“Yes, sir.”
“Go on now and take them home.”
“Yes, sir.” Jeff walked out, his head spinning with all the angles he could use for his book. This was turning into a far more complex project than he’d dreamed it would be. A love story. A story of the outlaw way. A story about what could cause a young boy to kill his own father. A story of tragedy and triumph and gunfights and secret feelings and stashes of money and everything that made a damn good book.
He hurried out and climbed into the two-seater buggy Peter had told them to use. Jake sat in the backseat with his arm around Randy, who rested her head on his shoulder. Jeff got the horse moving and headed for Jake’s house. On the way, they passed a flatbed wagon going the other way. Hash Bryant was driving it, and Brad Buckley lay in the back of the wagon. Hash looked darkly at Jake as the two vehicles passed each other.
No, this thing with the Buckleys and the Bryants is not over, Jeff thought. He glanced at Randy. She had closed her eyes and apparently didn’t notice Hash Bryant, but Jake…Jake did.
Twenty
“I don’t know what to do, Katie. Everything is a mess.”
Katie curled up against Lloyd, kissing his cheek. “I wish I knew what to tell you. Brian said we have to think positive about this.”
Lloyd stroked her hair. “Dr. Rogers verified what Brian figured. She’s got some kind of growth. And he isn’t even sure he or any doctor in Guthrie can operate on her, so now she and Pa have to decide what to do next. He has to head out the day after tomorrow, so it will have to wait. And that scares all of us, because we don’t know how long is too long to wait. Dr. Rogers said it’s best to operate soon to have a chance of getting it all.”
They’d decided to lie in bed together after sending Stephen off to school, knowing they had only today and tomorrow before Lloyd had to leave again.
“I’d go alone this time so Pa can be with my mother, but if the judge finds out he’s not doing his job—”
“Lloyd, surely the judge would understand.”
“Maybe, but with Pa asking for a reduced sentence, he can’t take any chances, and with Marty Bryant out there somewhere with a new bunch of men behind him, Pa would never send me out there without him, and I’m not letting him go without me. And with Evie carrying and having to watch after Little Jake, Brian doesn’t want to leave her, plus she’s had a lot of morning sickness this time, so she’s been pretty tired and weak.”
“Could there be a doctor in Edmond who could operate? That’s not so terribly far, and if you and Jake get back soon enough, Jake could take her there.”
“Brian and Ed Rogers are looking into it.” Lloyd sighed and pressed her closer. “It isn’t just my mother or the timing. It’s my pa. I know him, Katie, and I don’t even want to think about what he’ll be like if my mother dies. If that happens, I’ll actually lose both of them, because there will be no reaching my father.”
Katie kissed him softly. “Whatever happens, I’m here, Lloyd.”
Lloyd pulled her close, relishing the feel of her nakedness, the sweet warmth of having just made love. “I wish I didn’t have to leave you, Katie. While I’m gone I want you to stay close to town at all times, understand? Your parents will be here tomorrow to stay awhile so you won’t have to be alone. Once Pa and I find Marty Bryant, we can relax more.”
“How long will you be gone this time?”
“It’s hard to say. Some of it will be routine. We do have to serve Jessie Buckley those death certificates and see if we can find out anything about the whereabouts of Marty Bryant. The paperwork is piling up, and if the judge thinks Pa is shirking his duties, he might not even consider a reduced sentence.”
“I’d love to move to Colorado with you and get away from all this. I thought I could handle it better than this, but I’m already wondering how long I can live this way.”
There it was—the little wedge that kept trying to come between them. Katie was having a hard time accepting the situation, but then, so many unexpected things had come up since they married. It had been difficult to settle into any kind of normal routine. Most women didn’t have to worry about their husbands facing constant violence, but Lloyd was having trouble with Katie always being afraid. Something was still amiss. Deep down Lloyd felt as though she wanted him to choose her…or his father. Beth would never have asked that of him, but then Beth understood better all that had happened after Jake went to prison. She’d been through the worst of it with Lloyd and fully understood his reasons for always wanting to be close to Jake.