Chapter 16 - Arthur Rides Into Town
Spring arrived slowly.
Snow retreated from the valley.
Arthur rode into town for the first time without lowering his eyes.
People stared.
Some apologized.
Others did not.
Arthur no longer cared.
At the courthouse he testified.
So did Leanne.
So did Briggs.
Silas Vane and Caleb Dunn were sent away to face trial.
Afterward Arthur walked toward the cemetery.
Leanne followed at a distance.
Arthur stopped before two stones.
ANNA HALE.
SAMUEL HALE.
He removed his hat.
For a long time he said nothing.
Then he spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
The wind moved through the grass.
“I thought suffering was the only thing I had left to give you.”
His voice shook.
“It wasn’t.”
He placed Samuel’s repaired wooden horse beside the grave.
“I loved you.”
Leanne quietly turned away to give him privacy.
Arthur looked at Anna’s stone.
“And I think you would tell me I’ve been a fool.”
A broken laugh escaped him.
He cried then.
Not violently.
Not dramatically.
Three years of grief simply moved through him.
When Arthur finally turned around, Leanne was waiting beneath a cottonwood tree.
She did not ask whether he was all right.
She knew better.
They walked home together.
May you like
But when they reached the ranch, Leanne’s traveling case was sitting beside the door.
---
