The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

69: Rumors

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork of Rosie by Laura Hollingsworth. All graphics by me.

Book 1: The Green, Book 2: Lynch's Boys, Book 3: The Road Home, and the Riders & Kickers Anthology are available on Amazon under the name Regina Shelley. So if you hate waiting for chapter posts and/or want a more polished read, the finished product is available now.

NOTE: I'm posting this a little early. I'm in South Carolina, and I don't know if I'm going to have power tomorrow. We're about to get sideswiped by Hurricane Irma. It's gusty here now, and it's supposed to be blowing hard tomorrow. So you get your FDM fix a little early, just in case. If you're in the way of this thing, be safe, take care, and stay strong. See you on the other side. 

If Rosie could have one wish granted to her this morning, it would be for Jed Smith to suddenly lose the ability to speak. It was Tommy's first day back at school, and as soon as she, Tommy, and Luis arrived in the schoolyard, Jed was ready with a million tiresome, painful questions. None of which any of the three of them particularly wanted to answer. She just wanted to enjoy being squired around by Luis and Tommy, and not have to think about anything else

.

"So," he said, loud and excited and falling into step with them as they walked. "That's some mark you got there, Page. Did it hurt?"

Rosie felt Luis's wiry bicep tense beneath her hand as he halted, abruptly jerking her to a stop. "What do you think, amigo?"

"That's a pretty nasty-looking scar," Jed went on, leaning forward to get a better look at the healing stitches along Tommy's hairline.

Tommy shot him a look of irritation, gritting his teeth. "Admission's a half-dime," he muttered. "Pay the clown on your way out."

"Huh?" Jed went on, nonplussed.

"Jed," Rosie snapped, adjusting her grip on Luis' arm and looping her free hand through Tommy's. "Stop." She gave her friends an insistent pull that got them moving again.

"What?" Jed went on. "Its gotta be a great story! I mean, the doc had to sew his face back on!"

"Amigo..." Luis huffed dismissively. "That didn't happen, comprende? We told you that didn't..."

"He got cut up by Scorch Hooper and lived to talk about it! That part's true, ain't it?"

Rosie cringed, shooting a glance at Tommy. He was shaking his head, doing his best to let the words roll off. Jed, if either Luis or Tommy decides to not come here anymore because of you... "Well, none of us want to talk about it anymore," she said. "So stop."

"Jed, look," Tommy said, embarrassed. "You can see that...you can see where Doc sewed me up.. See? It's nothing. There's only...I mean...it... wasn't that bad." He snatched off his hat and swept back his forelock, exposing the stitched laceration. "It's not even a lot of stitches. Calm down, wouldja?"

A look of disappointment crossed Jed's face, and something inside Rosie snapped. Every time she looked at that cut across Tommy's brow, all she could see was how shockingly, horribly red his blood had been across his too-white face, how still he'd been, lying unconscious on Saint's bunk. She remembered how terrifying it was helplessly watching her friend bleeding, maybe even dying. She couldn't stop thinking about how sick with fear she'd been when Luis had walked out into the thunderstorm to face Hooper alone. And now here's Jed...stupid, obnoxious Jed...sorry that Tommy wasn't hurt worse. Wanting to see something awful, something bloody, more concerned with his own sick curiosity than he is that real people got hurt. And on top of it, I can tell Tommy's embarrassed because he's starting to stammer. She shook her hands free of Tommy and Luis' arms and stepped forward, putting herself in front of Tommy as if to protect him.

"What's wrong with you?" she snapped at Jed, her anger overcoming her shyness. "You think it's fun he was almost killed? Do you think it wasn't awful?"

Jed put up his hands defensively, scowling. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Well, then, how did you mean it?" Rosie had endured Jed's torment for so long it had become like the landscape and the weather. She's learned to live with it. But having him focus his cloddish stupidity on the boys...on her boys...that she could not abide. "You're staring at him like you think he's a sideshow exhibit! How would you like it if someone did that to you?"

"Look here, girl," Jed started, his face reddening slightly. "I don't have to..."

"Alright, amigo," Luis said, cutting him off and raising an eyebrow. "She don't wanna talk to you about this, so we're done, yes?" He tucked Rosie's hand once again into the crook of his arm and pulled her away from Jed.

Ahead of them, Rosie could see Charlotte and her cronies, taking notice of their approach and start towards them. She drew in a deep breath, steeling herself. It's not like I didn't know what we were going to want to chat Tommy up.

"You think I have to listen to some...Mexican?

Rosie jerked backwards as Luis stopped in his tracks. "No," she said to him. "No fighting. You don't have to listen to a fool, either." She grabbed Tommy's shirtsleeve and pulled them both along with her. She was so angry she was shaking. Her eyes had started to burn.

Charlotte stepped up to them, with the practiced, brittle smile Rosie so disliked plastered on her face. I never thought I'd admit this, she thought, but I'm glad she and her followers are here. Luis will be less likely to do something we'll all regret later. She tightened her grip on Luis' arm and gritted her teeth.

"Why Mister Page," Charlotte said, twirling a chestnut curl on her finger as spoke. "I'm so glad you're back on your feet."

"Thanks," Tommy nodded at her. "I am, too."

"We heard what happened," Charlotte went on. "Thank goodness that badman is not at large anymore!"

"Yeah, well," Jed piped up. "Thank goodness they got a professional killer living out there at the station." He licked his lips, looking around at everyone to see what sort of reaction he'd get. "Otherwise, they'd all be dead like at all those other Pony Express stations. Eh...amigo?"

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