Hollister shook his head slowly. “I knew Lucy was a character, but I never imagined her to be a killer. Do you think she’s serious?”
“She wasn’t laughing,” Jack said.
“I like your plan, Wyatt. We need to know what she’s planning and someone else needs to hear the plan.” Hollister turned to Jack. “When do you see her again?”
“She said a few days, so I imagine it will be tomorrow or the next day at the café at noon.”
“Does she just sit at a table and talk? I mean are there people within earshot?”
“It’s busy in the café at noon and loud. She didn’t whisper, but I don’t know if anyone could hear her.”
Hollister tapped his chin. “I have a new deputy who I just installed on Saturday. Few know him as my deputy yet. I’ll send him to the café if you tell me when, Jack. He’ll sit as close to you and Lucy as he can. If possible, tell her you can’t make it at noon, but you can meet her at one or two. The café will be less crowded then.”
“In the meantime, I’ll find out what’s what in El Paso and whether you’re still a wanted man. Even if you aren’t, I think you should leave town, at least for the holidays. I think Beau might recognize you and ... well, if he’s as nasty as his father and brother, it would be wise.”
“Jack can come away with me and my wife for the holidays, it’s not a problem,” Wyatt said. No sooner had he said it than he wished he’d waited to check with Vera. He’d learned from his father that a wife didn’t always appreciate surprises.
It surprised Wyatt when Vera was pleased that he’d invited Jack to go with them to Missouri. “What a good idea, Wyatt,” she said. “I’m not sure where Thea will put everyone, but we’ll manage, and Jack will stay out of danger until all this has been settled.”
Wyatt knew then that he’d found himself the perfect wife.
Chapter Seven
Jack sent a message through the post office for Lucy to meet him on Monday at two in the afternoon at the café to listen to her plan. That way, the deputy would be ready to listen. He hadn’t received a reply yet, and so he hoped she’d be there.
Lucy was sitting at a table as far away from the door as possible. Warm sweat seemed to pour down Jack’s back when he didn’t see the deputy. The plan had to work.
He sat down opposite her, trying hard not to let his eyes wander around the room to look for the deputy.
A different man than usual came to their table to take their lunch order. When Jack looked up at him, he caught the man’s slight wink. He must be the deputy!
“Just tea for me,” Lucy said.
“And for you, sir?” the waiter asked.
Jack hadn’t had lunch yet. “I’ll have the tongue sandwich and a coffee.”
“Excuse me, sir, could you speak up? I’m hard of hearing. If you look right at me, I can read your lips.”
Jack looked at him and said loudly, “I’ll have the tongue sandwich and a coffee.”
“Got it.”
After taking the order to the kitchen, the man came back out to the dining room to sweep the floor near them.
“So, what’s the plan?” Jack asked Lucy.
“I thought you’d have one, being an experienced killer and all.”
“It was self-defense.”
Lucy sighed. “Maybe you could shoot him while he’s out in the pasture with his beloved cattle.”
The deputy moved to the kitchen, brought out their order, and began to wipe the table across from them.
“How will I know when he’s out in the pasture? And what about his family and the other workers?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Lucy sighed again. “Wait—he goes to the bank every Monday at around three, just before it closes. You could make it look like a robbery. In fact, you should grab his cash give it to me.”
“If I kill your husband, you’ll keep quiet about my past, right?”
“Yes. I won’t say a word.”
The waiter stepped up to the table and took hold of Lucy’s arm. “You’re under arrest, ma’am. Stand up, please.”
Lucy jerked around, her mouth gaping open. “Me? Whatever for?”
“I just overheard your plan to kill your husband.” The deputy pulled her to her feet.
“I was joking, wasn’t I, Jack?”
Jack shook his head. “No, you weren’t.”
The deputy tied her hands behind her back and led her off to the jailhouse.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. That nasty business was finally over.
Wyatt began to slowly show Vera affection in small ways. When she sat down and sighed with tiredness after a hard day, he’d rub her neck and shoulders. When in the hall or a place he had to move past her, he’d touch her tenderly at the waist before squeezing by. She never balked or objected to the attention, which encouraged him to continue. It surprised him when he felt something pleasurable after touching her. He had the feeling that if they ever really got together, sparks would fly. The thought warmed him.
~~~***~~~
They packed for their trip to Oakville while watching the snowflakes swirling around their windows.
Vera felt Wyatt put his hands on her waist as he moved past her to get to his valise. Each time he touched her intimately like that she felt warm all over. If only she knew how to encourage him more. She’d had absolutely no experience with courting or men. How did a woman encourage a man without him thinking she was a hussy? She wanted to make their marriage a real one, but she didn’t know how to bring that about. She knew Wyatt was hinting at it each time
