.”
“Not me, missy. I don’t get sick anymore. Except when I don’t have my tonic.” He toasted her with the bottle.
“That’s because it’s killing you.”
“Let him be, Lori. You can’t save him either,” Corey snapped.
Braddock looked between brother and sister. She bowed her head as if the weight on her shoulders had gotten too heavy. He wanted to put his arm around her. She had had too much in her life for such a small woman to bear. Braddock forced himself to look away before he was caught staring like a doe eyed suitor. He was doing the best thing for her, even if it killed him. His chest ached with each breath, and he wondered if he were truly, physically wounded in some way. He had to force himself to relax just to get air in his lungs.
“That’d be something. To die by drink. I’d like that.”
The campfire danced in the sheen coating Lorelei’s eyes. “You won’t like it. It’s a horrible way to die. My father drank himself to death.”
Archie shook his head in an exaggerated motion. “Not as bad as being caught by Apaches. They peel the skin right off you and let the flies nibble on your juicy innards.”
“Or being hanged,” piped in Corey. “I saw three men hanged in Santa Fe my first week in New Mexico. I won’t forget that soon. They didn’t even put hoods over their heads.
You could see their eyes pop out and their faces turn red as fire.”
“Or”—Archie took a big gulp from the bottle—“or being dragged through town by a horse when you got a broken arm and a couple of broken ribs. It takes a long time to die like that.”
Even Corey blanched. “Who did that?”
Archie looked around as if to see if someone might be eavesdropping. He leaned toward Corey and whispered loudly, “You know who.”
Lorelei placed one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach. Braddock stood. He should have never let this start.
“That’s enough.” He took Corey’s tin cup and dumped out the contents.
“I was wondering when you’d stop the fun.” Corey thrust his hands behind his back and leaned forward. “Go ahead. Lock me up for the night.”
Lorelei dumped her cup of whiskey without being asked. Archie hugged the bottle to his chest. “I need this for medicinal purposes.”
Braddock was in no mood to wrestle the bottle from him. “We’re riding out of here early tomorrow, and I have no problem leaving you behind if you can’t keep up.”
“I’ll keep up…with a smile on my face and a song on my lips.” Archie gave his bottle a loving kiss.
“Just keep up.” Braddock turned to Corey. “You ready to tell me what you know about Mulcahy?”
Corey glanced at Lorelei. “I’ve got some conditions first.”
Lorelei stared into the fire. “He’s going to leave us at a friend’s house while he finds Mulcahy by himself.”
Archie took a gulp from his bottle. “That’ll kill you faster than this ever will.”
Corey snorted. “What friend? Does he have bars for a front door?”
Lorelei sighed. “I don’t know.”
Braddock went to his saddlebag and pulled out a map to keep from snapping at Lorelei. She knew he wasn’t taking her to jail. He returned with the map and squeezed between Corey and Archie, avoiding the larger space between brother and sister.
He unfolded the map and laid it on the ground in front of him. “My friend’s farm is a couple of days from here. You and Lorelei can stay there, but you have to help out.”
“I don’t like farm work,” complained Corey.
“I like it. Always did. I like to get my hands dirty. Lila likes farms too.”
Braddock glanced at Archie. “We’ll have to find someplace else for you to go. My friend’s got his hands full.”
“He can take my place,” said Corey.
“If you don’t want to work for your keep, kid, you can go to my other friend’s house, the one with bars for a front door.”
Corey picked up a twig and tossed it into the fire. “What’s the difference? That’s where I’m going to end up anyway.”
“Do you think you could drop me off in San Francisco? I always wanted to go there.” Archie stared into the distance, lost in another conversation.
“No.” Braddock didn’t bother telling him how far San Francisco was from the New Mexico territory. Archie might as well have asked to be dropped off on the moon.
“Heard they had gold streets there. I know it’s not true, but that’s what I heard,” said the man to no one in particular. “Good place to start fresh.”