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Sylvie, a woman with hair as black as night—and a soul to match it— shot a sneer in her direction. “As if we need another woman in here taking what little these dirty bums can afford.” She inhaled deeply from the cigar she was smoking, blowing a puff of gray smoke into the air before looking at her in a sideways manner. “You just stick to what you know, songbird, and we’ll get along just fine.”
Ruby pulled her shoulders back and stood to her full height, the animosity between the two palpable. “Jealousy doesn’t become you, Sylvie. It just makes you look all the more desperate.”
Someone snorted a laugh. “If my tits hung as low as Sylvie’s, I’d be a jealous bitch, too.”
Laughter filled the room, the girls around the table cackling as Sylvie pushed back from the table, shoved it out of her way and yelled, “Fuck you, Opal. Like you’re such a prize.”
Opal laughed boisterously then yelled, “I am. Hell, my tits have seen more action than those deflated water sacks you’ve been carrying around do. They’ve seen more cock than your worn out old snatch ever will, too.”
Ruby grabbed Betsey’s arm and pulled her into the hall and away from the fight that was minutes away from taking place,Opal's grinning face the last thing she saw as she was led out of the room.
The laughter, shouts of anger, and ribald teasing faded as they headed toward the saloon and disappeared completely when they stepped around the corner.
"Don't pay them no mind, Betsey. You know Sylvie’s just looking for a fight and she don’t care who it is she picks it with.”
“I know.”
Ruby tugged on her arm until she turned her head to look at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Betsey sighed. Even if she poured her heart out to Ruby, her situation would still be the same so what was the point on lingering over it? She smiled, shook her head and said, “I’m just tired and stressed, that’s all. I’ll be fine once I have something to occupy my time.”
“Well, go on with you, then. There’s enough rowdy cowboys out there to make you forget every trouble you have.” She gave her a small nudge toward the bar. “You just be sure to let ole Ruby know if you need afriendwith specialized skills.”
Betsey watched her walk away before turning to face the bar. Vernon looked her way, ran his gaze down her simple homespun dress and shook his head before pushing a tray of drinks at her. “Take these over to table three before starting, Betsey. We’ve got a rowdy crowd tonight.” He gave her another look from head to toe. “And you’ve got to wear something other than those unflattering frocks you’ve been wearing in here. These men won’t give you a second look wearing that.”
She sighed. He’s asked her three times to wear one of those low cut, short dresses the girls upstairs wore and as much as she hated the idea, she wasn’t sure she could put it off much longer. She grabbed the tray of drinks and headed into the mass of sweaty bodies filling every space inside the building and dreaded every step she took.
Cominghome felt nothing like he’d expected it would, nor did seeing Betsey for the first time. He wasn’t even sure how he did with so many people on the wooden sidewalk but they seemed to part at just the right moment and across the road near the saloon, the girl whose heart he’d broken stood staring back at him. Something tight clenched in his chest when she turned and walked away and if his ma didn’t have a grip on him so tight he could barely breathe, he would have run across the road and chased her down.
Aaron gave his mother one last tight embrace, kissed her on the cheek, and pulled away. Tears filled her eyes and the sight made that painful knot in his chest clench a fraction tighter. “Stop crying, ma. I told you I’d be back.”
“I know you did.” Keri tried straightening his shirt collar. No matter how old he was, she still mothered him as if he were ten years old. “I didn’t expect it to take you a year to do so.” She met his gaze. “We’ve been worried about you, even Noah.”
The mere mention of Noah’s name caused every hateful word he’d shouted at him to come flooding back and he wanted to kick his own ass for being such a pig-headed fool. He had a lot to atone for in this little town and as much as it killed him to think of seeing all those he’d hurt, he knew it was time. He couldn’t keep running no matter how much he wanted to. “Everyone back home doing all right?”
“Yes, everyone is fine.” She glanced over his shoulder. The smile on her face faltered for a brief second before she straightened. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude.” She glanced at Aaron. “Are you going to introduce us, Aaron?”
He glanced back at Morning Dove. She’d been looking at the town but turned back to face them. “Ma, this is Morning Dove,” he said, taking her arm and pulling her a bit closer. When shemade eye contact with him, he nodded at his mother. “And this is my mother, Keri Lloyd.”
Morning Dove lowered her head a fraction and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you as well,” his mother said. She gave him a pointed look, then darted a glance back at Morning Dove before saying, “Will you be coming home?”
Eventually. He didn’t tell her that, though. “Soon,” he said. “I have some things to take care of first but I promise to come by.”
She frowned. “It’s still your home, Aaron. You leaving didn’t change that.”
Her soft-spoken words hit straight at his heart. After the things he’d said, he wasn’t sure there was a place for him there anymore. “Noah won’t have a problem with that?”
She sighed. “He was your pa up until the day you left. Why is he all of a sudden, Noah again?”
Because he didn’t feel like he deserved to call him that, not after the things he’d said. He raised a hand and scratched at his eyebrow with his thumb.
“He still thinks of you as his son, Aaron, and he always will, regardless of what happened or what was said. He loves you, we all do, and there will always be a place in our home for you.” She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek and hugged him again so tight he couldn’t breathe. She gave him a watery smile when she stepped back. “I need to go. Noah will be wondering where I’m at if I’m not back soon.” She glanced at Morning Dove and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you,” before giving him another quick kiss and heading down the sidewalk.
Aaron watched her go and loosened a deep breath when he could no longer see her. There was one confrontation over and done with. He still had Noah to face and Betsey. The mere thought of her caused his stomach to coil into a knot. Of all the relationships he’d screwed up here in Willow Creek, hers was the one he regretted the most.
He turned to look at Morning Dove. She was still checking out the town. “It’s a bit different from Silver Falls.”
