Loaded Guns and Broken Fences [On Hold]

Chapter 51

It'd been a few days since John and Brandon McGrath had been arrested, and Horace Birch figured that had been the best call the sheriff had made in a while. He'd seen no shortage of Shields around, but things had been quiet at least.

"Hey, Pa," Clyde called as he pulled their wagon up to the storefront. "Pa!"

Horace rushed out onto the front porch, but his panic turned to realization as he looked over the empty wagon bed.

"I was there on time for the ten o'clock, like always, but our order weren't there. Ned said nothin' came," Clyde explained. "So I had Ned telegraph Springfield and they's said we didn't put in no order."

"That's right." Horace nodded, placing his hands on his hips as he squinted up at the sky. He should've caught Clyde before the boy left for the train station. "I'm sorry, son. Meant to tell you not to make the trip..."

Clyde scratched the back of his head.

Had his father honestly not remembered to place the order and had been too embarrassed to tell him? His pa wasn't that old, surely his memory wasn't going yet. "Wull... I'll run to the post office and send em a list'a what we're out of, then. Maybe they can get it onto the next car," Clyde said.

"No."

"No?" Clyde's brows knitted together.

"Faith Hall's buying the store. I reckon I'll take a loss on some of the stock, but we're moving, and I needed this thing done an sold."

"Moving?" Clyde's gaze drifted across the street towards the sheriff's office. "...cuz of—" He cut himself off from saying Ben's name when he saw the muscles in his pa's jaw tense. "...Cuz'a the McGrath's?"

"No." Horace sighed. "...No, I've been savin' up to do this for quite a while now. But what happened to yer brother, an everything else going on round here, made me realize I've waited too damn long."

"...Mom know?" Clyde asked.

"Mhm."

"What about Abby an Tom?"

Horace shook his head as he spotted Andy with Mrs. Hall herself, strolling together along the boardwalk across the street. "There she is now..." he mused, tipping his head in their direction.

Clyde turned in the wagon to look as well. "Don't they look like a pair..."

Faith was dressed as she usually was, in clothes that put everyone else's Sunday best to shame. In one hand she held her parasol and the other was hooked around the arm of one Andrew Shield.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Andrew," she said as they strolled. "It's been far too long. Far too long, and yet some things haven't changed at all." her gaze traveled up and down the main street, regarding the small shops and buildings. Most had been there since her childhood.