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“Then Nate can charge me for the cleaning.”
The familiar exchange brought a welcome warmth to Eden’s face. She remained near the doorway while Bass pulled the chair close enough for Jesse to see him clearly.
“Everybody back?” Jesse asked.
“Yes. All of us.”
“Find anything?”
Bass told him about the horses and the three prisoners. He didn’t make a speech about heroism or recovery. He spoke as he would have at the ranch, bringing news to a brother who deserved to know it.
Jesse listened without interrupting until Bass mentioned the marked map.
“Old Chapman road?”
“That’s right.”
Jesse shut his eye briefly. “Silver tooth?”
“Still loose.”
“Rusk?”
“Still loose too. Whit’s working on it.”
Bass rested his forearms on his knees. “Your warning gave us the right place to watch.”
Jesse studied him. “Don’t start thanking me for getting beat.”
“I wasn’t planning to.” Bass paused. “I’d rather have my brother back than any horse in sight.”
Jesse’s mouth tightened. He reached across the blanket with his left hand, and Bass took it.
Eden withdrew to the front room. Whatever the brothers said next belonged to them.
The clinic emptied after sunrise. Whit and the marshal returned to the jail. Beau went to see about the horses. Simon borrowed dry boots and took the marked paper to the bank, where he could compare the figures against earlier offers.
Eden stayed long enough to give Nate the account Jesse had dictated the night before. Then she fetched breakfast from Rose and ate it while it was still warm. No one had to order her to finish.
When she returned to the sickroom, Bass had gone. Jesse lay awake, his head angled toward the window.
“Did they get Crowley?” he asked.
“No. Whit has three men in custody, though. Someone may decide a jail cell isn’t worth keeping Rusk’s secrets.”
“Hope so.”
She set the notebook on the table.
Jesse studied her. “You ought to sleep.”
“So ought you.”
“I did.”
“Then you’re ahead of me.”
His fingers reached toward the notebook. “Did your father write back?”
