Miss Morgan

Twenty-Two

💌- new update- I decided to go back to these chapters to switch to third person to accentuate Ivy's silence. I'm sure I've missed a few words that need to be changed and it will take some time to go through and change everything on these chapters, then go back through and proofread again. But I am really happy with the decision and will continue writing new chapters once I'm done! Just bare with me if you're reading these chapters while I'm still making these changes 😅

September 1895

My sweet Ivy,
I'm afraid I've ruined your life. It kills me knowing I've hurt you and knowing that boy ain't mine. I can't be here anymore. When you read this I'll already be long gone. Please don't come looking for me. Don't do nothing stupid. Move on with your life, find a good man that deserves you more than me.
I'm more sorry than I can express.

Sincerely,
John

Ivy folds up the letter for the hundredth time and shoves it in her pocket. She's read it too many times over the last few months to count, maybe in hopes that she'll wake up from this terrible nightmare soon. But that doesn't happen.

John left, and with him her voice went too.

Mac brought her out in hopes of finding John but until last night they've had no leads.

Mac loves her.

Her stomach turns as his little speech repeats over in her mind. "I'm better for you than John Marston..." who the hell does he think he is? He's the one who brought her out here almost three months ago to try and find John. Was it all just a ploy to get closer to her? She blows out a breath, curling and uncurling her fists.

It's alright. She's on her own now and she's not going back to the gang until she has John with her.

She walks out of her rented room and down the stairs to order some peach cobbler from the Blackwater saloon. Her mouth waters when the sweet smell hits her nose. She sits down with the warm plate in her freezing hands and her stomach growls.

As she eats, a man about Dutch's age with curly caramel colored hair sits at the table next to her. He has kind eyes and he glances up from his newspaper and eyes the plate in front of her.

"My wife loves the peach cobbler here." He smiles at her and she nods in response.

"You ain't much of a talker eh?"

Ivy shakes her head.

"That's alright, I'm sure some things is easier left unspoken. Folks can sure be nasty. Some people say its rude not to answer someone talkin' to ya, but I say, you don't need to live to a stranger's standards. Besides, you really never know what a person is goin' through. Sometimes a person needs to be quiet because their thoughts are too loud."

Ivy blinks her eyes a couple times. She expected this man to start in on her for not speaking and not dressing like a lady, but here he is blabbering out all the words she needed to hear.

He's so right.

Ivy gives him a grateful smile as he stands to leave his table.

"Whatever you're going' through, I hope everything gets better soon."

She nods once more and watches him head to the door.