Mercy || Whitey Winn

(12)

After coffee at Alice's house we all crammed back into the wagons and headed towards town. When we arrived at La Belle I realized that I had been gone for approximately an hour, maybe a little more, meaning Whitey had indeed gotten me back in time. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

      Once we all exited our wagons and started heading to our desired destinations, I made sure to wait for Whitey. Again. Except this time I was going to thank him. I also wanted to check up on him and see how he was doing, especially after he lost the draw. Whitey doesn't particularly enjoy losing and it's at these times when he is not the most pleasant person to be around.

When we were in Alice's house and enjoying coffee, Whitey and I were basically attached at the hip. It was just like our school days; where one went the other followed. Since all of the ladies were around though, I didn't get to have a serious conversation with him and ask how he was really feeling.

Now I had a chance.

      As soon as Whitey was off of his horse I shouted his name and watched as he turned his head in search of the source the sound came from. Once his gaze locked upon my standing figure, I beckoned him to come towards me with a quick hand gesture. He grinned broadly and jogged towards me. Butterflies immediately erupted in my stomach at the sight of his perfect smile. Could he be any more swoon worthy? It took all I had in me to not melt on the spot.

"Hey, Minnie." He grinned even wider. "Told ya I'd get you back on time."

"That you did," I agreed, smiling. "Thank you."

"Anything for my Minnie," he said in a teasing manner.

      I blushed at his words while laughing. I then lightly shoved him, mainly for teasing me, but also to hide my flushed face. He then placed his hand over the spot where I pushed him and pretended to be in pain.

      "Ouch, Minnie, that really hurt. You owe me now." He grinned brightly, an idea forming in his mind.

      "Oh no."

      "Oh yes."

      I groaned in annoyance. When we were in school, Whitey always had the craziest ideas. He was never the brightest kid in our class, but when it came to tricks and favors benefiting himself, he was a genius. I was sure that this idea would be no different.

      "Wait a second," I thought aloud. "I don't owe you anything! I came to Alice's house for you. So technically, you owe me."

      Whitey's smile faltered momentarily as he thought back to our encounter a mere hour ago. I was right and he knew it. But then his smile returned in full force as he seemingly dawned upon a sudden realization. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for me.

      "That's right, but you just shoved me so now we're even." He flashed a smirk, knowing he was right.

      I sighed in frustration and admitted, "Ugh, yeah you're right."

       "It's a real shame though. I had a great favor you could've done for me."

"Oh Lord, Whitey. Do I even want to know?" I asked.

Whitey grinned maliciously, moving closer to me. He was close enough for me to see the light in his eyes. I felt my heart start to flutter as he spoke.

"Probably not."

I rolled myself eyes teasingly. "What would I ever do without you and your ideas, Whitey," I said jokingly.

      He smirked. "I don't know. But I do know that your life would be a lot more boring without me in it."

"That is true." I smiled. I loved our conversations like these. Full of sarcasm, teasing, and a light and good hearted atmosphere.

"Anyways," I started. "You up for walking me to the schoolhouse?"

I immediately noticed Whitey's smile falter. My heart stopped. He normally enjoyed walking with me to work. Or at least I thought he did.

      "About that, I'm really sorry, Minnie, but I should probably get back to the sheriff's station. You know with the sheriff being gone and everything, I should probably be there."

      "Oh." I was shocked. Whitey never blew me off, even if work called him, which was unlikely because of how uneventful our small town is. Whitey was always with me when I needed him or simply wanted to talk. Even when he was sick he would still try to see me. Of course I would tell him to stay home, but nevertheless he persisted like the stubborn boy he is. It was one of the many traits I loved about him. So to say I was confused would be an understatement. It was so unlike him.

    "I'm sorry, Minnie. You understand, don't you?"

I snapped out of my daze. "Yeah! Of course! I understand. You have important things to tend to. I won't hold you up any longer." I tried to keep the edge out of my voice, but due to the strange look on Whitey's face, I didn't do a very good job.

"Ok, well I'll see you around." Whitey then slowly started to back away from me.

"Yeah, see you around. Bye, Whitey." I started to back away from him too.

       He waved at me then turned around and started in the direction of the sheriff's station. I stared at him as he walked a minute longer, then was off to the schoolhouse.

      During my walk I kept thinking about how strange Whitey was acting. He never declined spending time with me. I know he enjoys his profession, but I also know that he was most likely not needed for anything major. Especially since the only prisoner escaped due to help from Alice Fletcher.

      It was all so weird. I knew Whitey better than anyone and I could tell that something was up. I just couldn't figure out what.

By the time I was halfway to the schoolhouse, I couldn't take it. I needed to know what Whitey was really doing, so I decided to follow him and find out.

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A/N

      Hey guys! So obviously I haven't been able to update like I said I would and for that I'm truly sorry! I had really hoped and looked forward to updating and finishing this story over the summer, but due to an unforeseen circumstance I couldn't. I'm not gonna lie, my summer was pretty rough and I had to devote a lot of my time, attention, and energy to this unforeseen circumstance. But writing has always been a great outlet for me and I fully intend to continue writing Mercy until it's finished.

      That being said, updates are unfortunately going to be pretty irregular, but I will always try to update when I can!

      Thank you if you've read this far, and I hope you all will decide to stick with me and Minnie on this journey! Love you guys!

      Also, 13K READS!? WHAT?! YOU GUYS NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME!! YOU ARE TRULY THE BEST!!

-Mel