To Know Her by Name Read Online Free PDF

neatness.
    â€œPercy sent you a book.”
    Mud held the volume out, and Pup took it without studying the cover.
    â€œHe said he heard shots,” the man went on.
    Understanding hit Pup like a bullet.
    â€œI’m fine.”
    â€œI told him you were.”
    â€œI’ve got a wounded man in the spare room. I didn’t shoot him. My brother did and he’s dead now, but I’m fine.”
    Mud’s eyes widened, but he didn’t ask anything else.
    â€œDid you want some coffee?” Pup offered the drink as though it were any other day.
    â€œNo, I gotta get back. Are you—” he began but cut off. Pup was the most private individual he’d ever known. Countless times he had come by her place, still half-drunk, and poured out his life story of panning gold with his brother and then drinking it all away. She never talked, only listened. Indeed, she’d never given a hint about her own life until now when she had calmly told him that she had a shot-up man in her spare bedroom and that her brother was dead. Mud hadn’t even known she had a brother.
    â€œI hope you enjoy the book,” he finally managed, hating how foolish it sounded.
    â€œI’m sure I will. Tell Percy thanks.”
    â€œI’m sorry about your supplies.”
    â€œIt’s all right. I’ll probably head down tomorrow.”
    â€œWhat about the man?”
    Pup shrugged. “I’ve got to eat, and my sitting by his bed isn’t going to keep him alive.”
    It was exactly the type of remark he would expect her to make, and somehow it comforted him. She was still Pup. She had told him she was fine, and clearly it was true.
    â€œWell, I’m off.”
    â€œThanks again,” Pup called after him, but he was already on his way.
    She finally looked down at the book in her hand. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She had heard of this book but not read it. Laying the volume on the kitchen table, she went back to the dishes. The water was cold as she finished them, stacking them to air dry.
    She hadn’t checked on McKay in more than an hour, but felt no urgency since she was headed in there to work on the broken glass. She had made certain there was none on the bed and then ignored the rest. The amount of bleeding he’d been doing when she had dragged him had been too heavy on her mind.
    Now with broom and dustpan, she went to work. She poured the glass and wood splinters into a metal bucket. The sound was like a bell in the quiet room, so she took the bucket to the living room to muffle the noise. It was on her way back into the room at one point that she spotted McKay’s eyes on her.
    â€œI’ve been shot?” His voice was rusty, but she caught the words.
    â€œYeah.” Her voice was soft. “In the shoulder. The bullet is out, but you’ve lost a lot of blood.”
    â€œSo tired,” he managed.
    â€œHere,” she had moved to his side, “sip a little water.” She helped him without speaking, and McKay finally put his head back with a satisfied sigh. He looked at the woman standing above him.
    â€œWhere’s Govern?”
    â€œDead.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œYou shot him.”
    McKay frowned at her and told himself to keep his eyes open. Could it have been her? At the moment he didn’t know where the question came from or what it meant, but something wasn’t right.
    â€œThink you can manage a little broth?”
    â€œI’m hot.”
    Pup put her hand on his head. His skin was warm but not on fire.
    â€œThere’s a breeze coming through the window, but you don’t want to get too cold.”
    She watched him try and push the covers away, but he didn’t have the strength. However, it wasn’t a minute before he said, “Where are my pants?”
    Pup didn’t need to answer. His eyes were already closing. A man couldn’t lose that kind of blood and pop out of bed like nothing happened.