Shane's Bride (Mail Order Brides of Texas #3) Read Free Page B

back toward her.  “Do you think you could check on Jester? He should be fine, but I worry.” At her nod he was out the door.
    The first thing she did was walk to each window and made sure they were locked.  Then she looked for the root cellar hoping it was inside the house.  Finally, she located it in the pantry.  She pulled up on the door in the floor and went down the steps.  The vastness of the room astounded her.  There wasn’t much food, but there were lamps, oil, candles, and blankets.  Someone was stocking up in case of a siege.  Too bad the original owners never got a chance to live in the house. 
    She was just closing the trap door when the jangle of a harness and the clop of hooves filtered in from outside.  With a gasp, she hurried to the front windows, as her heart pounded waves of fear through her.  It was Poor Boy, a young man who worked at Eats, a restaurant in town.  He was rail thin with constant circles under his eyes.  What was his reason for not sleeping?
    Opening the door before he knocked, she surprised him, and his eyes widened.  “I-I—Miss Edith asked me to deliver these here things to you.  Well not to you exactly but to the Sheriff’s house.” His face turned red as he stammered.
    “Can I help you unload the wagon?” She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.  She recognized the agony in his eyes and felt as though he was a kindred soul.
    “No, Ma’am.  I’m being paid for delivery.”
    “Okay then, you can bring the items in and put them on the table in the kitchen.”
    Nodding, he appeared relieved to have some direction.  “Right away.” He practically ran to the wagon.  Perhaps his clothes had once fit, but now the shirt and pants hung loosely on his lank body.  Surely Eats, the owner of the restaurant, fed him.  She watched as he grabbed a box from the wagon and brought it to the house.
    “The kitchen is this way.”
    He followed her slowly.  When she turned to see what was keeping him, she noted that he took care to glance in every corner of the rooms they passed.  He set the box on the table and walked back to the door, hesitated as he scanned the yard before heading back out.  Such strange behavior.
    Moving just as carefully, he brought in the last box and placed it next to the others.  “That’s all, Ma’am.”
    “Poor Boy, do you get enough to eat?”
    “Yes, more than enough.  I’m just skinny is all.”
    “What about sleep? You have dark circles under your eyes.  Is Eats working you too hard?”
    He shook his head.  “No, he isn’t.  He’s the best friend I ever had.  I work hard and I get enough time to sleep.  I just don’t sleep much.” The haunted expression on his face saddened her.
    “I don’t want to pry.  I don’t sleep much either.  I have nightmares about the Comanche, and sometimes I can’t stand to be in bed.  That’s why I ran away.  I was trying to outrun my nightmares.  Sometimes I’m afraid to go to bed.  Is it like that for you?”
    There was a flicker of awareness in his brown eyes.  “Yes, Ma’am.  No one ever really understood before.  I walk a lot at night.”
    With a nod, she gently touched his arm.  “If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
    “Thank you,” he whispered.  Then he turned and walked outside and got in the wagon without looking at her.  He flicked the lines and set the horses moving.  But his shoulders slouched as though he had the weight of the world on them. 
    What a shame, he’s so young.
    Shaking her head, Cecily walked into the house and locked the door.  She didn’t look in every corner, but she did check the windows again.  They were a lot alike, Poor Boy and her, but she knew enough not to pry. 
    She smiled as she took the items out of the boxes.  Edith had sold Shane expensive items he had no use for.  He already had a skillet, Dutch oven, and a kettle.  Canned peaches were a luxury he didn’t need to spend his money on.  Butter, bread,