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The girls looked at each other, and the younger one, Regan, asked, “Can we see her?”
“Just as soon as the doctor’s done.”
Jim was staring as well.
Rhine turned to the conductor. “I’m MissCarmichael’s fiancé and this is my business partner Jim Dade. You can leave the girls here. How much do I owe you?”
He quoted the sum, and Rhine reached into his pocket and paid him what was owed plus a sizable tip.
The conductor grinned. “Thanks. ’Bye, girls.”
“’Bye, Mr.Hurly. Thank you.”
He nodded and made his exit.
Rhine was still trying to get over the shock of their sudden arrival and that they’d traveled from Denver alone. “Would you girls like something to eat?”
“No thank you. We just want to see Aunt Eddy.”
“Will you at least have a seat?”
“No thank you.”
Rhine and Jim shared a look.
“Would—”
“Just leave us alone, okay,” Portia said.
Rhine raised an eyebrow. He wondered what kind of home they’d come from. He knew Eddy had been worried about them, but she hadn’t shared any details about their lives. From the look of their dresses, their worn shoes, and how painfully thin they were, he guessed they didn’t have a lot. “Would you be more comfortable if Jim and I sat outside?”
The young one, Regan, said, “Yes.”
So Rhine and Jim got up and went outside and sat on the back steps.
Jim said, “This is going to be quite a story I’m willing to bet.”
Rhine agreed.
Eddy swam up to consciousness only long enough to hear the murmur of voices and get the sense that she was in a familiar place. Beside the bed stood her nieces, Portia and Regan. Why am I in Denver? She had no answer though, so she slipped back into sleep.
The next time she awakened, she didn’t know how much time had passed but her mind was clearer and she looked around. Once again beside the bed stood the girls. “What are you doing here?” she asked around her sand-dry throat. That she was surprised to see them was an understatement.
Both girls threw themselves on her and she gathered them in. White hot pain shot through her back but she fought it off to hold them.
“We thought you were going to die,” Regan cried.
“I’m not going to die, or at least I hope not. How long have you been here?”
“Two days,” Portia said. “Mama sent us. She wrote you a letter.”
Eddy’s back was on fire. She remembered being shot but nothing more. Seeing them was such a joy, but she was too sleepy at the moment to appreciate it or read Corinne’s letter. “Are you staying here with me and MissSylvia?”
“Yes.”
“Are you being good for her?”
“Yes.”
