Free The Mail Order Midwife's Secret (Wanted: Wives In The West 2) by Trinity Ford Page B

She was going to tell John about her trip tonight—not the details, just the day she was leaving—and she had no idea how he would react to even more secrecy.

 
    Chapter Thirteen
     
    Henry Wallace had arrived in town late in the afternoon. He checked into the hotel and walked over to the saloon across the street, taking a seat at the bar. “Whisky,” he told the bartender, who served him promptly. The room was almost empty, except for a small group playing pool and an animal in a cage at the end of the bar. “That a real panther?” he asked, feeling like his eyes were playing tricks on him.
    “Sure is,” the bartender said. “City council’s ‘bout to make us get rid of him due to the fact he’s always hurting people. Good attraction, though. Brings in business.”
    “I can imagine,” Henry said. “Hey you know of any jobs here in Fort Worth—maybe something in law enforcement or medicine? I done a bit of both back in Kansas.” He wanted to dig for more information about Millie or her sheriff boyfriend—find out all he could before he confronted her and took her back home.
    “Matter of fact we got a nurse here, come from Kansas,” the bartender replied. “Purty little thing—kind as can be—but she’s off limits on account of the sheriff being smitten with her. She’ll probably be ‘round here sometime tonight and you can ask her and the Doc ‘bout medical jobs, or talk to the sheriff ‘bout law enforcement. I reckon we need a marshal, since the last one got scared off.” The bartender filled up Henry’s whisky glass a second time, and then a third.
    As Henry sat there tossing back liquor, the anger boiling up inside of him began oozing out. Who does she think she is, leaving me and coming here for another man? he thought. The bar began filling up as more cowboys came in off the trail to beat the bad weather moving toward town.

 
    Chapter Fourteen
     
    John slowly got ready for a night in the Acre. He attached his badge and walked out to his horse for the ride into town, stopping at his favorite spot on top of the hill to watch the sun set. He hadn’t felt like himself lately. He was feeling impatient and hurt, struggling with the wait to marry Millie. What pained him most was wondering why she wouldn’t let him help her. If only she trusted him, he was sure he could fix whatever it was holding her back. Sure, they got to see each other daily at work, and spend time together at church activities—but it couldn’t compare to being able to hold her hand, wake up to her beautiful face, and proudly walk her on his arm into services each Sunday. That’s what he’d missed so much after Rose died—the presence of someone so fragile and precious to his heart that he would do anything to protect her.
    But it just wasn’t meant to be yet. Pastor Littlejohn had counseled him on it already. “We must be patient in life,” he told John. “Romans 12:12 says to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.”
    John tried to remind himself of that, but he was only human, and sometimes even his best efforts weren’t enough to fend off the pain of desperately wanting to be able to love and share his life with Millie.
    A loud clap of thunder jolted him out of his thoughts and he noticed the dark wall of storms making their way toward Fort Worth from the west. He gave a quick click of his tongue, dug his heels gently into the sides of his horse, snapped the reins and shouted, “Let’s go!” as they raced toward town to take shelter before the downpour began.

 
    Chapter Fifteen
     
    Henry joined in on a game of pool, betting some of the cash he’d brought with him. He took his pool cue and leaned over the table to line up. Just as his cue hit the ball, the double doors swung open and Sheriff Lockhart strode in to get out of the rain. Henry’s skin felt like it was on fire, he was so mad. It was all he could do to not pull out his six-shooter and stick a bullet right