Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Ned blinked several times, only to groan, hiding his face in Cole’s neck. “Oh. Oh no. They’ve all seen that fight we had…”
Cole was painfully aware of that fact, but before he could have come up with words of comfort, Ned spoke again.
“Suppose it will be a good place for Tommy. Around people. And for us too. I’ll go wherever you go.”
Cole exhaled and tightened his arms around Ned, floating in the safety of his strong embrace while the wagon rocked them up and down.
His home was with Ned O’Leary. For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness or in health.
Till death do them part.
Epilogue 1 – Cole
5 months later
It had been one hundred and sixty one days, and waking up in the same bed still felt like a novelty. The mattress was softer than the cots and bedrolls he’d used for most of his life, enclosed in solid wooden walls, and the wagon had a lockable door to keep him safe in his sleep. To this day, all those things felt like luxury, yet despite shutters in all windows blocking out daylight, Cole always awoke at his usual time, just before sunrise.
He opened his eyes to see the pale outline of the newspaper cutting hung high above the large bed tucked on one end of the wagon. The two dead men had been burnt to a crisp by the time lawmen had found them in the cellar of the Crying House, their features unrecognizable, but Cole liked to look at the short article every day. Sometimes, Ned would read it for him too, and they’d both sit in silence for a while, content that Ned O’Leary and Cole Flores were dead to the world. And no one searched for dead men, which meant that even Thaddeus Craig could find peace at last.
Yawning, Cole cuddled up under his blanket and turned to slide his face into Ned’s hair, but his hand patted a cold sheet.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Cole’s heart slowed, only to quicken like a hare on the run from a party of hunting dogs, and he rolled out of bed, hands stretched out and seeking things he could not see. The table. The cupboard with clothes. Tommy’s cot was empty too, since he was spending the night with Judith’s boys, but Ned hadn’t fallen asleep there neither.
He was gone.
Gone.
Gone.
What if he’d gone out to relieve his bladder and Craig had somehow tracked him down, even so far away from Denver?
Or maybe it was because of something mundane? They did have a little scuffle over Cole leaving his things in a mess. What if Ned was fed up with him and rode out into the wilderness? What if he just left with no intention of ever coming back?
The faint line of light under the door called out to Cole, so he stepped toward it barefoot, catching air in shallow gulps. His hand pressed on the handle, and the door opened, spitting him into the dawn.
His confused heart stopped at the sight of Ned heading his way with a tray of food and steaming coffee cups. He looked handsome in comfortable work pants worn over a dark blue union suit, and when he smiled, tension left Cole’s body, making room for more love than he could handle.
“Mornin’,” Ned said, and Cole would never get enough of that word on his lips. He wanted it from Ned every day.
He ignored the cold dew, jumped off their wagon and took a step forward in the damp grass. The sky was still dark, but the horizon around the quiet circle of circus wagons already shone with a brilliant pink hue, existing solely for their pleasure.
“I told you not to leave so early.”
Ned looked around, just to be on the safe side, and leaned in for a kiss. “How would I have gotten us this breakfast then?”
Cole had no sensible answer to that question, because the fear that overcame him whenever he didn’t know Ned’s whereabouts was far from rational. He put both his hands on Ned’s and rubbed his skin, longing for the warm touch. “I rather like waking up next to you. We could have gone to fetch breakfast together.”
“You gotta let me treat you sometimes.” Ned’s gaze was butter-soft when it met Cole’s eyes, as if nothing could spoil his mood when Cole was around.
Their lot had improved since they’d gotten back together, but life in a traveling show was full of hardship. It had its joys too, but the bargain Cole made tied them to the troupe indefinitely, and condemned Ned to the near-constant temptation of booze. He would have been better off if they’d set up somewhere in the wilderness, but Cole had given Jan his word, so they were stuck, for better or for worse.
They had friends they could count on, and little Tommy had become more open to people. While Cole earned peanuts despite being one of Jan’s star attractions, it was enough for necessities when padded with his savings. Ned, on the other hand, was content out of the spotlight, tending to the animals and occasionally amusing children with his bird calls.