AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Miss Tilda pulled herself up and stared hard once more. “Why? I gotta ask you that, ‘cause frankly I don’t understand what you’d get out of it.”
“I’m lonely without Sam…and I so want to learn how to be a real lady. I don’t have any idea where to start.”
“Aw…honey, I’m so sorry for being insensitive to you about Sam. Sure you miss him, but someone will come along eventually.”
“Well, this way, if they don’t, I’ll have plenty of company around me.” She laughed.
“Can we legally do it?” Miss Tilda asked after thinking on it a minute.
“I’ll find out, but I wanted to ask you about it before I go storming the lawyer about the matter,” Riley explained.
“I’m interested. I surely am. Go to the lawyer tomorrow and let me know what he says. Where are you staying?”
Riley firmed her lips. “I hate to admit it, but I haven’t got a place for the night. Think you could rig me something out here on the porch or something?”
“I can do better than that; I’ll give you a room.” Miss Tilda patted her hand. “Come on, where’s your dog anyway?”
“How’d you know I had one?”
“It was with Sam when he came.”
“Oh…well, that was his dog, Nodog. My dog’s name is Friend. He’s down at the livery stable for the night.”
“Fine, you can go get him tomorrow.”
Riley looked at her. “Looking like I do, I hate to go into a hotel and try to keep up a charade.”
“Well, at least you got the clothes and haircut. You can pull it off a little longer with the lawyer.”
“You won’t have to keep up a charade here.” Miss Tilda smiled. “Come with me, we’ll fix you a room up and you can get some sleep. Tomorrow, you go in and talk to that lawyer and then we’ll talk about rent and charges. I really can’t believe you are wanting to do this.”
“I spent the whole trip back thinking on it. They’ll be building towns up before long out that way. And if you want to move into town eventually then I’d understand, but who knows you might like the country.” Riley sighed as Miss Tilda threw an arm around her and guided her up the stairs.
Riley slept well that night.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam sat in the saddle all night, letting the night air cool his face while his mind wandered back to Riley over and over. He wondered where the hell he was going. He no longer had any ambition to go to Arizona.
What had Riley been thinking, that they could marry and have a home together?
Even if it was natural for a woman to think like that, she had to consider he was black and others wouldn’t accept him as her husband. They’d likely hang him. But then hanging might be worth it, to have Riley just once.
Sure he loved her, more than anything in his life, he loved her. But that’s why he left, so she could make a life for herself. Didn’t she realize it?
He glanced down at the ground and missed Nodog once more. How could he go on, losing everything he cared about in this world?
He hadn’t been this lonesome in years. Tears fell down his cheek unchecked. And for a short while he mourned losing Riley and Nodog.
He hadn’t let himself fantasize about Riley before, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. What would she do all alone? How would she handle the storms? What if Harry was still at the ranch and hurt her? That possibility had him stopping and camping for the night. He should return, see this thing all the way through. Yet she herself had run him off.
Nothing made any sense. He missed her, wanted her, loved her, and he’d left her. Was he crazy?
That night he slept restlessly. Where would he go, what would he do? How would he release this yoke around his heart?
Before he realized where he was headed, he found himself back in the arms of his sister Hattie, shaking hands with Lee, Chase and Katherine. He went through the motions, but nothing seemed real any more. Nothing shut out the feeling he had for Riley, and the thought that he should be with her, helping her.
Burning Tree sensed the sorrow within Sam. That’s when he called him to his lodge.
