During dinner, the overall atmosphere wasn’t too bad, albeit a little superficial, since the women actively tried to avoid talking directly to each other. Then, Luke noticed that Madelaine wasn’t touching her food much. She happened to quickly glance at him when he looked directly at her with a worried expression, but she immediately turned her eyes to the other side of the table. She was blushing again.
“Simon, why don’t you tell your big sister about the animal you carved today?” Caleb said then, and Simon did not disappoint. He jumped off his chair and ran to the small table nearby, where he’d left it earlier. “Look, Maddie! I made a buffalo!” he cheered, holding up a somewhat deformed clump of wood that resembled anything but an animal.
Simon’s eyes sparkled with so much pride, Madelaine smiled the most heartwarming smile. “You did? It looks amazing!” she said, as he held it right in front of her face.
Then, Simon pointed at the top of what was supposed to be the head, and his face turned sad. “This is where the horns were supposed to be, but I wasn’t able to finish it.”
“Why not?” Madelaine enquired.
“You yelled at me!Bath time!” Simon imitated her voice and scowled when he shot her a quick side glance.
Caleb burst out laughing. “Oh, I love this kid! You sounded exactly like her.”
Simon’s scowl immediately vanished, and he joined in the laughter with Caleb. “I’m good at that, aren’t I?”
Luke noticed how Madelaine’s smile turned into a full-blown belly laugh. She was beautiful when she laughed, and Luke wished he could make her laugh like that. He watched as her nervousness left her body and her tense shoulders relaxed.
When Belle yawned loudly, Madelaine did not waste the opportunity to leave. “Evelyn, I’ll take Belle to bed first. I’ll come and help you with the dishes afterward,” she said as she put the plates back down and walked over to pick up the little girl.The fact that she’d used Evelyn’s full name instead of the usual nicknames spoke volumes.
“Sure. No problem,” Evelyn replied somewhat curtly, gifting her with yet another fake smile.
Luke had had enough of both their attitudes. He threw his napkin onto the table and sighed. These two clearly didn’t want to come off of whatever their quarreling was, and he didn’t want to get involved any more than he was.
It was obvious that Caleb had also noticed the slight awkwardness between the women when he shot Luke a knowing glance. Maybe this was their cue to leave.
“I think it’s time for a whiskey, don’t you think?” Luke asked Caleb as he rose from his chair.
“Yup! That’s a great idea,” Caleb replied, seemingly relieved. “I heard Moe got a couple of new brands in just the other day, which I’d like to try.”
“Perfect,” Luke said, as he adjusted his Stetson on top of his dark curls. “Well, ladies, don’t wait up,” Luke announced unapologetically, not waiting for anybody’s response as he walked toward the front door to grab his thick coat.
Stepping outside, it was already almost fully dark now, but a bright full moon and the sparkling snow covering every surface made it possible for them to see clearly.
The men rode in silence while Luke thought about everything that had happened today. It had been such a strange conversation with Evelyn, and his thoughts were a relentless spiral of ifs and buts, pulling him into this and that direction without a clear answer to any of it. There was also the added question of his feelings and why he felt so unsettled whenever he was close to Madelaine or even just looked at her. She stirred upsomething, but he couldn’t decipher what it was. Trying to solve a murder case on top of all these new developments, he felt drained.
Truthfully, he needed a break. After everything, he craved blissful nothingness.
He couldn’t wait to drown his thoughts in a shot of whiskey.
Preferably a double. Or two.
Chapter Eleven
Stevensville Saloon — The same night
Luke sighed contentedly as the amber liquid ran down his throat. The familiar burn comforted him, and after today, he needed it. Caleb made a similar sound as he drank his shot of whiskey in one big gulp. Lifting two fingers toward the saloon’s bartender, he immediately ordered a second round.
Not surprisingly, it was a busy night. The saloon was one of the oldest buildings in town, but they had recently added new gaming tables, which drew people in.
The atmosphere was great, with most of the folks being in high spirits, cheering, drinking, and generally having a good time. The pianist was working hard to keep up with his requests, and Moe McFadden—the bartender and owner of the saloon—and his oldest son, Moe Junior, could barely keep up with all the orders being shouted at them. Two lightly clad women frequented the tables, mostly hovering around the three new additions where men were playing cards or betting on coin tosses.
Moe had just brought over their second round of whiskey and turned to the next patron demanding a drink next to Luke and Caleb when the doors to the saloon swung open, and a group of three unknown men entered.
Whenever strangers turned up in town, Luke was immediately on high alert. Many of the folks in the establishment stopped what they were doing and stared at the newcomers as well. Even the pianist halted his play for a minute. One could never be too careful these days.
“We heard there was a new delivery of whiskey around here,” one of the men announced loudly as all three of them held up their hands to show they’d come in peace. “All we want is a drink.”
They looked like trappers, wearing a mixture of different kinds of furs and leathers, not an uncommon sight this time of year. When they slowly walked toward the bar, the pianist started playing his tune again, and the others went back to what they were doing.
