The Mail Order Midwife's Secret (Wanted: Wives In The West 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

asked marshals to do in town were nothing more than cleaning up after the rowdy men who berated them. He felt sorry for Jennings because he knew he had a family to provide for, and Hank Hensley could make that happen.
    For the next hour, Sheriff Lockhart instructed everyone on the street to clean up the town’s main roads. Nobody complained. Saloon owners sent their bar help out, regulars pitched in, and in no time it was all picked up and ready for another night of raucous behavior. The Acre was packed to the brim. There was a big card game that had brought in all the best gamblers, including a few notable outlaws. It was a given that anyone running from the law elsewhere could hide out in Hell’s Half Acre, as long as they didn’t cause any trouble. The wealthiest and most powerful citizens in Fort Worth would share the table with these professional gamblers for the big stakes game tonight.
     
    …
     
    Millie woke late in the afternoon. She wasn’t used to having her days and nights mixed up, but if this is what the town of Fort Worth needed, and it helped her get away from Henry, she’d gladly do it.
    The scent of fresh coffee and fried onions wafted through the cabin. Millie felt completely refreshed from her hard sleep the night before. “Hope you don’t mind having breakfast for supper,” Clara said as Millie emerged from her bedroom. “Doc likes to have it sometimes, and sometimes we eat supper for breakfast!” Clara had already made supper, and set a place for Millie and Doc so they could eat before the Acre got busy. The table was overflowing with warm food—a bowl of grits, fresh made biscuits, fried potatoes with onions, bacon, and eggs on each plate.
    Millie stood there looking at Clara in awe. She was a strong woman, handling everything at their home and never once complaining about Doc’s late hours or the dangerous situations he found himself in. He wasn’t an affectionate man, at least not in front of Millie, but she could see the mutual respect and love they had for one another whenever their eyes locked. It was as if they were the only two in the room—no words needed, with Doc saying I’ll miss you tonight with a nod to Clara and Clara saying Come home safe with her eyes whenever he walked out the door.
    Seeing the two of them made Millie almost believe that there was such a thing as true love. But she knew that sometimes what people do in front of others isn’t the way they behave behind closed doors, so she wouldn’t give it too much credence yet. The two women sat down at the table. Clara’s settings were impeccable. Doc rushed out of their bedroom, adjusting his tie. He always seemed to be in a hurry, even when he wasn’t. “No need to wait for me,” he said as he sat down.
    “Of course we’ll wait for you,” Clara argued playfully. “You’re the one who always says the prayer.” Doc wasn’t a very talkative man, so Clara seemed to use every opportunity to get him speaking.
    The three joined hands around the table and bowed their heads as Doc began. “Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the food upon our table and ask that you share our good fortune with those who need your help in finding the same blessings in their life. Amen.” To Millie, Doc hadn’t spoken five words since she’d arrived the day before. When he did speak of anything to do with her, it was more like he was muttering to himself, not expecting an answer. It wasn’t unkind, just his way with everyone—a man locked in his own little world, where he’d opened the door just enough to allow Clara inside.
    “We’re heading in early tonight,” Doc said to no one, looking down at his plate as he used a biscuit to scoop up a bite of fried eggs and grits that he’d mixed together.
    “It’s the big stakes,” Clara explained to Millie. “A private game with all the top gamblers in town, plus a few high level locals.” Millie nodded like she understood, but she had no idea what Hell’s Half Acre was